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:

9383. 'All Jehovah's words and all the judgements' means things in the Word which are rules of life in the spiritual state and in the natural state. This is clear from the meaning of 'Jehovah's words' as things in the Word which are rules of life in the spiritual state, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'the judgements' as things in the Word which are rules of life in the natural state. The terms 'in the spiritual state' and 'in the natural state' are used because in general every person has two states. The first is peculiar and proper to the internal man and is called the spiritual state, the second is peculiar and proper to the external man and is called the natural state. The internal man's state is called spiritual because it is conditioned by truths belonging to the light of heaven, and by good belonging to the heat of that light, which is love. That light is called spiritual light because it enlightens the understanding part of the mind, and that heat is called spiritual heat, which is love and warms the will part. This is the reason why the internal man's state is called spiritual. But the external man's state is called natural because it is conditioned by truths belonging to the light of the world and by good belonging to the heat of this light, which too is love, but love for such things as exist in the world, for all heat of life is love. This is the reason why the external man's state is called natural. Rules of life in the natural state are meant by 'the judgements', while rules of life in the spiritual state are meant by 'Jehovah's words'.

[2] Both of these are derived from the Word because all the rules of life are there. They hold Life itself within them, for in the Word resides Divine Truth which has emanated and continues to emanate from the Lord, who is Life itself. From this it follows that all things in the Word are rules of life, and also that all things there have reference to life, as may be seen from those two commandments on which all things in the Word are founded, and about which the following is recorded in Matthew,

Jesus said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments the Law and the Prophets depend. Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:29-31.

'Loving God and the neighbour' is a rule of life because the all of life belongs to love, so much so that without love life is not life, and the character of the love determines that of the life. The Law and the Prophets are the whole Word.