The Bible

 

Ezekiel 22:3

Study

       

3 Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself.

Commentary

 

Neighbor

  

'The neighbor' is not only an individual person, but also people collectively, as a less or greater society, our country, the church, the Lord's kingdom, and above all, the Lord Himself. These people are 'the neighbor' to whom good is to be done from love. A society is our neighbor more than a single person, because it consists of many people. Our country is our neighbor more than a society because it is like a parent because a person is born in it, and is nourished and protected from injuries by it. The church is our neighbor more than our country, because one who provides for the church provides for the souls and eternal life of the people who dwell in his country. The Lord's kingdom is our neighbor in an even higher degree, because the Lord's kingdom consists of all in good, as well people on the earth as those in the heavens.

(References: The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 91-95)