8562. And there was no water for the people to drink. That this signifies a lack of truth and of the consequent refreshment, is evident from the signification of “water,” as being the truth of faith (see n. 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668); and from the signification of “drinking,” as being to be instructed in the truths of faith and to receive them (n. 3069, 3772, 4017, 4018), here, to be refreshed; for as water and drink refresh the natural life, so truths and the knowledges of truth refresh the spiritual life. For he who is in spiritual life longs for the sustenance thereof from such things as are called heavenly food and drink, which are the goods and truths of faith; in like manner as he who is in natural life longs for sustenance from such things as are natural food and drink.

[2] That temptation as to truth is now treated of, is because temptation as to good was treated of just before, after which temptation they received the manna, by which is signified good. For when man is endowed with good by the Lord, he comes into a longing for truth, and this longing is kindled according to the lack of truth, because good continually strives after truth. All the genuine affection of truth is from good. The case herein is like food, which without drink cannot nourish the natural life; and it is also like it in that food longs for drink, with which it may be conjoined so as to serve for use. This then is the reason why temptation as to truth follows immediately after temptation as to good. Temptation attacks that which a man loves and longs for (n. 4274, 4299).

10460. 'And Moses grew hot with anger' means that nation's turning away from the internal side of the Word, the Church, and worship. This is clear from the meaning of 'growing hot with anger', when it has reference to the Lord, as a person's turning away from internal and so Divine things, dealt with above in 10431. The like is meant by 'growing hot with anger' when this is attributed to Moses, because 'Moses' represents the Word or Divine Truth which comes from the Lord, or what amounts to the same thing, the Lord in respect of Divine Truth, regarding which representation, see in the places referred to in 9372. The expression 'from the internal side of the Word, the Church, and worship' is used because the person who turns away from what exists on the internal side of the Word turns away as well from what exists on the internal side of the Church and also on the internal side of worship, since what resides internally in the Church and internally in worship derives from that which resides internally within the Word. For the Word teaches what a member of the Church must be like or what the Church as it exists with a person must be like, and also what the worship with a member of the Church must be like. For the forms of good and the truths of love and faith are what compose the Church internally and also worship internally; they are what the Word teaches, and they are what compose the Word internally.