8685. 'That Moses sat to judge the people' means the arrangement, effected by God's truth, with those belonging to the spiritual Church in the state before their actions sprang from good. This is clear from the representation of 'Moses' as God's truth going forth directly from the Lord, dealt with in 7010, 7382; from the meaning of 'judging' as effecting an arrangement (the reason why 'judging' has this meaning here is that God's truth does not judge anyone, but flows in and arranges things for its own reception, and after it has been received judgement then takes place in accordance with the laws of order; this is what is meant by the Lord's judgement in Matthew 25:31-end; John 5:22, 26-27, 30; 9:39, as is clear from the Lord's words where He says that He judges no one, John 3:17-21; 7:24; 12:47-48); and from the representation of Israel, to whom 'the people' refers here, as those belonging to the spiritual Church, dealt with above in 8645. From all this it is evident that 'Moses sat to judge the people' means the arrangement, effected by God's truth going forth directly from the Lord, with those belonging to the spiritual Church.

[2] This is so in the state before their actions spring from good, as is clear from what follows. There are two states that the person who is being regenerated and coming to have the Church within him passes through. In the first state his actions spring from truth, in the second from good, regarding which states see 8516, 8539, 8643, 8648, 8658. In both states the person is led by the Lord, in the first however through direct influx, but in the second through influx both direct and indirect. Regarding the influx of goodness and truth from the Lord in direct and indirect ways, see 6472-6478, 6982, 6985, 6996, 7054-7058, 7270. Direct influx is represented by the situation in which Moses alone judged the people, and influx both direct and indirect by the situation in which the rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens who had been chosen were themselves to judge small matters, and to refer large matters to Moses, spoken of further on. But these things are arcana which hardly anyone can understand unless he is enlightened by the Lord, and being enlightened has perception. Those kinds of influx and also the effects they produce can, it is true, be described. Nevertheless a person can have no proper understanding of them without perception from heaven; and perception from heaven comes only to those who have a love of truth springing from good, yet not even to them unless it is a love of truth springing from genuine good.

6982. 'I am not a man of words' means that he is lacking in speech. This is clear from the meaning of 'a man of words' as the fact that he is not an able speaker, and so is lacking in speech. What all this entails must be stated. The subject here in the highest sense is the Lord, for 'Moses' represents the Lord in respect of the law of God, thus in respect of God's truth. Truth that goes forth directly from the Divine cannot be heard by anyone, not even by any angel; if what is Divine is to be heard it must first be made human, and it is made human when it passes through the heavens. When it has passed through the heavens it is presented in a human form and becomes speech, speech which is uttered by spirits who, while they are in that state, are called the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit is said to come forth from the Divine because what is holy with a spirit, namely the holy truth uttered by him at that time, comes forth from the Lord. From all this one may recognize that truth coming forth directly from the Divine cannot be presented to anyone as spoken word or speech except by means of the Holy Spirit. This is what is meant in the highest sense when Moses, who represents the Lord in respect of God's truth, says that he is 'not a man of words', and by the fact that Aaron his brother was to be attached to him; Aaron was to serve him in place of his mouth, and he was to serve Aaron in God's place.