8261. 'Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to Jehovah' means that those belonging to the spiritual Church ascribed glory to the Lord because of their deliverance. This is clear from the meaning of 'singing a song' as ascribing glory, dealt with below - ascribing it to the Lord, since 'Jehovah' is used in the Word to mean the Lord, 1343, 1736, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5041, 5663, 6280, 6281, 6905, 6945, 6956; and from the representation of 'Moses and the children of Israel' as those who belong to the spiritual Church. For Moses together with the people represents that Church - Moses its head, since he also represents Divine Truth, and the people or the children of Israel the Church itself. For the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those who belong to the spiritual Church, see 6426, 6637, 6862, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223. The fact that they ascribed glory to the Lord because of their deliverance is evident from what was shown in the previous chapter. There it was shown that those belonging to the spiritual Church were saved solely through the Lord's Coming into the world, and that until then they had been held back on the lower earth, where they were molested by spirits steeped in falsities arising from evil and were delivered by the Lord after He had made Divine the Human within Himself. For the salvation of those belonging to the spiritual Church solely through the Lord's Coming into the world, see 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834, 6372; and for their being held back until then on the lower earth, and their deliverance by the Lord once He had made Divine the Human within Himself, 6854, 6914, 7035, 7091(end), 7828, 7932, 8018, 8054.

[2] The reason why 'singing a song' means ascribing glory, so that 'a song' means an ascription of glory, is that in the Ancient Church, and subsequently in the Jewish Church, songs were prophetic. Their theme was the Lord, in particular His coming into the world, His destruction of the devil's crew, which was prowling around then more than at any other time, and His deliverance of faithful believers from attacks by them. And because the prophetic words of the songs contained such exploits in the internal sense, an ascription of glory to the Lord was therefore meant by them, that is, praise of Him from gladness of heart was meant. For gladness of heart is expressed primarily through singing, the gladness in singing being so to speak a spontaneous eruption into sound. So it is that in songs Jehovah, that is, the Lord, is called Mighty Man, Man of War, God of Hosts, Conqueror, Might, Fortress, Shield, and Salvation; and the devil's crew, which was destroyed, is called the enemy, who was struck, swallowed up, drowned, and cast into hell.

[3] Even in former times those who had no conception of an internal sense thought that when in their external sense songs referred to things of a worldly nature - such as enemies, battles, victories, defeats, drownings - those things were the real meaning. But people who knew that all prophetic utterances embodied realities of a heavenly and Divine nature, and that these were represented within things of a worldly nature, also knew that those utterances were referring to the damnation of the faithless and the salvation of the faithful by the Lord when He came into the world. And in those times when these people who had knowledge of this contemplated it, and were consequently affected by it, they experienced an inner gladness, whereas the others' gladness was purely outward. At the same time the angels too who resided with people ascribed glory to the Lord. Therefore those who sang and those who listened to songs experienced heavenly gladness as a result of the holy and blissful influence from heaven, gladness in which it seemed to them as though they were transported into heaven. Such was the effect the songs of the Church had among the ancients. Such also is the effect they have at the present day, for the affections of spiritual angels are especially stirred by songs which refer to the Lord, His kingdom, and His Church. The songs of the Church had that effect because, for one thing, they inspired gladness of heart, which then burst from within right out into the outermost fibres of the body, making them quiver with a glad and at the same time holy feeling, and, for another thing, because in the heavens glory is ascribed to the Lord by choirs, thus by very many harmonizing with one another. Hence also angelic speech is harmonic; it falls into rhythmic measures. Regarding choirs, see 2595, 2596, 3350, 5182, 8115; regarding angelic speech, that it falls into rhythmic measures, 1648, 1649, 7191(end). So it was that when the ancients who belonged to the Church ascribed glory to the Lord they did so through songs, psalms, and various kinds of musical instruments. For the ancients who belonged to the Church experienced a joy surpassing all other joys when they called to mind the Lord's Coming and the salvation of the human race by Him.

[4] The fact that prophetic songs contained internally an ascription of glory to the Lord is clear from songs in the Word, as in Isaiah,

I Jehovah have called You in righteousness, and I will hold Your hand; I will guard You, and give You to be a covenant of the people, ¹ a light of the nations, to open the blind eyes, to bring the bound out of the prison, out of the dungeon-house him who sits in darkness. Sing to Jehovah a new song, His praise, O end of the earth! Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice. Let the inhabitants of the rock sing. Let them give glory to Jehovah. Jehovah will go forth as a Mighty Man, as a Man of Wars He will arouse zeal; He will prevail over His enemies. Isaiah 42:6-9ff.

This refers, as is self-evident, to the Lord, to His future coming to deliver those in spiritual captivity. Therefore it says, 'Sing to Jehovah a new song' and 'Let the inhabitants of the rock sing'. A similar example occurs in the same prophet,

I have given You as a covenant of the people - to restore the land; to share out the devastated inheritances; to say to the bound, Go out; to those who are in darkness, Reveal yourselves. They will feed along the ways, and on all slopes will their pastures be. Sing, O heavens! And be exultant, O earth! And resound, O mountains, with song! For Jehovah has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His afflicted. Isaiah 49:8-10, 13ff.

This too refers to the Coming of the Lord and the deliverance of the bound.

[5] In David,

Sing to Jehovah a new song; bless His name; declare His glory among the nations. All the gods of the peoples are idols, ² but Jehovah made the heavens. Glory and honour are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give to Jehovah glory and strength; give to Jehovah the glory of His name. Say among the nations, Jehovah reigns; the world also is firmly established, and will not be moved. Jehovah comes He comes to judge the earth. Psalms 96:1-end.

In the same author,

Jehovah caused me to come up out of the pit of vastation, out of the muddy clay, and He set my feet upon a rock. And He put into my mouth a new song, praise to our God; many will see and be confident. Psalms 40:2-3.

From these quotations too it is clear that 'a song' means an ascription of glory to the Lord because of deliverance. For songs included both gladness of heart and exaltation of the Lord - gladness of heart because of the Lord's Coming and salvation then, and exaltation because of victory over spiritual enemies. Gladness of heart coupled with exaltation of the Lord is what is meant by an ascription of glory.

[6] The fact that gladness of heart was meant by 'songs' is evident in David,

Confess Jehovah with the harp, make melody to Him on a ten-stringed lyre. Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully with a loud note. For He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He places the depths in storehouses. Psalms 33:2-7.

In Isaiah,

The joy of timbrels will cease, the noise of merry ones will cease, the joy of the harp will cease. They will not drink wine with singing. Isaiah 24:8-9.

And in Amos,

I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation. Amos 8:10.

The fact that exaltation of Jehovah, that is, the Lord, was effected by means of songs may be seen in David,

David the servant of Jehovah, who spoke to Jehovah the words of this song. [I will love You,] O Jehovah, my strength. Jehovah is my rock (petra), and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock (rupee) in which I trust, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my refuge. On Him who is to be praised, on Jehovah I will call; then I shall be saved from my enemies. Psalms 18:1-3.

In the same author,

Jehovah is my strength and my shield; therefore with song I will confess Him. Jehovah is their strength, and the saving strength of His anointed. Psalms 28:7-8.

In the same author,

Your salvation, O God, will bring me on high. I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnify Him with confession. Psalms 69:29-30.

[7] The fact that the Lord was the theme in their songs is also clear in John,

The twenty-four elders sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood. Revelation 5:9-10.

Also in the same author,

I saw seven angels, and those who were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are Your works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of saints! Who would not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? Revelation 15:1-4.

'The song of Moses and of the Lamb' is a song which in this chapter is called 'the song of the Lamb' because an ascription of glory to the Lord is the theme in it.

각주:

6280. As regards 'the redeeming angel' - that the Lord's Divine Human is meant - this is clear from the consideration that by His assumption of the Human and making it Divine the Lord redeemed man, that is, delivered him from hell, on account of which, in respect of His Divine Human, the Lord is called the Redeemer. The reason why the Divine Human is called an angel is that the word 'angel' means one who has been sent, and the Lord's Divine Human is called 'the One who has been sent', as is evident from quite a number of places in the Word, in the Gospels. Furthermore the Divine Human that existed before the Lord's Coming into the world was Jehovah Himself flowing in by way of heaven when He was declaring His Word. Jehovah was above the heavens, but what passed from Him through the heavens was the Divine Human at that time; for by means of Jehovah's flowing into heaven a human image was presented, and the Divine itself as present by this inflowing was the Divine Man. This is the Divine Human which has existed from eternity and is called the One who has been sent, by which is meant that which goes forth and which is one and the same as 'the angel' spoken of here.

[2] But because Jehovah was no longer able to reach men by flowing into them through that Divine Human of His, for the reason that they had distanced themselves so far away from that Divine, He took on a human form and made it Divine. Then by flowing in from this into heaven, He could reach right out to those members of the human race who would accept the good of charity and the truth of faith from His Divine Human, which had thus been made visible, and so could deliver them from hell - a deliverance which could not possibly have been accomplished in any other way. This deliverance is what is called Redemption, and the Divine Human itself effecting that deliverance or redemption is what is called 'the redeeming angel'.

[3] But the Lord's Divine Human, it should be recognized, is above heaven - as the Divine itself is - since the Lord is the Sun that gives heaven its light; thus heaven is far below Him. The Divine Human present in heaven is the Divine Truth going forth from Him, which is the light radiating from Him as from the sun. In Essence the Lord is not Divine Truth, for that Truth is what goes forth from Him like light from the sun; rather, His Essence is Divine Goodness itself, which is one with Jehovah.

[4] The Lord's Divine Human is also called 'the angel' in other places in the Word, for example when He appeared to Moses in the bramble-bush, described as follows in Exodus,

When Moses came to the mountain of God, to Horeb, the angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire from the middle of a bramble-bush. Jehovah saw that Moses turned aside to see, therefore God called to him from the middle of the bramble-bush. And He went on to say, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Exodus 3:1-2, 4, 6.

It is the Lord's Divine Human that is referred to here by the name 'the angel of Jehovah'. He was really Jehovah, which he is also explicitly called. Jehovah's presence there within His Divine Human may be recognized from the consideration that the Divine itself could not become visible except through the Divine Human, as the Lord's words in John declare,

Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.

And in another place,

You have never heard the Father's voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.

[5] The Lord's Divine Human is also called 'an angel' where the leading of the people into the land of Canaan is the subject, referred to in Exodus as follows,

Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. Take notice of his face; for he will not tolerate your transgression, since My name is within him. Exodus 23:20-21, 23.

Here 'an angel' is the Divine Human. This is evident from the fact that it says 'since My name is within him', that is, Jehovah Himself is within him. 'My name' means Jehovah's essential nature, present in the Divine Human. For more about the meaning of 'the name of Jehovah' as the Lord's Divine Human, see 2628; and for more about the meaning of 'the name of God' as His essential nature, and so everything in its entirety by which God is worshipped, 1724, 3006.

[6] In Isaiah,

In all their affliction He suffered affliction, and the angel of His face delivered them; because of His love and His compassion He redeemed them, and took them and carried them all the days of eternity. Isaiah 63:9.

'The angel of Jehovah's face' is plainly the Lord's Divine Human, for it says that 'He redeemed them'. In Malachi,

Behold, suddenly there will come to His temple the Lord whom you seek, and the angel of the covenant in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, says Jehovah Zebaoth. But who can endure the day of His Coming, and who will stand when He appears? Then the minchah of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to Jehovah, as in the days of eternity, and as in former years. Malachi 3:1-2, 4

'The angel of the covenant' quite clearly means the Lord's Divine Human, for the subject is the Lord's Coming. 'Then the minchah of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to Jehovah' means that worship offered out of love and faith in Him will be acceptable then. It is perfectly plain that 'Judah' is not used in these verses to mean Judah, or 'Jerusalem' to mean Jerusalem, for neither at that time nor any later time was the minchah of Judah and Jerusalem acceptable. 'The days of eternity' are the states of the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial Church, while 'former years' are the states of the Ancient Church, which was a spiritual one, see 6239. Furthermore 'angel' in the Word does not mean in the internal sense any angel but some Divine attribute within the Lord, 1925, 2319, 2821, 3039, 4085.