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:

4192. 'Gather stones; and they took stones and made a heap' means truths arising out of good. This is clear from the meaning of 'stones' as truths, dealt with just above in 4190, and from the meaning of 'a heap' as good. The reason why 'a heap' means good is that in former times before they used to construct altars people made heaps and ate on them as a witness to their being joined together in love. But later on, when the representatives of the ancients were regarded as being holy, instead of heaps they built altars, which also consisted of stones but arranged more methodically, Joshua 22:28, 34. This is why 'a heap' has a similar meaning to an altar, namely the good of love, the stones of it meaning the truths of faith.