9456. THE INTERNAL SENSE

Verses 1-2 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and let them take for Me an offering; from everyone whose heart is willing, ¹ you are to take My offering. 'And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying' means instructions regarding the holy things of heaven which had to be represented. 'Speak to the children of Israel' means the representative Church. 'Let them take for Me an offering' means the interior things of worship which were going to be represented, which are the real requirements. 'From everyone whose heart is willing' means that all things should be offered out of love, and so in freedom. 'You are to take My offering' means the real requirements for worship.

Footnotes:

10304. 'And put some of it before the Testimony in the tent of meeting' means worship of the Lord in heaven and in the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'the incense', which was to be put before the Testimony, as worship, dealt with above in 10298; from the meaning of 'the Testimony' as the Lord in respect of Divine Truth, dealt with in 9503; and from the representation of 'the tent of meeting' as heaven, dealt with in 9457, 9481, 9485. And since heaven is meant, so is the Church; for the Church is heaven on earth.