10584. And I will remove the palm of My hand, and thou shalt see My back parts, and My faces shall not be seen. That this signifies that they should see the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, but not the internal things; is evident from the signification of the “back parts of Jehovah,” as being the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship (of which in what follows); and from the signification of the “faces of Jehovah,” as being the internal things of these (of which above, n. 10578); consequently by “seeing the back parts and not the faces of Jehovah” is signified seeing the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, and not the internal things. That such was the Israelitish and Jewish nation, and that such it is at this day also, has been shown in all that precedes of this chapter, and of the preceding one.

[2] The reason why the “back parts of Jehovah” signify the external things of the Word, of the church, and of worship, is that the “faces” signify the internal things (see n. 10578). And those are said to “see the back parts of Jehovah and not the faces,” who believe and adore the Word; but only its external, which is the sense of the letter, and do not penetrate more interiorly, as do those who have been enlightened, and who make for themselves doctrine from the Word, by which they may see its genuine sense, thus its interior sense. (That the Word cannot be apprehended without doctrine, and that doctrine drawn from the Word by one who is enlightened must be for a lamp to the understanding, see n. 9382, 9409, 9410, 9424, 9430, 10105, 10324, 10400, 10431; and that the internal sense of the Word teaches this doctrine, n. 9430.) From all this it can be seen what it is to “see the back parts of Jehovah and not His faces.”

[3] But those who do not believe in the Word, do not even see the back parts of Jehovah; but turn themselves backward from Jehovah, and see only themselves and the world. These are they who are meant by those in the Word who are said to “turn their back parts to the temple, and to adore the sun,” of whom it is written in Ezekiel:

I was brought into the court of the house of Jehovah, and behold five and twenty men, whose back parts were toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces toward the east; and the same bowed themselves toward the rising of the sun (Ezekiel 8:16);

by “the sun and its rising” is meant the sun of the world and its rising, and thereby is signified the love of self, which love is diametrically opposite to love to the Lord. From this it is that the sun of the world is presented in the idea of the angels as something at the back quite dark; whereas the Lord, who is the sun of heaven, appears before the face (n. 7078). Of such men it is said that they “turn their back parts to the temple,” and also that they “go backward,” in Jeremiah:

Thou hast forsaken Jehovah, thou art gone backward (Jeremiah 15:6).

They have gone away in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and have come backward, and not forward (Jeremiah 7:24).

9382. And Moses came and reported to the people. That this signifies the enlightenment and instruction of the Lord through the Divine truth which is from Himself, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Lord in respect to the Word, thus in respect to the Divine truth, for this is the Word (see above n. 9372); from the signification of “coming,” when said of the Lord in respect to the Word or the Divine truth, which is represented by Moses, as being enlightenment, for when the Lord comes, that is, is present in the Word, there is enlightenment; and from the signification of “reporting,” as being instruction. From this it is plain that by “Moses came and reported to the people” is signified the enlightenment and instruction of the Lord through the Divine truth.

[2] How the case is with enlightenment and instruction from the Word, shall also be briefly told. Everyone is enlightened and instructed from the Word according to his affection of truth, and longing for it, and according to his capacity of receiving it. They who are in enlightenment are in the light of heaven as to their internal man; for it is the light of heaven which enlightens man in the truths and goods of faith (see n. 8707, 8861). They who are thus illumined apprehend the Word in accordance with its interior things, and therefore make for themselves doctrine from the Word, to which they apply the sense of the letter. But they who are not in the affection of truth from good, and from this in the desire to be wise, are blinded rather than enlightened when they read the Word, for they are not in the light of heaven; and from the light of the world, which is called the light of nature, they see only what agrees with worldly things; and thus from the fallacies in which the external senses are, they embrace falsities which appear to them as truths. Most of these make for themselves no doctrine from the Word, but remain in the sense of the letter, which they apply so as to favor falsities, especially such as agree with the loves of self and of the world. But those who are not of this character merely confirm the doctrinal things of their church, and neither care nor know whether these are true or false (see n. 4741, 5033, 6865, 7012, 7680, 7950, 8521, 8780). From this it is evident who are enlightened from the Word, and who are blinded; namely, that those are enlightened who are in heavenly loves, for heavenly loves receive and like sponges imbibe the truths of heaven; and these are conjoined together of themselves, like soul and body. But on the other hand those are blinded who are in worldly loves, because these loves receive and like sponges imbibe falsities; with which also they are conjoined of themselves. For good and truth agree together, and so on the other hand do evil and falsity; and therefore the conjunction of evil and falsity is called the infernal marriage, which is hell itself; and the conjunction of good and truth is called the heavenly marriage, which is heaven itself.

[3] That the Word is the source of enlightenment and instruction, is because in its first origin it is truth Divine itself that proceeds from the Lord, and in its descent into the world is accommodated to all the heavens. Hence it is that when a man who has heavenly love reads the Word, he is through it conjoined with heaven, and through heaven with the Lord, whereby he has enlightenment and instruction. It is otherwise when a man who has worldly love reads the Word. With him there is no conjunction of heaven; and therefore he has no enlightenment and instruction. (That through the Word there is a union of heaven and the world, thus of the Lord with the human race, see n. 9212, 9216, 9357)