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创世记 8

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1 记念挪亚和挪亚方舟里的一切走牲畜,水势渐落。

2 渊源和上的窗户都闭塞了,上的大雨也止住了。

3 水从上渐退。过了一五十,水就渐消。

4 日,方舟停在亚拉腊上。

5 水又渐消,到十初一日,顶都现出来了。

6 过了四十,挪亚开了方舟的窗户,

7 放出一只乌鸦去;那乌鸦飞来飞去,直到上的水都乾了。

8 他又放出一只鸽子去,要水从地上退了没有。

9 但遍上都是水,鸽子不着落,就回到方舟挪亚那里,挪亚伸鸽子接进方舟

10 他又等了,再把鸽子从方舟放出去。

11 到了晚上鸽子回到他那里,嘴里叼着一个新拧下橄榄子,挪亚就知道上的水退了。

12 他又等了,放出鸽子去,鸽子就不再回来了。

13 到挪亚零一岁,正初一日,上的水都乾了。挪亚撤去方舟的盖观,便见地面上乾了。

14 到了二二十日,就都乾了。

15 对挪亚

16 你和你的妻子、儿子、儿妇都可以出方舟。

17 在你那里凡有血的活物,就是飞牲畜,和一切爬在上的昆虫,都要带出来,叫他在上多多滋生,大大兴旺。

18 於是挪亚和他的妻子、儿子、儿妇都出来了。

19 一切走、昆虫、飞,和上所有的动物,各从其类,也都出了方舟。

20 挪亚为耶和华筑了一座,拿各类洁净的牲畜、飞献在上为燔祭。

21 耶和华那馨之气,就:我不再因人的缘故咒诅地(人从小时里怀着恶念),也不再按着我才行的灭各种的活物了。

22 还存留的时候,稼穑、寒暑、冬夏、昼夜就永不停息了。

   

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Arcana Coelestia #922

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922. And took of every clean beast and of every clean fowl. That this signifies the goods of charity and the truths of faith, has been shown above; that “beast” signifies the goods of charity n. 45-46vvv3, 142-143, 246); and that “fowl” signifies the truths of faith n. 40, 776). Burnt-offerings were made of oxen, of lambs and goats, and of turtledoves and young pigeons (Leviticus 1:3-17; Numbers 15:2-15; 28:1-31). These were clean beasts, and each one of them signified some special heavenly thing. And because they signified these things in the Ancient Church and represented them in the churches that followed, it is evident that burnt-offerings and sacrifices were nothing else than representatives of internal worship; and that when they were separated from internal worship they became idolatrous. This anyone of sound reason may see. For what is an altar but something of stone, and what is burnt-offering and sacrifice but the slaying of a beast? If there be Divine worship, it must represent something heavenly which they know and acknowledge, and from which they worship Him whom they represent.

[2] That these were representatives of the Lord no one can be ignorant, unless he is unwilling to understand anything about the Lord. It is by internal things, namely, charity and the faith therefrom, that He who is represented is to be seen and acknowledged and believed, as is clearly evident in the Prophets, for example, in Jeremiah:

Thus saith Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, Add your burnt-offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat ye flesh for I spake not unto your fathers, and I commanded them not in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings and sacrifices; but this thing I commanded them, saying, Hearken unto My voice, and I will be your God (Jeremiah 7:21-23).

To “hearken to” or obey, “the voice” is to obey the law, which all relates to the one command: to love God above all things, and the neighbor as one’s self; for in this is the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:35-40; 7:12).

In David:

O Jehovah, sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, burnt-offering and sin-offering hast Thou not required; I have desired to do Thy will, O my God; yea, Thy law is within my heart (Psalms 40:7, 9).

[3] In Samuel, who said to Saul,

Hath Jehovah as great pleasure in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in hearkening to the voice of Jehovah? behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22).

What is meant by “hearkening to the voice” may be seen in Micah:

Shall I come before Jehovah with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old? will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovih require of thee, but to do judgment, and to love mercy; and to humble thyself in walking with thy God? (Micah 6:6-8).

This is what is signified by “burnt-offerings and sacrifices of clean beasts and birds.”

So in Amos:

Though you offer Me your burnt-offerings and gifts I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offering of your fat ones; let judgment flow like waters, and righteousness like a mighty river (Amos 5:22, 24).

“Judgment” is truth, and “righteousness” is good, both from charity, and these are the “burnt-offerings and sacrifices” of the internal man.

In Hosea:

For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings (Hosea 6:6).

From these passages it is evident what sacrifices and burnt-offerings are where there is no charity and faith; and it is also evident that clean beasts and clean birds represented, because they signified, the goods of charity and of faith.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.