1085. 'They put it on a shoulder' means that they did so with all the power they had, that is to say, they placed a good interpretation on it and excused it. This is clear from the meaning of 'shoulder' as all power. In the Word 'hand' means power, as shown already. 'Arm' means greater power still, while 'shoulder' means all power, as becomes clear also from the following places in the Word: In Ezekiel,

You push with side and with shoulder, and butt with your horns all the weak sheep till you have scattered them abroad. Ezekiel 34:21.

'With side and with shoulder' here stands for all their soul and all their power; and 'butting with horns' stands for all their strength.

[2] In the same prophet,

That all the inhabitants of Egypt may know that I am Jehovah, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. When they grasp you with the hand you will be broken, and will tear for them every shoulder. Ezekiel 29:6-7.

This refers to people who wish to probe into spiritual truths by means of facts. 'A staff of reed' stands for power of this kind, 'taking with the hand' stands for trusting in it, 'tearing every shoulder' for being deprived of all power so that they may know nothing. In Zephaniah,

That all of them may call on the name of Jehovah to serve Him with one shoulder. Zeph, 3:9.

'One shoulder' stands for doing so with one soul. and so with one power.

[3] In Zechariah,

They refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder. Zechariah 7:11.

This stands for their resisting with all the power they had. In Isaiah,

They hire a smith who makes gold and silver into God. They worship, they even bow down to it. They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it. Isaiah 46:6-7.

'Shoulder' stands for their worshipping the idol with all the power they have, which is 'bearing on the shoulder'.

[4] In the same prophet,

To us a Boy is born, to us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.

This refers to the Lord, and at this point to the power He has and exercises - hence the phrase 'upon His shoulder'. In the same prophet,

I will place the key of the house of David on His shoulder, and He will open and none will shut; and He will shut and none will open.

This similarly refers to the Lord, placing on the shoulder the key of the house of David' standing for the power He has and exercises.

6393. 'And he will bend his shoulder to bear a burden' means that nevertheless he makes every effort. This is clear from the meaning of 'shoulder' as all power or every effort, dealt with in 1085, 4931-4937; and from the meaning of 'bearing a burden' as performing works so as to earn merit. Consequently 'bending the shoulder to bear a burden' means making every effort at performing works in order to earn merit. The reason this is described as 'bearing a burden' is that such people do good not out of an affection for good, thus not in freedom, but out of a selfish affection, which is servitude, 6390.

[2] With regard to those who desire a reward for the works they accomplish, it should also be recognized that they are never satisfied but become annoyed if their reward is not greater than that which everyone else receives; or if they see that others are more richly blessed than themselves, they are sad and complaining. Real blessedness is not considered by them to reside in inward things but in outward ones, that is to say, in their being pre-eminent, having dominion, and being served by angels, thus in their being superior to angels and so being the chief and great ones in heaven. But in actual fact heavenly blessedness does not consist in wishing to have dominion and to be served by others but in wishing to serve others and to be the least, as the Lord teaches,

James and John, the sons of Zebedee drew near, saying, Grant us to sit in Your glory, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left. Jesus said to them, You do not know what you ask. To sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. You know that those who are reckoned to rule the gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones have authority over them. It must not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your minister, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to but to minister. Mark 10:35-45.

[3] And He teaches that heaven belongs to those who do good without recompense as their end in view, in Luke,

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. When you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbours, lest perhaps also they invite you back in return, and you are repaid. But when you give a feast invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, for they have nothing with which to repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14:11-14.

'Repayment at the resurrection of the just' is the inner happiness that comes from doing good without thought of recompense, which people receive from the Lord when they perform useful services. And the more that those who love to serve without thought of repayment love to do good, the nobler are the services committed to their charge. Also, they are in actual fact greater and more powerful than others.

[4] Those who perform good works with a view to repayment also say, because of what they know from the Word, that they wish to be the least in heaven. But they think that by saying this they may become great, so that they still have the same end in view. But those who do good without thought of repayment really do not think about pre-eminence, only about being of service.

[5] See what has been stated and shown already about earning merit through works,

In the next life those who are merit-seekers appear to be splitting wood and cutting grass, 1110, 1111, 4943.

How those people are represented, 1774, 2027.

Those who have done good for selfish and worldly reasons receive no payment in the next life for that good, 1835.

Those who place merit in works interpret the Word literally to their own advantage and laugh with scorn at its inner content, 1774, 1877.

True charity is devoid of all merit-seeking, 2340, 2373, 2400, 3816.

Those who separate faith from charity consider the works they have done to be worthy of merit, 2373 (end).

Those who come into heaven throw off what is their own and any merit of their own, 4007 (end).

Most people believe, when they start to be reformed, that the good they do originates in themselves, and that through this good they are worthy of merit; but they throw off that belief as they undergo regeneration, 4174.