7857. 'Nor boiled at all in water' means that it must not come out of the truth of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'water' as the truths of faith, dealt with in 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668, and therefore 'boiled in water' means what comes out of it, that is, good that is the outcome of the truth of faith. This kind of good is distinct from good that is the product of love, meant by 'roasted with fire', 7852. All spiritual good emanates either from faith, that is, comes through faith, or from love. While a person is being regenerated good in his case emanates from the truth of faith; for during that time he acts in accordance with truth not out of affection for truth but in obedience to it because it commands him so to act. Subsequently however, when he has been regenerated, he does what is good out of an affection for it, thus out of love. A very clear distinction is drawn in the Word between these two states with people, because no one can be in both states simultaneously. A person in the first state cannot enter the second before he has been regenerated; and a person in the second must not take himself back into the first. If anyone does take himself back he loses his affection to do what is good out of love, and slips back into the state of faith which had served to bring him to good, and even slides out of that state of faith. This is what is meant in the internal sense by the Lord's words on the subject of the last judgement in Matthew,

Then let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house; and let him who is in the field not return back to take his clothes. Matthew 24:17-18.

The same is also meant by Lot's wife, in that she looked back behind herself, Luke 17:31-32.

All this may enable one to understand what being allowed to enjoy good that comes out of love is, but not good that comes out of the truth of faith, meant by the regulation that they were to eat flesh roasted with fire, but not any boiled in water.

[2] Worship of the Lord springing from faith and love was meant by sacrifices and burnt offerings - from faith by sacrifices and from love by burnt offerings. And glorification of the Lord and feelings of gladness for the enjoyment of good things that came from the Lord were meant by feasts of consecrated things. All this being so, they were allowed to boil flesh on such occasions. For glorification of the Lord and gladness for the enjoyment of good things emanates from an affection for the truth of faith, and so too does all thanksgiving (confessio). For evidence that the sacrificial flesh was boiled, see Exodus 29:31-32; 1 Samuel 2:13, 15; 1 Kings 19:21. The same is meant by 'boiling' in Zechariah,

On that day every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holiness to Jehovah Zebaoth. And all who offer sacrifice will come and take from them and boil in them. Zechariah 14:21.

643. As for the meaning itself of these expressions - that 'planks of gopher' means lusts and 'rooms' the two parts of this man - this becomes clear from the Word. Gopher is a wood full of sulphur, as is the fir and others of that group. It is on account of the sulphur in it that it is said to mean lusts, for it catches fire easily. The most ancient people compared and likened those elements that exist with man to gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, his inmost celestial to gold, the lower celestial to bronze, and the lowest or bodily descending from this to wood, while the inmost spiritual they compared and likened to silver, the lower spiritual to iron, and the lowest degree of it to stone. When those objects are mentioned in the Word these are the things meant by them in the internal sense, as in Isaiah,

Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver, and instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron. And I will make peace your assessment and righteousness your tax-collectors. Isaiah 60:17.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom in which no such metals exist, but instead celestial and spiritual elements. It is quite clear that the latter are meant because of the reference to peace' and 'righteousness'. Here, gold, bronze, and wood correspond to one another and mean celestial elements or those belonging to the will, as has been stated. Silver, iron, and stone also correspond to one another, and mean spiritual elements or those belonging to the understanding.

[2] In Ezekiel,

They will spoil your riches, they will despoil your merchandise, your stones and your timbers. Ezekiel 26:12.

It is quite clear that 'riches' and 'merchandise' do not mean material riches and merchandise, but celestial and spiritual ones. So also 'stones' and 'timbers' - 'stones' being things of the understanding and 'timbers' those of the will. In Habakkuk,

The stone cries out from the wall, and the beam out of the woodwork answers back. Habakkuk 2:11.

'Stone' stands for the lowest degree of the understanding, and 'wood' for the lowest degree of the will, which answers back when anything is drawn from sensory knowledge. In the same prophet,

Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, Awake! or to a dumb stone, Arise, this will teach! Behold, this is bound in gold and silver, and there is no spirit ¹ at all in the midst of it. But Jehovah is in His holy temple. Habakkuk 2:19-20.

Here also 'wood' stands for evil desire, 'stone' for the lowest degree of the understanding, and therefore 'being dumb' and 'teaching' are used in reference to that stone. 'No spirit in the midst of it' means that it represents nothing celestial or spiritual, like a temple in which there is stone and wood, overlaid with gold and silver, existing with people who give no thought to what those things represent.

[3] In Jeremiah,

Our waters we drink for silver, our timbers come for a price. Lamentations 5:4.

Here 'waters' and 'silver' mean things of the understanding, 'timbers' those of the will. In the same prophet,

Who say to wood, You are my father; and to a stone, You gave birth to us. Jeremiah 2:27.

Here 'wood' stands for desire which belongs to the will, from which there is conception, and 'stone' for sensory knowledge, from which there is birth. All through the Prophets therefore 'serving wood and stone' stands for images carved out of wood or stone, which means that people were slaves to evil desires and to delusions. The Prophets also speak of 'committing adultery with wood and stone', as in Jeremiah 3:9. In Hosea,

The people inquire of their piece of wood, and their staff makes declaration to them, for the spirit of whoredom has led them astray. Hosea 4:12.

This stands for their inquiring of a wooden image, or evil desires. In Isaiah,

The tophet has been prepared since yesterday. Its pyre is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah is like a stream of burning brimstone. Isaiah 30:33.

Here 'fire', brimstone', and 'wood' stand for filthy desires.

[4] In general 'wood' means those elements which constitute the lowest parts of the will. Precious kinds of wood, such as cedar and so on, mean elements that are good - for example, the cedar timbers in the Temple, or the cedarwood used in cleansing leprosy, Leviticus 14:4, 6-7, or the wood cast into the bitter waters at Marah, by which the waters were made sweet, Exodus 15:25. These in the Lord's Divine mercy will be dealt with in their proper places. Non-precious kinds of wood however, also those which were made into images, and those that were used for a pyre as well, and the like, mean evil desires, as do planks of gopher here on account of the brimstone or sulphur in them. As in Isaiah,

The day of Jehovah's vengeance - her streams will be turned into pitch, and her dust into brimstone, and her land will become burning pitch. Isaiah 34:8-9.

'Pitch' stands for dreadful delusions, 'brimstone' for filthy desires.

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