872. 'The face ¹ of the ground' means those things that reside with the member of the Church, and the expression 'the ground' is used because it is the first stage at which man comes to be the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'the ground', dealt with already, as the member of the Church who is at that point called 'the ground' when the goods and truths of faith can be sown within him. Previously he is called 'the land', as in Genesis 1 where 'the land' refers to man prior to his becoming celestial, while Chapter 2, when he has become celestial, refers to him as 'the ground' and 'the field'. It is similar in the present chapter. The expression 'the land' and the expression 'the ground' are sufficient by themselves to enable someone to recognize what is meant in the internal sense, not only here but also anywhere else in the Word. 'The ground' in the universal sense means the Church, and as the Church is meant so too is the member of the Church for, as stated already, every member of the Church is the Church.

Footnotes:

8269. '[This is my God,] and I will establish a dwelling-place for Him' means that when He is within good, which originates in Himself, He will be as if in His heaven. This is clear from the meaning of 'a dwelling-place', when it has reference to Jehovah or the Lord, as good. The reason why 'the Lord's dwelling-place' means good is that all good has its origin in the Lord; thus good is the Lord's, so completely that one may say it is the Lord. When the Lord dwells within it He dwells within His Divinity. Nor can He dwell anywhere else, according to the Lord's words in John,

Jesus said, If anyone loves Me He keeps My word, and My Father loves him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. John 14:23.

Good that springs from God is what 'loving the Lord and keeping His word' describes here; for good comes from love. 'With him', it says, 'They would make Their home', which means within good residing with him. The expression 'as in His heaven' is used because heaven is called God's dwelling-place; and it is called this because good, which originates in the Lord, exists there and constitutes heaven. The Lord is also within the individual person as in His heaven when He is within good there; for the heaven within a person is good, and through good a person is present with angels in heaven. From all this it is now evident that 'I will establish a dwelling-place for Him' means that when He is within good, which originates in Himself, He will be as if in His heaven.