9817. 'And you shall speak to all the wise at heart' means an influx from the Lord through the Word into all who are governed by the good of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'speaking' as influx, dealt with in 2951, 5481, 5743, 5797, 7270; and from the meaning of 'the wise at heart' as those who are governed by the good of love, dealt with below. The reason why influx from the Lord through the Word is meant is that for members of the Church the main channel by which the Lord flows in is the Word. This is so because the nature of the Word is such that all things without exception there correspond to the Divine spiritual and Divine celestial realities that exist in the heavens; and as a result of this a person shares affections and thoughts with angels, in so complete a manner that he and they are seemingly one. So it is that the world has been joined to heaven through the Word, but only among those who are governed by the good of faith and love. From all this it becomes clear that for members of the Church the Lord flows in through the Word; for the Lord is the all in the heavens, since what is Divine and emanates from the Lord, and is received by angels, composes heaven.

[2] The reason why 'the wise at heart' means those who are governed by the good of love is that the presence of wisdom in a person is attributable to the life of heaven in him, also that 'heart' means the good of love. In the Word 'spirit' and 'heart' are expressions that have regard to the life of heaven present with a person, 'spirit' being used to mean that life in the understanding part of the person's mind and 'heart' that life in the will part. To the understanding part belongs truth, but to the will part belongs good; the former has to do with faith, but the latter with love. For the understanding receives truths that constitute faith, and the will forms of good that are aspects of love. From this it is evident that by 'the wise at heart' those governed by the good of love received from the Lord are meant. The good of love is celestial good, through which spiritual good comes into being; and spiritual good is that which covers celestial good, like garments the body. And since Aaron's garments represented the Lord's spiritual kingdom lying adjacent to His celestial kingdom, and the former comes into being through the latter, the present verse goes on to say that 'the wise at heart', that is, those governed by the good of love received from the Lord, should make the garments for Aaron and his sons. As regards 'heart', that it means the good of love or celestial good, see 3635, 3880, 3883-3896, 9050; and that it therefore means the will, 2930, 3888, 7542, 8910, 9113, 9300, 9495.

6959. 'And Jehovah said further to him' means foresight of what those who belonged to the spiritual Church were going to be like if they were not in possession of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'Jehovah said' as foresight, as above in 6946. The reason it means that this future was foreseen - what those who belonged to the spiritual Church would be like if they were not in possession of faith - lies in the words that immediately follow. These deal with members of the spiritual Church, represented by 'the children of Israel', describing what they were going to be like if they did not possess faith, that they would become profaners of truth. For the first miracle in which the rod became a serpent means their state, a state in which they would become wholly sensory- and bodily-minded; the present miracle in which Moses' hand became leprous means profanation since this would come next if that Church continued to be devoid of faith.

[2] In childhood, and after that in adolescence, those who belong to the spiritual Church possess faith in the things taught by their Church. But during those years the faith they possess is obtained from parents and teachers, not by their own efforts. If therefore they subsequently give up that faith they can profane truth only to a small extent, and Divine means can be used to remove that profanation, thereby freeing a person from guilt on account of it. But if a person possesses faith in what the Church teaches and in the Word as a result of his own efforts, that is, he confirms for himself what he has been taught, but after that gives it up and refuses to accept what he has previously believed - and especially if he leads a life that goes against the truth he has confirmed for himself, and either explains it to suit himself or totally rejects it - he renders truth profane. The reason why is that within himself he mixes up and joins together truth and falsity. Because people like this have scarcely any remnants of what is true and good they come at length in the next life to be like skeletons, having as little life left as one's bones possess in comparison with the organic life of the flesh. A more direful lot however awaits those who render good profane than those who render truth profane. Those belonging to the spiritual Church are able to profane truth, but they are less able to do the same thing to good.

[3] Since 'leprosy' means the profanation of truth and is referred to in what follows next, please see first what has been stated and shown already about profanation:

Those within the Church are capable of profaning holy things, but not those outside it, 2051, 3399.

Holy things cannot be profaned except by those who first acknowledge them, 3398.

People who do not know holy things, and also those who do not acknowledge them, cannot profane them, 1008, 1010, 1059, 3398, 4289.

It is also profanation when one acknowledges and believes truths and forms of good and yet leads a life that goes against them, 4601.

A person is withheld as far as is possible from profanation, 301-303, 1327, 1328, 3398, 3402.

The lot awaiting profaners is the worst of all in the next life, 6348.