9373. Come up unto Jehovah. That this signifies conjunction with the Lord, is evident from the signification of “coming up,” as being to be raised toward interior things (see n. 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007), consequently also to be conjoined (n. 8760). That it denotes conjunction with the Lord, is because by “Jehovah” in the Word is meant the the Lord, (n. 1343, 1736, 1793, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6280, 6303, 6905, 8274, 8864, 9315). A secret which also lies hidden in the internal sense of these words, is that the sons of Jacob, over whom Moses was the head, were not called and chosen; but they themselves insisted that Divine worship should be instituted among them (according to wh at has been said in n. 4290, 4293); and therefore it is here said, “and He said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah,” as if not Jehovah, but another, had said that he should come up. For the same reason in what follows it is said that “the people should not go up” (verse 2); and that “Jehovah sent not His hand unto the sons of Israel who were set apart” (verse 11); and that “the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the sons of Israel” (verse 17); and lastly that Moses, being called the seventh day, “entered into the midst of the cloud.” For by “the cloud” is meant the Word in the letter (n. 5922, 6343, 6752, 6832, 8106, 8443, 8781); and with the sons of Jacob the Word was separated from its internal sense, because they were in external worship without internal, as can be clearly seen from the fact that now, as before, they said, “all the words which Jehovah hath spoken we will do” (verse 3); and yet scarcely forty days afterward they worshiped a golden calf instead of Jehovah; which shows that this was hidden in their hearts while they were saying with their lips that they would serve Jehovah alone. But nevertheless those who are meant by “the called and the chosen” are those who are in internal worship, and who from internal worship are in external; that is, those who are in love to and faith in the Lord, and from this in love toward the neighbor.

4736. Cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness. That this signifies that they should conceal it meanwhile among their falsities, that is, that they should regard it as false, but still retain it because it was of importance to the church, is evident from the signification of a “pit,” as being falsities (see n. 4728); and from the signification of a “wilderness,” as being where there is no truth. For the word “wilderness” has a wide signification, it means where the land is uninhabited, and thus not cultivated; and when predicated of the church, it denotes where there is no good, and consequently no truth (n. 2708, 3900). Thus by a “pit in the wilderness” are here meant falsities in which there is no truth, because no good. It is said in which there is no truth because no good; for when anyone believes that faith saves without works, truth may indeed exist, but still it is not truth in him, because it does not look to good, nor is it from good. This truth is not alive, because it has in it a principle of falsity, consequently with anyone who has such truth, the truth is but falsity from the principle which rules in it. The principle is like the soul, from which the rest have their life. On the other hand there are falsities which are accepted as truths, when there is good in them, especially if it is the good of innocence, as with the Gentiles and also with many within the church.

9378. 'And Moses alone shall come near Jehovah' means the Lord's togetherness with and presence among people achieved through the Word in general. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming near' as the Lord's togetherness with and presence among people, dealt with below; and from the representation of 'Moses' as the Word in general, dealt with above in 9372. The reason why 'Moses shall come near' means the Lord's togetherness with and presence among people achieved through the Word is that 'coming near' in the spiritual sense means being joined together through love; for those who love each other are joined together, love being spiritual togetherness. It is universally so in the next life that all are joined together according to their love of goodness and truth received from the Lord. Consequently the whole of heaven consists in such togetherness. The situation is similar with coming near or being joined to the Lord. Those who love the Lord are joined to Him, so intimately that they are said to be 'in Him' when they are in heaven. And all those people love the Lord, and are consequently joined to Him through their love, who lead a good life based on the truths of faith, since the good based on those truths emanates from the Lord, indeed is the Lord, John 14:20-21.

[2] But it should be recognized that a person is unable of himself to come near the Lord and be joined to Him; rather the Lord has to come near the person and be joined to him. Yet since the Lord draws a person towards Himself, John 6:44; 12:32, the appearance is that the person does of himself come near and join himself. This happens when the person refrains from evils, for refraining from evils is left to a person's own decision or free will. At this time good from the Lord is flowing in; and it is never lacking, for it is present within the very life a person has from the Lord. But the good accompanying that life is received only in the measure that evils have been removed. The reason why the Word is the means by which the Lord's togetherness with and presence among people is achieved is that the Word unites a person to heaven and through heaven to the Lord. For the Word is Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, and therefore those who adhere to that truth in doctrine and life, or in faith and love, adhere to what is Divine emanating from the Lord, and in so doing are joined to Him.

[3] From all this it is evident that 'Moses alone shall come near Jehovah' means the Lord's togetherness with and presence among people achieved through the Word. The reason why 'coming near' means togetherness and presence is that in the next life distances between one person and another are determined altogether by the dissimilarity and diversity of the interior things which belong to thought and affection, see 1273-1277, 1376-1381, 9104. Also every moving away from the Lord or coming near Him is determined altogether by the good of love and consequently of faith received from Him and shown towards Him. So it is that every heaven's nearness to the Lord is determined by its good and conversely every hell's remoteness from Him by its evil. From all this it is evident why it is that 'being near' and 'coming near' in the spiritual sense mean being joined together, as also in the following places: In David,

Jehovah is near to all calling on Him, who call on Him in truth. Psalms 145:18.

'Near' stands for present and joined together with. In the same author,

Blessed is [anyone] whom You choose and cause to come near; he will dwell in Your courts. Psalms 65:4.

'Causing to come near' stands for being joined together with.

[4] In the same author,

O Jehovah, come near my soul; deliver me. Psalms 69:18.

In the same author,

Jehovah is near to those broken in heart. Psalms 34:18.

In Jeremiah,

Let them cause My people to hear My words, and let them bring them back from their evil way, from the wickedness of their deeds. Am I a God near at hand, and not a God afar off? Jeremiah 23:22-23.

The words 'a God near at hand' apply, it is evident, to those who refrain from evils, and the words 'a God afar off' to those who are immersed in evils. In Moses,

Moses said to Aaron, This is what Jehovah spoke, In those who are near Me ¹ I will be sanctified. Leviticus 10:3.

'Being sanctified in those who are near' means with those who have been joined to the Lord through the good of love and the truth of faith derived from the Word. In Jeremiah,

At that time their Magnificent One will be one of themselves, and their Ruler will come from their midst; and I will cause Him to come near, and He will come near Me. For who is This [who] has pledged His heart to come near Me? Jeremiah 30:21.

This refers to the Lord, who is 'the Magnificent One' and 'the Ruler'. 'Coming near Jehovah' is being united to Him, for the coming near of [Him who is] Divine to Divine [Being Itself] is nothing other than union.

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