10324. The Word in the letter cannot be understood without the aid of the teachings which the enlightened person derives from the Word; for the literal sense is suited to the apprehension even of simple people. Therefore teachings derived from the Word must serve them as a lamp.
Exodus 31
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And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
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See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
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And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
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To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
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And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.
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And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;
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The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,
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And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense,
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And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot,
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And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office,
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And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.
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And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
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Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
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Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
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Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
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Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
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It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
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And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
Arcana Coelestia #2397
2397. 'And Jehovah has sent us to destroy it' means that they must inevitably perish - these words being similar in meaning to the things stated above in 2395. By the pronoun 'us', that is, the men or the angels, is meant the Lord's Divine Human and His Holy proceeding, as shown above. By means of these the good were saved and the evil perished; though the latter in fact perished according to the law that evil itself destroyed them. And because they perished in this fashion, doing so as a result of the Lord's Coming into the world, it is said according to the appearance that they were sent to destroy them.
[2] Several times in the Word it is said of the Lord that He was 'sent from the Father', as is said here, 'Jehovah has sent us'. In every instance however 'being sent' means in the internal sense coming forth, as in John,
They have received and know in truth that I came forth from You, and they have believed that You sent Me. John 17:8.
Similarly elsewhere, as in the same gospel,
God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:17.
In the same gospel,
He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent Him. John 5:23
Many other examples exist besides these, as in Matthew 10:40; 15:24; John 3:34; 4:34; 5:30, 36-38; 6:29, 39-40, 44, 57; 7:16, 18, 28-29; 8:16, 18, 29, 42; 9:4; 10 John 36; 11:41-42; 12:44-45, 49; 13:20; 14:24; 17:18; 20:21; Luke 4:43; 9:48; 10:16; Mark 9:37; Isaiah 61:1.
[3] The Holiness of the Spirit is in similar fashion spoken of as being sent, that is, as going forth from the Lord's Divine, as in John,
Jesus said, When the Paraclete comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the spirit of truth who goes forth from the Father, He will bear witness to Me. John 15:26.
In the same gospel,
If I go away I will send the Paraclete to you. John 16:5, 7.
This is why the prophets were spoken of as being 'sent', for the words they uttered went forth from the Holiness of the Lord's Spirit. And because it is from Divine Good that all Divine Truth goes forth the expression 'to be sent' strictly speaking has reference to Divine Truth. What 'going forth' is, is also evident, namely that he who goes forth, or the thing that goes forth, is part of him from whom it goes forth.
