8588. And Meribah. That this signifies the quality of the complaining, is evident from the fact that in the original tongue “Meribah” means “contention,” or “quarreling,” and “quarreling” signifies complaining (see n. 8563, 8566); and because names signify the quality of the thing (n. 8587), therefore “Meribah” here signifies the quality of the complaining. As regards this temptation itself and its quality, be it known that in this passage are described those who in temptations almost yield, namely, those who complain against heaven and also against the Divine Itself, and at last almost disbelieve in the Divine Providence. These things are signified in the internal sense by what precedes, and also by what follows in this verse, namely, the quality of the state of the temptation, which is signified by “Massah,” and the quality of the complaining in the temptation, which is signified by “Meribah.” That this quality is here signified by “Meribah,” is plain in David:

Thou calledst upon Me in distress, and I rescued thee; I answered thee in the secret place, I proved thee at the waters of Meribah (Psalms 81:7).

[2] But in the internal historical sense, in which the subject treated of is the state of religion with the Israelitish nation, that nation is described in respect to its quality toward Jehovah, namely, that they were not willing by supplication to entreat Him for aid, but that they expostulated. The reason was, that at heart they did not acknowledge Jehovah as the supreme God, but only in the mouth, when they saw the miracles. That at heart they did not acknowledge Him is very evident from the Egyptian calf which they made for themselves and worshiped, saying that these were their gods; also from their frequent apostasy (of which see n. 8301). This is what is here described in the internal historical sense; but in the internal spiritual sense is described the quality of the temptation with those who before they are liberated are brought to the last of temptation.

[3] That the quality of the Israelitish nation and of its religiosity is described by contention with Moses at Massah and Meribah, is also evident in the following passages:

Harden not your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted Me; they tempted Me, and saw My work; for forty years did I feel loathing at the generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and the same have not known My ways, to whom I sware in Mine anger that they should not come unto My rest (Psalms 95:8-11).

Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted Him in Massah (Deuteronomy 6:16; 9:22, 24).

Of Leviticus he said, Thy Thummim and thy Urim are with the Holy Man, whom thou didst tempt at Massah, with whom thou didst contend at the waters of Meribah (Deuteronomy 33:8).

“The Holy Man” here denotes the Lord, whom they tempted, and whom Moses and Aaron did not sanctify.

[4] In the internal historical sense, in which the subject treated of is the religiosity of the Israelitish nation, by Moses and Aaron is not represented truth Divine, but the religiosity of that nation whose leaders and heads they were (n. 7041). Because this religiosity was such as said above, it was intimated to them that they should not bring the people into the land of Canaan, as is written in the book of Numbers:

Jehovah said unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye have not believed in Me, and sanctified Me in the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them; these are the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with Jehovah (Numbers 20:12-13; 27:14).

Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall not come into the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because ye rebelled against My mouth at the waters of Meribah (Numbers 20:24).

The same is said of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:50-51).

[5] That still representative Divine worship was instituted with that nation, was because representative worship could be instituted with any nation that had holy externals of worship, and worshiped almost idolatrously; for what is representative does not regard the person, but the thing (n. 1361), and it was the genius of that nation, beyond any other nation, to worship merely external things as holy and Divine, without any internal; as for instance to worship as deities their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and afterward Moses and David, and moreover to account holy and as Divine, and to worship, every stone and every piece of wood that had been inaugurated in their Divine worship; as the arks, the tables therein, the lamp, the altar, the garments of Aaron, the Urim and Thummim, and afterward the temple. Of the Lord’s Providence there was then given a communication of the angels of heaven with man by means of such things. For there must needs be somewhere a church, or the representative of a church, in order that there may be communication of heaven with the human race; and as that nation, beyond any other nation, could make Divine worship consist in external things, and thus act the representative of a church, therefore that nation was taken.

[6] At that time communication with the angels in heaven was effected by means of representatives in the following way. Their external worship was communicated to angelic spirits who are simple, and who do not reflect upon internal things, but still are interiorly good. Such are they who in the Grand Man correspond to the outer skin. These pay no attention whatever to the internal of man, but only to his external. If this appears holy, they think holily of the internal also. The more interior angels of heaven saw in those spirits the things that were represented, consequently the heavenly and Divine things that corresponded; for they could be present with these spirits, and see those things; but not with the men except by means of the spirits. For angels dwell with men in things interior; but where there are no such things, they dwell in the interior things of simple spirits; for the angels have no interest in other than spiritual and heavenly things, which are the interior things contained in representatives. From these few words it can be seen how there could be communication with heaven by means of such a people. But see what has been previously shown on this subject, namely: That with the Jews the holy of worship was miraculously elevated into heaven quite apart from them (n. 4307); that whatever their quality might be, the descendants of Jacob could represent what is holy, provided they closely observed the rituals commanded (n. 3147, 3479, 3480, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4289, 4293, 4307, 4444, 4500, 4680, 4825, 4844, 4847, 4899, 4912, 6304, 6306, 7048, 7051, 8301).

10553. 'And all the people rose, and they bowed down, each at the door of [his] tent' means that nation's holy regard for and adoration of what was external with them. This is clear from the meaning of 'rising and bowing down' as having a holy regard for something and adoring it; and from the meaning of 'at the door of [his] tent' as the external aspect of the Word, the Church, and worship, dealt with above in 10549. These words describe the genius or disposition of that nation. Although they stand outside the true meaning of the Word and the visibility so far as the Word with them is concerned is so extremely poor they nevertheless have a holy regard for it and adore it. But that holy regard is an idolatrous holiness arising out of self-love, altogether different from any Divine holiness. Regarding the existence of such holiness with that nation when they engage in worship, see 3479, 4281, 6588, 9377, 10430, 10500.

10500. 'Perhaps I shall make expiation for your sin' means the possibility owing to the Lord's Divine Power for this to come about among those who have so turned themselves away. This is clear from the meaning of 'expiating' as causing no attention to be paid any longer to this, thus causing their worship to be nevertheless received and heard, for 'expiation' may also mean the hearing and acceptance of all the things composing worship, see 9506, at this point therefore the possibility for this to be brought about among those who have so turned themselves away; and from the meaning of 'sin' as a total turning away from the Divine, as above in 10498. The reason why all this is meant by those words is that the subject in the whole of the present chapter is the turning away of the Israelite nation from the Divine and the possibility in spite of this for contact to be established with heaven through the external things in which alone they were interested.

[2] For any knowledge to exist of the real nature of these things a little more must be stated. The Church on earth is established solely to the end that the world, that is, the human race, may be in contact with heaven, that is, with the Lord through heaven; for without the Church there is no contact, and without such contact the human race would perish, 10452. But human contact with heaven is achieved by means of spiritual and celestial things that reside with a person, not by means of worldly and bodily things without these. Or what amounts to the same thing, it is achieved by means of internal things, not by means of external ones without them. Since therefore the Israelite nation's interest lay in external things and not in internal ones, and yet something of a Church was to be established among them, the Lord made provision nevertheless for contact with heaven to be accomplished by means of representatives, which were the external forms of worship among that nation. But such contact was accomplished in a wondrous manner; regarding this contact, see in the places introduced above in 10499.

[3] But two things were necessary before this could be accomplished. One was that the internal with them should be completely shut off, and the other that an outward holiness should exist when they engaged in worship. For when the internal has been completely shut off, the internal side of the Church and of worship is neither repudiated nor acknowledged; it is as though none exists. In these circumstances an outward holiness can exist and also be raised up, since no obstacle stands in the way. Therefore also that nation was completely ignorant of the inward things connected with love to the Lord and belief in Him, and with eternal life attained through these. But as soon as the Lord came into the world and revealed Himself, and He taught that people should love and believe in Him, that nation on hearing these things began to repudiate them, and so they could no longer be maintained in the kind of ignorance they had been in before. Therefore they were then driven out of the land of Canaan, to prevent them from defiling internal things and rendering them profane by their renunciation of them in that land, where since most ancient times all locations had been made representative of such things as have to do with heaven and the Church, see 1585, 3686, 4447, 5136, 6516.

[4] For these reasons, to the extent at the present day that they have a knowledge of internal things and set their minds firmly against them and repudiate them, they can no longer possess an outward holiness, because a negative attitude of mind not only shuts off the internal but also takes away any holiness from the external, and so any contact with heaven. The situation is similar with Christians who have a knowledge, derived from the Word or from the teachings of the Church, of internal things and yet in their heart repudiate them, as is the case when they lead an evil life and have evil thoughts, no matter how outwardly devout and holy they may seem to be when they take part in worship.