4316. 就内在历史意义而言, “直到今日” 表他们的性质永远如此. 这从 “直到今日” 的含义清楚可知, 凡在圣言中提及 “直到今日” 的地方, 它都表示永远 (参看2838节). 这些后代的性质从最初之时就是如此, 这一事实从雅各的儿子们本身就能看出来; 如流便, 因为他 “与他父亲的妾辟拉同寝” (创世记 35:22); 如西缅和利未, 他们杀了哈抹和示剑, 并其城中所有男人; 他其余的儿子则来到被杀的人那里, 掳掠那城 (创世记 34:1-31). 因此雅各, 那时叫以色列, 临死这样谈及他们: 论到流便, “你必不得超越, 因为你上了你父亲的床; 你使自己毫无价值; 因为你污秽了我的榻” (创世记 49:3, 4); 论到西缅和利未, “我的灵魂不要进入他们的隐秘之地; 我的荣耀不要与他们的会众联络; 因为他们在怒中杀人, 任意砍断牛腿大筋. 他们的忿怒可咒诅, 因为很猛烈; 他们的暴怒可咒诅, 因为很严厉; 我要把他们分散在雅各中, 使他们散住在以色列中” (创世记 49:5-7).

[2]犹大的品性也可从以下事实看出来: 他娶了迦南女子为妻 (创世记 38:1, 2), 然而, 这是违反嘱咐的, 这一点从亚伯拉罕对他仆人所说的话可以看出来, 他打发这仆人去给他儿子以撒娶利百加 (创世记 24:3, 6); 这一点还可从圣言中的许多经文看出来. 该民族的三分之一支部分就来自这一支, 也就是来自他儿子示拉, 而示拉是由迦南母亲所生的 (创世记 38:11; 46:12; 民数记 26:20; 历代志上 4:21, 22). 雅各的这些和其余儿子的品性从他们对约瑟的邪恶行径 (创世记 37:18-36) 进一步明显看出来. 其在埃及的后代品性从他们在旷野时关于他们所记载的细节明显看出来, 他们在旷野里经常叛逆, 后来在迦南地则经常沦落为偶像崇拜者. 最后, 在主的时代, 他们的品性刚才已经说明了 (参看4314节). 他们如今的性质是众所周知的, 即他们反对主, 反对构成教会的事物, 反对对邻之仁, 甚至反对彼此. 由此可见, 这个民族一直具有这种性质. 因此, 不要让人再持以下观点, 即: 他们当中有什么教会, 其实他们当中只有一个教会的代表; 他们更不是优先于其他人而蒙拣选.

6877. 'And they may say to me, What is His name?' means, What is His essential nature? This is clear from the meaning of 'name' as essential nature, dealt with in 1754, 1896, 2009, 2628, 2724, 3006, 6674. This question asked by Moses shows what the descendants of Jacob were like. It shows that not only had they forgotten the name Jehovah, but also that they acknowledged a number of gods, one of whom was greater than another; and that was why they wished to know that god's name. They also believed that it was enough if merely God's name was acknowledged. The reason why the descendants of Jacob were like this was that they were acquainted only with the outward aspects of things, not with their inner aspects; and people unacquainted with those inner aspects cannot have any other kind of belief with regard to God since they are unable to receive any light from heaven which would shine on more internal levels of their minds. To the end therefore that they might acknowledge Jehovah they were told that the God of their fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob - had appeared to Moses, and that He had sent him. Thus what led them to acknowledge Jehovah was blind veneration of their forefathers, not any inner perception. For that people it was enough if they did worship Jehovah merely in name, for the further reason that they were unable to accept anything other than the outer aspect of the Church, thus solely that which was to represent the inner aspect of it. That outer aspect, furthermore, was established among them to the end that the inward form of what they were to represent might be displayed in heaven; then in some kind of way heaven would still be joined to mankind.