2077. Abraham said unto God. That this signifies the Lord’s perception from love, is evident from the signification of “saying unto God,” as being to perceive, which has often been explained before. That “Abraham” here signifies the Lord in such a state and at such an age, has been stated above (n. 1989). That the Lord said this from love, is evident, for the affection of love shines forth from the very words when it is said, “Would that Ishmael might live before Thee!” The Lord’s affection or love was Divine, being toward the universal human race, which He willed to completely adjoin to Himself, and to save to eternity, by means of the union of His Human Essence with His Divine Essence (concerning which love, see Part First, n. 1735 that from this love the Lord continually fought against the hells, n. 1690, 1789, 1812; also that in the union of His Human with His Divine, He regarded nothing but the conjunction of the Divine with the human race, n. 2034).

[2] Love such as the Lord had transcends all human understanding, and is in the highest degree incredible to those who do not know what the heavenly love is in which the angels are. To save a soul from hell, the angels would regard death as nothing, nay, if it were possible they would undergo hell for that soul. Hence it is the inmost of their joy to translate into heaven one who is rising from the dead. But they confess that this love is not one whit from themselves, but that all things of it both in general and in particular are from the Lord alone; nay, they manifest irritation if anyone thinks otherwise.

1789. Thy great reward. That this signifies the end and purpose of the victories, is evident from the signification of “reward,” as being the prize after the combats of temptations; here the end and purpose of the victories, because the Lord never looked for any prize of victory for Himself. His prize of victories was the salvation of the whole human race; and it was from love toward the entire human race that He fought. He who fights from this love demands for himself no prize, because this love is such that it wills to give and transfer all its own to others, and to have nothing for itself; so that it is the salvation of the whole human race that is here signified by the “reward.”