10152. And Aaron and his sons will I sanctify, to minister to Me in the priest’s office. That this signifies a representative of the Lord in both heavens in respect to the work of salvation, is evident from the representation of Aaron, as being the Lord as to celestial good (see n. 9806, 9946, 10068); and from the representation of the sons of Aaron, as being the Lord as to spiritual good (n. 10017, 10068); thus in both heavens, as well the higher as the lower, for whether you say celestial good, or the celestial kingdom, or the higher heavens, it is the same. (Concerning the higher and the lower heavens, see what was said just above, n. 10150, 10151.) And from the representation of the priest’s office, as being the Lord’s work of salvation (n. 9809, 10017). From this it is evident that by “sanctifying Aaron and his sons to minister to Jehovah in the priest’s office” is signified a representative of the Lord in both heavens in respect to the work of salvation.

[2] Something may here be said about the Lord’s work of salvation. It is known in the church that the Lord is the Savior and the Redeemer of the human race, but it is known to few how this is to be understood. They who are in the externals of the church believe that the Lord redeemed the world, that is, the human race, by His own blood, by which they mean the passion of the cross; but they who are in the internals of the church know that no one is saved by the Lord’s blood, but by a life according to the precepts of faith and charity from the Lord’s Word. They who are in the inmosts of the church understand by the Lord’s blood the Divine truth proceeding from Him, and by the passion of the cross they understand the last of the Lord’s temptation, by which He completely subjugated the hells and at the same time glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine; and that thereby He redeemed and saved all who suffer themselves to be regenerated by a life according to the precepts of faith and of charity from His Word. Moreover, by “the Lord’s blood” in the internal sense, according to which the angels in the heavens perceive the Word, is meant the Divine truth proceeding from the the Lord, (n. 4735, 5476, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7850, 9127, 9393, 10026, 10033).

[3] But no one can know how man was saved and redeemed by the Divine through the subjugation of the hells and the glorification of His Human, unless he knows that there are with every man angels from heaven and spirits from hell, and that unless these are constantly present with man, he cannot think anything, or will anything; and thus that in respect to his interiors man is either under the dominion of spirits who are from hell, or else is under the dominion of angels who are from heaven. When this is first known, it can then be known that unless the Lord had wholly subjugated the hells, and reduced all things both there and in the heavens into order, no one could have been saved; nor likewise unless the Lord had made His Human Divine, and had thereby acquired for Himself to eternity Divine power over the hells and over the heavens. For neither the hells nor the heavens can be kept in order without Divine power, because the power by which anything comes forth must be perpetual for it to subsist, for subsistence is a perpetual coming forth.

[4] The Divine Itself which is called “the Father,” without the Divine Human which is called “the Son,” could not effect this, because the Divine Itself without the Divine Human cannot reach man, nor even an angel, when the human race has altogether removed itself from the Divine. This came to pass in the end of the times, when there was no longer any faith or any charity; and therefore the Lord then came into the world and restored all things, and this by virtue of His Human; and thus saved and redeemed man through faith and love to the Lord from the Lord; for such the Lord can withhold from the hells and from eternal damnation, but not those who reject faith and love from Him to Him, for these reject salvation and redemption.

[5] That the Divine Itself does this by means of the Divine Human is evident from many passages in the Word, as from those in which the Divine Human, which is the Son of God, is called the right hand and arm of Jehovah; and in which it is said that the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth. (That the Lord is called the “right hand and arm of Jehovah,” see n. 10019; and that He has all power in the heavens and on earth, n. 10089.) That by virtue of the Divine Human the Lord subjugated the hells, and reduced all things therein and in the heavens into order, and at the same time glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, see the places cited in n. 9528, 9715, 9809, 9937, 10019; and that the Divine Itself, which is called “the Father,” effected this by means of the Divine Human is evident in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word; all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made; and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:1-3, 14);

it is evident that the Lord as to the Divine Human is He who is here called “the Word,” for it is said, “the Word was made flesh.” And again:

No one hath seen God at any time, the Only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath set Him forth (John 1:18).

Ye have neither heard the voice of the Father at any time, nor seen His shape (John 5:37).

I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one cometh unto the Father, but by Me. Henceforth ye have known the Father, and have seen Him. He that seeth Me seeth the Father (John 14:6-7, 9).

No one knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son shall will to reveal Him (Matthew 11:27).

From all this it can now be seen what the work of salvation and of redemption is, and that it is effected by virtue of the Lord’s Divine Human.

10019. And thou shalt fill the hand of Aaron and the hand of his sons. That this signifies inauguration to represent the Divine power of the Lord through Divine truth from Divine good, is evident from the signification of “filling the hand,” as being to inaugurate to represent the Lord as to Divine truth from Divine good, and as to the power thence derived. There were two things by which inauguration into the priesthood was effected-anointing, and filling the hand; by anointing was effected inauguration to represent the Lord as to Divine good, for the oil by which the anointing was done signifies the good of love (see n. 10011); and by filling the hand was effected inauguration to represent the Lord as to Divine truth from Divine good, thus as to power. For by the “hand” is signified power (n. 878, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189, 7518, 7673, 8050, 8069, 8153); and “hand” is predicated of the truth which is from good (n. 3091, 3563, 4931, 8281, 9025), because all power is of truth from good (n. 5623, 6344, 6423, 6948, 8200, 8304, 9327, 9410, 9639, 9643). And as the head and the whole body exercise their power by the hands, and power is the activity of life with man, therefore by “hand” is also signified whatever pertains to man, thus the man himself insofar as his action is concerned (n. 9133); from all which it can be seen what is signified by “filling the hand.” (That the Lord alone has all power, and that an angel, spirit, or man has none at all, save what is from the Lord, see n. 8200, 8281, 9327, 9410, 9639.) That by these two things-anointing and the filling of the hand-inauguration into the priesthood was effected, was because all things whatsoever that are and come forth in the heavens and on earth, bear relation to good and to truth.

[2] How the filling of the hand was effected is described in this chapter (verses 9 to 36), and also in Leviticus (8:22 to the end). It was effected by means of the second ram, which is therefore called “the ram of fillings.” The process of filling was that the ram should be slain, that some of his blood should be put upon the earlap of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot, of Aaron and his sons; that some of the blood from the altar, and of the oil of anointing, should be sprinkled upon Aaron and his sons, and upon their garments; that the fat, the tail, the fat upon the intestines, the caul of the liver, the kidneys and their fat, and the right shoulder, of that ram; also the bread, the cakes, and the wafers of unleavened things from the basket; should be put upon the palms of Aaron and his sons, and should be waved, and afterward be burnt upon the burnt-offering of the first ram; that the breast after it was waved, and the left shoulder, should be for Aaron and his sons, and the flesh cooked in a holy place and the bread remaining in the basket, should be eaten by them at the door of the Tent of meeting. This was the process of filling the hands; but what the particulars signified will of the Lord’s Divine mercy be told in what follows.

[3] The Divine power of the Lord, which was represented by the filling of the hands of Aaron and his sons, is the Divine power of saving the human race; and the power of saving the human race is power over the heavens and over the hells. For man is saved by this power of the Lord, and not by any other; because all the good which is of love, and all the truth which is of faith, flow in through the heavens from the Lord, and they cannot flow in unless the hells are removed, for all evil, and from this all falsity, are from the hells. Man is saved by the removal of the evils and the derivative falsities that are from the hells, and by the influx then of the good of love and of the truth of faith through heaven from the Lord. (That when the Lord was in the world He subjugated the hells, and reduced the heavens into order, and acquired to Himself Divine power over them, see n. 9486, 9715, 9809, 9937, and the places cited in n. 9528.) This power of the Lord is what was represented by the filling of the hands of the priests; for by the “priesthood” was signified all the work of the Lord’s salvation (n. 9809).

[4] That the Lord has this power He Himself teaches in plain words in Matthew:

All power has been given to Me in the heavens and on earth (Matthew 28:15).

Jesus said to the seventy who said that the demons were obedient to them, Behold I give you power to tread upon serpents and upon scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; that nothing at all shall harm you. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father (Luke 10:19, 10:22).

By these words is described the power of the Lord over the hells; “demons” denote those who are in the hells; “serpents and scorpions” denote evils and the falsities of evil; “to tread upon them” denotes to destroy these evils and falsities; the hells are also meant by “the enemy over which they were to have power.”

[5] That the Lord acquired this power when He was in the world, is evident in Isaiah:

Who is this that cometh from Edom, marching in the multitude of his strength, great to save? Mine own arm performed salvation to Me; therefore He became their Savior (Isaiah 63:1, 5 (Isaiah 63:5), 8).

That these things are said of the Lord, is known in the church. In like manner those said elsewhere in the same prophet:

His own arm performed salvation to Him, and His righteousness uplifted Him. Therefore He put on righteousness as a coat of mail, and a helmet of salvation upon His head; and the Redeemer came to Zion (Isaiah 59:16-21).

The saying of Jehovah unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a stool for Thy feet. Jehovah shall send forth the scepter of Thy strength out of Zion; rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies; the Lord is at Thy right hand (Psalms 110). (Psalms 110:5)

That these things are said of the Lord, He Himself teaches in Matthew 22:43. His dominion over the hells is described by “sitting at the right hand;” for by “the right hand” is signified the power possessed by Divine truth from Divine good. The hells and the evils and falsities therefrom are the “enemies who were to be made a stool for His feet,” and also the “enemies in the midst of whom He was to rule.”

[6] That the “right hand of Jehovah” denotes Divine power, is evident from many passages in the Word; as in Moses:

Thy right hand, O Jehovah, is become great in power; Thy right hand, O Jehovah, breaketh in pieces the enemy (Exodus 15:6).

O God, Thou givest me the shield of salvation, and Thy right hand holdeth me up (Psalms 18:35).

Their arm did not save them; but Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy faces (Psalms 44:3);

it is said “Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy faces,” because the “right hand” denotes power, the “arm” denotes strength, and the “light of the faces” denotes Divine truth from Divine good. (That the “arm” denotes strength, see n. 4932, 4934, 4935, 7205; that “light” denotes Divine truth, n. 9548, 9684; and that “the faces of Jehovah” denote Divine good, n. 222, 5585, 9306) Again:

O God, Thy right hand upholdeth me (Psalms 63:8).

O Jehovah, Thou hast an arm with might; strong is Thy hand, exalted shall be Thy right hand (Psalms 89:13).

Jehovah hath sworn by His right hand, by the arm of His strength (Isaiah 62:8).

O Jehovah, let Thy hand be for the man of Thy right hand, for the son of man Thou hast made strong for Thyself; then will we not go back from Thee (Psalms 80:17-18).

[7] From all this it can now be seen what is meant by the words of the Lord in Matthew:

Jesus said, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power (Matthew 26:64).

Henceforth shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God (Luke 22:69).

That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to Divine truth, see in n. 9807; and that “the right hand” denotes Divine power, is evident from what has now been shown; therefore also it is called “the right hand of power,” and “the right hand of might.” From all this it is now evident what was represented by the anointing of Aaron and of his sons, and what by the filling of their hands; namely, by the anointing, the Divine good of the Divine love in the Lord (see n. 9954 end); and by the filling of their hands, the Divine truth and the Divine power thence derived. That Divine good has all power through Divine truth, and that the Lord alone has this power, may be seen in the passages cited above; therefore also in the Word of the Old Testament the Lord is called “Hero,” a “Man of War,” and also “Jehovah Zebaoth,” or “of armies.”