9373. Come up unto Jehovah. That this signifies conjunction with the Lord, is evident from the signification of “coming up,” as being to be raised toward interior things (see n. 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007), consequently also to be conjoined (n. 8760). That it denotes conjunction with the Lord, is because by “Jehovah” in the Word is meant the the Lord, (n. 1343, 1736, 1793, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6280, 6303, 6905, 8274, 8864, 9315). A secret which also lies hidden in the internal sense of these words, is that the sons of Jacob, over whom Moses was the head, were not called and chosen; but they themselves insisted that Divine worship should be instituted among them (according to wh at has been said in n. 4290, 4293); and therefore it is here said, “and He said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah,” as if not Jehovah, but another, had said that he should come up. For the same reason in what follows it is said that “the people should not go up” (verse 2); and that “Jehovah sent not His hand unto the sons of Israel who were set apart” (verse 11); and that “the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the sons of Israel” (verse 17); and lastly that Moses, being called the seventh day, “entered into the midst of the cloud.” For by “the cloud” is meant the Word in the letter (n. 5922, 6343, 6752, 6832, 8106, 8443, 8781); and with the sons of Jacob the Word was separated from its internal sense, because they were in external worship without internal, as can be clearly seen from the fact that now, as before, they said, “all the words which Jehovah hath spoken we will do” (verse 3); and yet scarcely forty days afterward they worshiped a golden calf instead of Jehovah; which shows that this was hidden in their hearts while they were saying with their lips that they would serve Jehovah alone. But nevertheless those who are meant by “the called and the chosen” are those who are in internal worship, and who from internal worship are in external; that is, those who are in love to and faith in the Lord, and from this in love toward the neighbor.

8788. And sanctify them today and tomorrow. That this signifies the veiling over of the interiors that they may appear in the holy of faith now and afterward, is evident from the signification of “sanctifying,” as being to dispose that they appear to be in holiness in respect to what is external; and as this is effected by means of a veiling over of the interiors, therefore this is also understood by “sanctifying;” that “today and tomorrow” denote now and afterward is evident. How the case herein is may be briefly explained. The church instituted with the Jews was not a church in respect to them, but was only the representative of a church; for in order that there may be a church, there must be with the man of the church faith in the Lord, and also love to Him, and likewise love toward the neighbor. These make the church. But these were not with the people which was called “Jacob,” for it did not acknowledge the Lord, and thus was not willing to hear about faith in Him, still less about love toward Him, nor even toward the neighbor; for it was in the love of self and the love of the world, which loves are utterly opposed to love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor. This disposition is inrooted in that people from their first parents. For this reason it is, that with that people no church could be set up, but only a representation of the things which are of the church.

[2] The church is represented when the man makes worship consist in external things, but in such as correspond to heavenly things. Then internal things are represented by the external ones, and the internal things are open in heaven, with which there is thus conjunction. In order therefore that the Israelitish people might be representative, although their interiors were devoid of the faith and love of heaven, and were even full of the love of self and of the world, these interiors were veiled over, and thus their external things could be communicated to spirits, and through them to the angels, without their internal things; whereas if their internal things had not been veiled over, these would have lain open, and then the representation would have perished, because unclean things would have burst forth and caused contamination. The Israelitish people above all others could be thus veiled over, because it, more than others, adored external things, and made holiness, and even what is Divine, consist in them. From this it can be seen what is meant by “sanctifying,” namely, the veiling over of the interiors so that they may appear to be in the holiness of faith; yet not to themselves, but to the angels with them. (See what has been already shown concerning this people and concerning the institution of the church with it, n. 4208, 4281, 4288, 4289, 4293, 4307, 4314, 4316, 4317, 4429, 4433, 4444, 4459, 4500, 4844, 4847, 4865, 4899, 4911, 4912, 7048, 7051, 8588.) That sanctifications with them were nothing else than appearances of holiness in external things, and yet without anything holy appertaining to them, can be seen from the rites by means of which they were sanctified, namely, the sacrifices, the washings, the sprinklings of blood, the anointings, which do not touch internal things in the slightest degree.

4314. That in the internal historical sense by “he halted upon his thigh” is signified that goods and truths were altogether destroyed with that posterity, is evident from the representation of Jacob, who here is “he,” as being his posterity (see n. 4281); and from the signification of “halting upon the thigh” as denoting those who are in no good, and consequently in no truth (n. 4302). Here therefore by his “halting upon his thigh” is signified that goods and truths were altogether destroyed with that posterity.

[2] The quality of that nation is also plainly evident from many things spoken by the Lord Himself in parables, which in their internal historical sense were said of that nation-as in the parable of the man that was a king, who took account with his servant in whom there was no mercy toward another (Matthew 18:23-35); in the parable of the householder who let out his vineyard to husbandmen, and went abroad, and the husbandmen seized the servants whom he sent, and beat one with rods, and killed another, and stoned another; and at last he sent his son, whom they cast out of the vineyard and killed; on hearing which parable the Scribes and Pharisees recognized it as spoken of themselves (Matthew 21:33-45; Mark 12:1-9; Luke 20:9-19); in the parable of the man who gave talents to his servants, and he who received the one talent went and hid it in the earth (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:13-16); in the parable of those who came to him that was wounded by the robbers (Luke 10:30-37); in the parable of those who were invited to the great supper, and all excused themselves, of whom the Lord says, I say to you that none of those men who were bidden shall taste of my supper (Luke 14:16-24); in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31); in the parable of those who despise others in comparison with themselves (Luke 18:10-14); in the parable of the two sons, one of whom said, I will go into the vineyard, but went not; and Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of heaven before you” (Matthew 21:28-32).

[3] The quality of that nation the Lord openly declared in Matthew 23:13-39, where He says: “Ye witness against yourselves, that ye are the sons of them that killed the prophets, and ye fill up the measure of your fathers” (Matthew 23:13-33).

In Mark, “Jesus said unto them, Rightly did Esaias prophesy of you, This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the precepts of men, forsaking the commandments of God” (Mark 7:6-13).

In John: The Jews answered Jesus that they were the seed of Abraham; but Jesus said to them, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father ye will to do; he was a murderer from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because the truth is not in him; when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; because he is the speaker of a lie, and the father of it” (John 8:33, 44). Because they were such, they are also called an “evil and adulterous generation” (Matthew 12:39), and the “offspring of vipers” (Matthew 3:7; 23:33; Luke 3:7); “O offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?” (Matthew 12:34).

[4] That not even any natural good was left with that nation, is signified by the fig-tree spoken of in Matthew:

Jesus seeing a fig-tree in the way, came to it, but found nothing thereon but leaves only; therefore He said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth forever, and presently the fig-tree withered away (Matthew 21:19).

That the fig-tree denotes natural good may be seen above (n. 217).

[5] From these passages it may be seen that goods and truths were altogether destroyed with that nation. Goods and truths are said to be destroyed when there are none interiorly. The goods and truths which appear outwardly derive their being and their living from those which are internal; and therefore such as are the internal ones, such are the external, howsoever the latter may appear to the eyes of man. There are some whom I knew in their bodily life, and who then appeared as having zeal for the Lord, for the church, for their country and the common good, and for justice and equity; and yet in the other life these same are among the infernals, and (what astonished me) among the worst there. The reason was, that their interiors had been foul and profane, and that they had counterfeited that zeal for the sake of reputation, in order to acquire honors and also to gain wealth; thus for their own sakes, and not for the sake of what they professed with the mouth. When therefore these externals are put off, which takes place when men die, the internals are laid open and appear as they had been within, and which during life they had hidden from the world. This is what is meant by the goods and truths being altogether destroyed.