9371. THE INTERNAL SENSE.

Verses 1-2. And He said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah, thou and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and bow yourselves afar off; and Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah; and they shall not come near; and the people shall not come up with him. “And He said unto Moses,” signifies that which concerns the Word in general; “come up unto Jehovah,” signifies conjunction with the Lord; “thou and Aaron,” signifies the Word in the internal sense and the external sense; “Nadab and Abihu,” signifies doctrine from both senses; “and seventy of the elders of Israel,” signifies the chief truths of the church which are of the Word, or of doctrine, and which agree with good; “and bow yourselves afar off,” signifies humiliation and adoration from the heart, and then the influx of the Lord; “and Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah,” signifies the conjunction and presence of the Lord through the Word in general; “and they shall not come near,” signifies no separate conjunction and presence; “and the people shall not come up with him,” signifies no conjunction whatever with the external apart from the internal.

2812. And he laid the wood in order. That this signifies the righteousness which was adjoined to it, is evident from the signification of the “wood of a burnt-offering,” as being the merit of righteousness (see above, n. 2784, 2798); and from the signification of “laying the wood in order upon the altar,” as being to adjoin that righteousness to the Human Divine. The merit of righteousness is adjoined when it is there, and when there is confidence from truth that it belongs to Him.

10563. 'And also you have found grace in My eyes' means that he was accepted because he had the ability to head that nation. This is clear from the meaning of 'finding grace in Jehovah's eyes' as being accepted, at this point on account of his character, meant by 'I know you by name'. That character was such that he had the ability to head that nation; for the Lord foresaw that Moses would head the Israelite people. His foresight of this is evident from the fact that Moses was brought up in the court of Pharaoh the king where rule was exercised, and where he gained an air of authority over others. It was for this reason also that he was accepted to head that nation. In addition to this his character was such that he was better able than others from that nation to receive what would be uttered by the Divine, for the external in his case was not so separate from the internal as it was with that nation. These therefore are the considerations that are meant by 'I know you by name, and also you have found grace in My eyes'.