The Bible

 

Genesis 12:1-8 : To a land that I will show you

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1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #440

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440. 'Then they began to call on the name of Jehovah' means that Church's worship deriving from charity. This becomes clear from the fact that 'calling on the name of Jehovah' is a normal and common expression for all worship of the Lord. Its being worship deriving from charity is clear from the fact that the name, Jehovah' is used here, 'God' in the previous verse. It is also clear from the fact that it is impossible to worship the Lord except from charity. Worship stemming from faith that has no connection with charity is not possible, because it is worship solely of the lips and not of the heart. The fact that 'calling on the name of Jehovah' is a common expression for all worship of the Lord is clear from the Word, as where it is said of Abram that

He built an altar to Jehovah and called on the name of Jehovah. Genesis 12:8; 13:4.

Also,

He planted a grove in Beersheba and there he called on the name of Jehovah, the God of eternity. Genesis 21:33.

That all worship is meant is clear in Isaiah,

Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, said, You did not call upon Me, O Jacob, but you have been weary of Me, O Israel! You have not brought Me the small cattle of your burnt offerings, nor honoured Me with your sacrifices. I have not made you serve Me with the minchah, nor wearied you with frankincense. Isaiah 43:14, 22-23.

These verses present in summary form the whole of representative worship.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.