9527. 'And you shall make a table' means a receptacle of heavenly blessings [that belong to the good of love]. This is clear from the meaning of 'a table' as heaven in respect of its reception of such blessings as come from the Lord there, which are the good of love and the good of faith, and the joy and bliss derived from them. These blessings are meant by 'a table' because 'food' means the heavenly blessings that belong to the good of love and faith, and the wisdom and intelligence gained from them, which in everyday language too are called heavenly food and also in the Word are meant by 'food', see 56-58, 680, 681, 1480, 4459, 4792, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003. What is more, a visual representation of those blessings is now and again made in heaven by means of a table on which all kinds of food are laid. From all this it is evident that 'a table' means a receptacle of heavenly blessings, thus heaven in respect of its reception of such blessings as come from the Lord. These blessings are also meant by 'table' in Luke,

Jesus said, I bestow on you, just as My father bestowed on Me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom. Luke 22:29-30.

And in Matthew,

Many will come from the east and the west and will recline with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 8:11.

Also in David,

I will fear no evil. You will spread a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You will make my head fat with oil; my cup will overflow. Goodness and mercy will follow me. Psalms 23:4-6.

In the contrary sense however 'table' means a receptacle of such things as exist in hell. In Isaiah,

They go astray through strong drink. They err among the seers, they are tottery in judgement. All tables are full of vomit. Whom will He teach knowledge, and whom will He cause to understand what is heard? Isaiah 28:7-9.

In the same prophet,

You who forsake Jehovah, who set a table for Gad, and fill a drink offering for Meni. Isaiah 65:11.

And in David,

They gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Their table before them will become a snare. Psalms 69:21-22.

4976. 'And ministered to him' means that factual knowledge was assigned to its own good. This is clear from the meaning of 'ministering' as serving by supplying what another has need of, in this case as being assigned to since the subject is natural good to which factual knowledge is to be assigned. 'Ministering' is also used to describe known facts, for in the Word a minister and a servant mean factual knowledge or natural truth because this is subservient to good as its lord. Factual knowledge stands in relation to delight present in the natural man - or what amounts to the same, natural truth stands in relation to its good - in exactly the same way as water does to bread, or drink to food. Water or drink enables bread or food to be dissolved, and once dissolved to be conveyed into the blood, from which it passes into all parts around the body and nourishes them. Without the water or drink the bread or food is not broken down into extremely small particles and carried around the body to fulfill its purpose.

[2] The same applies to factual knowledge in relation to delight, or truth in relation to good. That being so, good longs for and desires truth, and does so because of the purpose such truth can fulfill by ministering to it and serving it. Food and drink also correspond to these. No one in the next life is nourished by any natural food or natural drink, only by spiritual food and spiritual drink, spiritual food being good, and spiritual drink truth. This is why, when bread or food is mentioned in the Word, angels understand spiritual bread or food, which is the good of love and charity; and when water or drink is mentioned they understand spiritual water or drink, which is the truth of faith. From this one may see what the truth of faith without the good of charity is, and also what kind of nourishment the former without the latter is able to supply to the internal man; that is to say, it is like the nourishment supplied by water or drink alone without bread or food. It is well known that a person fed on water or drink alone wastes away and dies.