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.

4982. Was upon all that he had in the house and in the field. That this signifies in life and in doctrine, is evident from the signification of “house,” as being good (n. 2048, 2233, 2559, 3128, 3652, 3720), and because it signifies good, it signifies also life, for all good is of life; and from the signification of “field,” as being the truth of the church (n. 368, 3508, 3766, 4440, 4443), and because it signifies the truth of the church, it signifies also doctrine, for all truth is of doctrine. “House” and “field” are occasionally mentioned in other parts of the Word, and when the subject treated of is the celestial man, by “house” is signified celestial good, and by “field” spiritual good. Celestial good is the good of love to the Lord, and spiritual good is the good of charity toward the neighbor. But when the spiritual man is treated of, by “house” is signified the celestial that is in him, which is the good of charity toward the neighbor; and by “field,” the spiritual that is in him, which is the truth of faith. Both the one and the other are signified in Matthew:

Let him that is upon the housetop not go down to take anything that is in his house, and let him that is in the field not return back to take his garment (Matthew 24:17-18; see n. 3652).

6827. And Moses was feeding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. That this signifies that the law from the Divine was instructing those who were in the truth of simple good; and that “the priest of Midian” is the good of the church where such are, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Lord as to the law Divine (see n. 6752); and in the beginning as to the truth which is of the law from the Divine (n. 6771); but here as to the law from the Divine. So may we name the degrees of progression in the Lord, before, as to the Human, He was made the very law Divine. In the whole Word, in its inmost or supreme sense, the Lord alone and the glorification of His Human are treated of; but as the inmost or supreme sense transcends human understanding, it is allowable to unfold the Word as to its internal sense, in which are treated of the Lord’s kingdom and the church, and the setting up of the latter, and also the regeneration of the man of the church by the Lord. That these subjects are treated of in the internal sense, is because the regeneration of man is a representative image of the glorification of the the Lord, (n. 3138, 3212, 3245, 3246, 3296, 3490, 4402, 5688).

[2] From the signification of “to feed,” as being to instruct (n. 3795, 5201); from the signification of a “flock,” as being one who learns and is led by means of truth to the good of charity (n. 343), thus the “flock” in the general sense is the church (n. 3767, 3768), here the church where are those who are in the truth of simple good, who are signified by “Midian” (n. 3242, 4756); from the signification of “father-in-law,” as being the good from which, as from a father, comes forth that good which has been conjoined with truth, here with the truth which is of the law from the Divine, which is represented by Moses (see n. 6793), the quality of this good is “Jethro;” and from the signification of the “priest of Midian,” as being the good of the church where are they who are in the truth of simple good (n. 6775). From all this it is evident that by “Moses was feeding the flock of his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,” is signified that the law from the Divine was instructing those who were in the truth of simple good; and that the “priest of Midian” is the good of the church where such are.