9925. 'When he ministers' means while engaged in worship and preaching the gospel. This is clear from the meaning of 'ministering' - when said of Aaron, who represents the Lord - as worship and preaching the gospel. By this worship is meant everything representative of that worship which springs from the good of love and the truths of faith. For worship that springs from these is indeed worship; but worship devoid of them is like the shell without the nut, and like the body without the soul. This is what the worship among the Jewish and Israelite nation was like, since their worship did no more than represent inward things, which are those of love and faith, as has been stated. Even so, the Lord saw to it that such worship should be discerned in the heavens, so that through it a link with mankind might be established, not through inner things but through the correspondences of these with outward things, regarding which, see the places referred to in 9320 (end), 9380. This worship is what is meant by Aaron's ministering.

[2] The reason why preaching the gospel is also meant is that preaching the gospel implies all those things in the Word which have to do with the Lord, and all those in worship which served to represent Him. For preaching the gospel involves declaring the truth about the Lord, about His Coming, and about the things of which He is the author, namely things that belong to salvation and eternal life. And since everything in the Word in its inmost sense has to do solely with the Lord, and also everything in worship served to represent Him, the whole of the Word is the gospel, as likewise was all the worship which was performed in accord with what was commanded in the Word. And since the priests had charge of worship, and also gave instruction, worship and preaching the gospel were meant by their ministry.

8361. 'And do what is right in His eyes' means a life in keeping with them. This is clear from the meaning of 'doing what is right' as leading a life in keeping with what truth dictates; and from the meaning of 'in Jehovah's eyes' as before the Lord, thus in keeping with His commandments, since the Lord is within His commandments when a person leads a life in keeping with them. Also a person who possesses faith in the Lord is said to be 'in His eyes'. As regards 'hearing the voice', its proper meaning is obedience, 2542, 3869, 5017. But when the verb 'doing' is used as well, as it is here, 'hearing' in that case means faith and 'doing' means life, as may be recognized from the Lord's words in Matthew,

Everyone who hears My words and does them I will liken to a wise man. But everyone hearing My words yet not doing them will be likened to a foolish man. Matthew 7:24, 26.

In Luke,

Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like. Luke 6:47.

In the same gospel,

The seed which [fell] on the good earth - these are they who with a simple and good heart hear the Word, keep it, and bear fruit ¹ ' with patience. Luke 8:15.

In the same gospel,

Jesus said, My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it. Luke 8:21.

In these places 'hearing' means having perception, understanding, and faith; and 'doing' means leading a life in keeping with them. But when 'hearing' is used by itself and not together with 'doing' it means faith in will and action, thus obedience. The reason why is that what a person hears passes into his inward power of sight which belongs to the understanding; there it is embraced by the will and completes a kind of circle that passes into action. This explains why the actual word 'hear', from the nature of the activity it describes, may mean obedience, as in the expression to hear or else hearken to someone, see 4652-4660.

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