Arcana Coelestia #8724
8724. 'And Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he said' means that the arrangement by Divine Good was put into effect. This is clear without explanation, for Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, represents Divine Good, 8643, while Moses represents Divine Truth emanating from Divine Good, 8644. Divine Truth emanating from the Lord never acts independently; its actions spring always from Divine Good, which is the Divine Himself. Divine Good is Being, whereas Divine Truth is the Coming-into-Being that arises from that Being. Consequently the Being must be present within the Coming-into-Being, if this is to be anything and anything is to be effected as a result of their union. When the Lord was in the world He was Divine Truth. The Divine Good present in Him then was the Father; but now that He has been glorified His Human too has become Divine Good. And the Divine Truth that emanates from Him now is called the Paraclete or Spirit of Truth. If a person acquainted with these two arcana is enlightened by the Lord when he reads the Word, he can have some understanding of a great number of the things spoken by the Lord regarding the Father and Himself, and regarding the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth - things which would otherwise be incomprehensible mysteries, such as the following statements in John,
Jesus said, The Son cannot do anything of Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it; for what He does, this also the Son in like manner does. As the Father has life in Himself, so He has also granted the Son to have life in Himself. John 5:19, 26.
Again in the same gospel,
The Holy Spirit was not yet because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:39.
And elsewhere,
If I do not go away the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go away I will send Him to you. He the Spirit of Truth will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears He will speak; He will glorify Me, because He will take of what is Mine. John 16:7, 13-14.
And there are many other statements like these.
Exodus 18
1
Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, how that Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, received Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
3
and her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom, for Moses said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land".
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The name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my help and delivered me from Pharaoh's sword."
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Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.
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He said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, have come to you with your wife, and her two sons with her."
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Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent.
8
Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how Yahweh delivered them.
9
Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Yahweh had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
10
Jethro said, "Blessed be Yahweh, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
11
Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods because of the thing in which they dealt arrogantly against them."
12
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all of the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.
13
It happened on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.
14
When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, "What is this thing that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?"
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Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
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When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws."
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Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
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You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to perform it yourself alone.
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Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You represent the people before God, and bring the causes to God.
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You shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do.
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Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
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Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.
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If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all of these people also will go to their place in peace."
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So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.
25
Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
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They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard causes to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
27
Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.
