103. The existence of a Word among ancient peoples is clear also in the writings of Moses, who refers to it and quotes something from it in Numbers 21:14-15, 27-30; 21:14-15, 27-30. And the narrative portions of that Word were called The Wars of Jehovah, and the prophetic portions Oracles.

From the narrative portions of that Word Moses quoted the following:

Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of Jehovah: “Waheb in Suphah, and the streams, the Arnon, and the channel of the streams which went down to the dwelling place of Ar and stops at the border of Moab.” (Numbers 21:14-15)

The wars of Jehovah in that book — as in ours — meant and described the Lord’s combats with hell and His victories over it, which would take place when He came into the world. These same combats are also meant and described in many places in the narrative portions of our Word—such as by the wars of Joshua with the nations of the land of Canaan, and by the wars of the judges and kings of Israel.

[2] From the prophetic portions of the Ancient Word Moses quoted the following:

Therefore the Oracles say: “Go into Heshbon; the city of Sihon will be built and established. For a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; it consumed Ar of Moab, the possessors of the heights of the Arnon. Woe to you, Moab! You have perished, O people of Chemosh! He has made his sons fugitives, and given his daughters into captivity to Sihon king of the Amorites. We finished them with arrows; Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon. And we laid them waste as far as Nophah, which [reaches] even to Medeba.” (Numbers 21:27-30)

Translators render the source as “those who speak in proverbs, ” but they ought to be called Oracles or Prophetic Utterances, as can be seen from the meaning of the word moshalim in the original Hebrew, which means not only proverbs but also prophetic utterances—as in Numbers 23:7, 18, 24:3, 15. In each of these verses Balaam is said to have uttered his oracle, which was a prophetic one (prophetic, in fact, of the Lord). His oracle each time is called mashal, in the singular. Moreover, the words quoted by Moses in these verses are not proverbs, but prophecies.

[3] That the Ancient Word was likewise Divine or Divinely inspired is apparent in Jeremiah, where almost the same words occur, namely:

...a fire has gone out from Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, which consumed the corner of Moab and the crown of the head of the sons of tumult. Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished! For your sons have been taken off into captivity, and your daughters into captivity. (Jeremiah 48:45-46)

In addition to these references, a prophetic book of the Ancient Word, called the Book of Jashar or Book of the Upright, is also cited by David and Joshua. By David:

David lamented...over Saul and over Jonathan..., and he wrote to teach the children of Judah [the Song of] the Bow; is it not written in the Book of Jasher? (2 Samuel 1:17-18)

And by Joshua:

...Joshua...said...: “Sun, stand still in Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon." ...Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? (Joshua 10:12-13)

Moreover, I have been told that the first seven chapters of Genesis are found in the same Ancient Word, so completely that not the least word is missing.

10411. 'And built an altar in front of it' means worship. This is clear from the meaning of 'an altar' as the chief representative of Divine worship, dealt with in 4541, 8935, 8940, 9714, 10242, 10245, but at this point that which is representative of devilish worship since those whose interest lies in external things and not in what is internal are in contact with the hells and not with the heavens. (For a person's internal is his heaven, and his external is his world. His internal furthermore has been so created as to conform to an image of heaven, thus to receive such things as belong there, and his external to conform to an image of the world, thus to receive such things as belong here, see in the places referred to in 9279, 10156. Consequently when the internal is closed, so is heaven, and then the external is no longer ruled from heaven but from hell.) Therefore their worship is not Divine but devilish. They do, it is true, speak of the Divine and also offer Him worship, but outwardly and not inwardly, that is, with their lips but not with their heart. Nor do they worship ¹ the Divine for His sake but for the sake of themselves and the world. Where the heart is, in that place there is worship. From all this it is evident that 'building an altar in front of the golden calf' means worship of the devil.

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