3956. 'And Leah said, God has given me my reward, because I gave my servant-girl to my husband' in the highest sense means Divine Good wedded to Truth, and Truth wedded to Good; in the internal sense heavenly conjugial love; and in the external sense mutual love. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'reward'. 'Reward' is mentioned in various places in the Word, but few know what is meant there by 'reward'. It is well known in the Churches that man can merit nothing through the good deeds which he performs, for the good deeds which he performs are not his but the Lord's, and that merit-seeking or the earning of merit has man himself in view and so joins itself to self-love and to thought of superiority over others, consequently to contempt for others. Works therefore which are done for the sake of reward are not good in themselves since they do not spring from a genuine source, that is to say, out of charity towards the neighbour. Charity towards the neighbour holds within itself the desire that the neighbour will fare as well as oneself, and in the case of the angels the desire that he will fare better than themselves. Such is the nature of the affection that goes with charity. Consequently the affection that goes with charity loathes all idea of merit and so every good action done with a view to reward. Reward for people who have charity consists in their having the ability to do good, in being allowed to do it, and in the recipient's willing acceptance of it. This is the actual delight, indeed blessing, that is present with people with whom the affection that goes with charity exists.

[2] This shows what is meant by 'reward' which is mentioned in the Word, namely the delight and blessing belonging to the affection that goes with charity, or what amounts to the same, the delight and blessing belonging to mutual love, 3816, for the affection that goes with charity is one and the same as mutual love; see what has been stated already on these matters in 1110, 1111, 1774, 1835, 1877, 2027, 2273, 2340, 2373, 2400. From these paragraphs it is evident that at this point 'reward' in the external sense means mutual love. In the sense higher than this, which is the internal sense, 'reward' means heavenly conjugial love, as may be seen from what has been stated already about the heavenly marriage in 2618, 2739, 2741, 2803, 3024 (end), 3132, 3952 - that is to say, it is the joining together of good and truth, and mutual love is the offspring of that conjunction or marriage, 2737, 2738. From all this one may see that in the internal sense 'reward' means heavenly conjugial love.

[3] As regards 'reward' meaning in the highest sense Divine Good wedded to Truth, and Truth wedded to Good, this is evident from the fact that from these comes the heavenly marriage. For that union of the two exists within the Lord and proceeds from Him; and when it passes into heaven, the conjugial relationship between good and truth is effected, and through this relationship mutual love exists. From what has been stated here and in what has gone before one may see what is meant in the internal sense by these words spoken by Leah, 'God has given me my reward, because I gave my servant-girl to my husband'; 'a servant-girl' has meant an affirmative means that serves in the joining together of the external man and the internal man, 3913, 3917, 3931. So until those things meant by the sons of the servant-girls have been affirmed and acknowledged no joining together of good and truth, and so no mutual love, is able to come about, for those affirmations must of necessity come first. These are the considerations meant by these words.

2618. 'And Jehovah did to Sarah' means a state when the two existed united together - the Lord's Divine spiritual within His Divine celestial. This is clear from the meaning of 'doing', when it has reference to the Lord's Divine, as the entire realization of the effect and consequently of the state; and from the meaning of 'Jehovah', and also of 'Sarah', dealt with just above in 2616. As regards the state when the two existed united together - the Lord's Divine spiritual within His Divine celestial - this is the marriage itself of good and truth, which is the origin of the heavenly marriage. The heavenly marriage is the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth, and that is why so many times in the Word the Lord's kingdom is called a marriage, and is compared to a marriage. The reason, which is an arcanum, is that the marriage of Divine Good and Truth, and of Divine Truth and Good, within the Lord is the source of all conjugial love, and through that love the source of all celestial and spiritual love. What further arcana are embodied in these words - 'Jehovah visited Sarah as He had said, and Jehovah did to Sarah as He had spoken' - cannot be made known as they lie beyond description. For these words comprehend the state itself when the Lord's Divine exists united to His Human. Appearances of this state are presented by the Lord to the eyes of the angels by means of heavenly lights, and are illustrated also by means of indescribable representations. But those appearances cannot be presented to men because they would have to be presented by means of objects such as belong to the light of the world, which objects cannot serve to express them. Indeed a description that relies on such things makes them all the more obscure.