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Exodus 24:3

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3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we perform.

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #9373

Studere hoc loco

  
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9373. 'Come up to Jehovah' means being joined to the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming up' as being raised to more internal things, dealt with in 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007, and therefore also being joined to them, 8760. The reason why it is a joining to the Lord is that 'Jehovah' in the Word means the Lord, 1343, 1736, 1793, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6280, 6281, 6303, 6905, 8274, 8864, 9315. A further arcanum which lies concealed within the internal sense of these words is that the children of Jacob, over whom Moses presided as their head, were not called or elected; rather, they themselves insisted that Divine worship should be established among them, as accords with what has been stated in 4290, 4293. This is why it says, And He said to Moses, Come up to Jehovah, as though not Jehovah but another was telling him to go up. For the same reason it says in what follows that the people should not come up, verse 2, and that Jehovah did not lay a hand on the children of Israel who had been set apart, verse 11; also that the sight of Jehovah's glory was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel, verse 17; and finally that Moses, when he was called on the seventh day, went into the middle of the cloud, [verses 16, 18.] 'The cloud' means the Word in the letter, 5922, 6343 (end), 6752, 6832, 8106, 8443, 8781; and among the children of Jacob it was the Word separated from its internal sense, since their worship was external devoid of anything internal. This becomes perfectly clear from the fact that they now said, as they had done before [at Exodus 19:8], All the words which Jehovah has spoken we will do, verse 3; yet scarcely forty days went by after this time and they were worshipping the golden calf instead of Jehovah. From this it is evident that such idolatry lay concealed in their heart when they said with their lips that they would serve Jehovah alone. However, the people who are meant by the called and the elect are those with whom internal worship exists, and also external worship springing from internal, that is, those with whom love to the Lord and faith in Him, and consequently love towards the neighbour are present.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #8761

Studere hoc loco

  
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8761. 'And Jehovah called to him from the mountain' means the union of Divine Good in heaven with Divine Truth there. This is clear from the meaning of 'calling to him', or calling someone to oneself, when said of the Divine, as a joining together, at this point a union, since it is said in reference to Divine Good and Divine Truth, which by being joined together are made one (for the meaning of 'calling someone to oneself' as a joining together, and also presence, see 6047, 6177, 7390, 7451, 7721; and the reason why it is a joining to Divine Good is that the name 'Jehovah' is used, regarding which see immediately above in 8760); and from the meaning of 'the mountain' as Divine good in heaven, dealt with just above in 8758. At this point heaven itself is meant, for whether you say Divine Good in heaven or simply say heaven it amounts to the same thing since heaven springs into being from that Good. The situation here is the same as with all spiritual qualities considered in isolation from persons in whom they reside. When those qualities are spoken of, persons in whom they reside nevertheless spring to mind, as when the truth of faith or the good of charity is spoken of, the member of the Church in whom it resides springs to mind. This is especially so in regard to heaven, for there Divine Good united to Divine Truth is the All in all, that is, the life or soul of heaven.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.