103. We can tell from the books of Moses that there was a Word among the ancients because he mentioned it and excerpted from it (Numbers 21:14-15, 27-30). We can tell that the narrative portions of that Word were called “The Wars of Jehovah, ” and that the prophetic portions were called “Pronouncements.” Moses quoted the following from the historical narratives of that Word:

Therefore it says in The Book of the Wars of Jehovah, “Waheb in Suphah and the rivers Arnon, a watercourse of rivers that goes down to [where] Ar is inhabited and rests along the border of Moab.” (Numbers 21:14-15)

In that Word as in ours, the wars of Jehovah were understood to be, and served to describe in detail, the Lord’s battles against hell and his victories over it when he would come into the world. These same battles are meant and described time after time in the historical narratives of our Word - in Joshua’s battles against the nations of the land of Canaan, for example, and in the wars of the judges and the kings of Israel.

[2] Moses quoted the following from the prophetic portions of that Word:

Therefore those who make pronouncements say, “Come to Heshbon! The city of Sihon will be built up and fortified, because fire has gone out from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It has devoured Ar of Moab, those who occupy the heights of Arnon. Woe to you, Moab! You have perished, people of Chemosh; he has made his sons fugitives and sent his daughters into captivity to Sihon, king of the Amorites. With arrows we have dealt with them; Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon, and we have spread destruction as far as Nophah, which extends to Medeba.” (Numbers 21:27-30)

Translators change [the title of] this to “Composers of Proverbs, ” but it should be called “Makers of Pronouncements” or “Prophetic Pronouncements, ” as we can tell from the meaning of the word moschalim in Hebrew. It means not only proverbs but also prophetic utterances, as in Numbers 23:7, 18; 24:3, 15 where it says that Balaam gave forth his pronouncement, which was actually a prophetic utterance and was about the Lord. In these instances each of his pronouncements is called a mashal in the singular. There is also the fact that what Moses quoted from this source are not proverbs but prophecies.

[3] We can see that this Word was similarly divine or divinely inspired from a passage in Jeremiah where we find almost the same words:

A fire has gone out from Heshbon and a flame from the midst of Sihon, which has devoured the corner of Moab and the top of the children of tumult. Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished, for your sons have been carried off into captivity and your daughters into captivity. (Jeremiah 48:45-46)

Further, both David and Joshua mention another prophetic book of the former Word, The Book of Jasher or The Book of the Righteous One. Here is where David mentions it:

David lamented over Saul and over Jonathan and wrote, “‘To Teach the Children of Judah the Bow.’ (You will find this written in The Book of Jasher.)” (2 Samuel 1:17-18)

Here is where Joshua mentions it:

Joshua said, “‘Come to rest, O sun, in Gibeon; and, O moon, in the valley of Aijalon.’ Is this not written in The Book of Jasher?” (Joshua 10:12-13)

Then too, I have been told that the first seven chapters of Genesis are right there in that ancient Word, so that not the slightest word is missing.

3571. Verses 26-29 And Isaac his father said to him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near and kissed him. And he smelled the odour of his clothes, and he blessed him, and he said, See, the odour of my son, like the odour of the field that Jehovah has blessed. And God will give to you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the land, and abundance of grain and of new wine. Peoples will serve you, and peoples will bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and your mother's sons will bow down to you. Cursed are those cursing you, and blessed those blessing you.

'Isaac his father said to him, Come near now' means a degree of perception more interior still. 'And kiss me, my son' means as to whether union is possible. 'And he came near and kissed him' means presence and union. 'And he smelled the odour of his clothes' means the pleasing emanation from the truth of good which he perceived. 'And he blessed him' means conjunction thereby. 'And he said, See, the odour of my son' means pleasure perceived in truth acquired from good. 'Like the odour of the field' means as the good ground from which truth is acquired. 'That Jehovah has blessed' means which is multiplied and made fruitful from the Divine. 'And God will give to you of the dew of heaven' means from Divine Truth. 'And of the fatness of the land' means from Divine Good. 'And abundance of grain' means natural good from this. 'And of new wine' means natural truth from the same. 'Peoples will serve you' means truths of the Church. ¹ 'And peoples will bow down to you' means truths grounded in good. 'Be lord over your brothers' means the apparent dominion at first of the affection for natural truth over affections for natural good. 'And your mother's sons will bow down to you' means over all other affections for truth. 'Cursed be those cursing you' means that the person who separates himself will be separated. 'And blessed those blessing you' means that the person who joins himself will be joined.

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