3085. These two verses describe the affection for truth - its origin, its nature, and the initial stage of its introduction. Its origin is described by the words 'Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milkah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother'. These words convey in the internal sense the whole origin of that affection, see 3077, 3078. Its nature is described by the words 'her pitcher was on her shoulder', and 'the girl was very good looking'. These words describe its nature, see 3079-3081. The initial stage of its introduction is described by the words 'she went down to the spring, and filled her pitcher, and went up', as may be seen in 3082-3084. But these considerations, as stated above, are beyond the grasp not only of any ordinary human intellect but also of one that is more advanced. For such is the nature of the things contained in the internal sense in this chapter and in some of those that follow.

[2] The reason for this is that the idea can hardly enter anyone's head that there is a constant Divine influx by way of the internal man into the external man - that is, the idea that celestial and spiritual things flow by way of the rational man into the natural man, or what amounts to the same, into the natural things belonging to the external. Also, the idea that by means of that influx truths are constantly being summoned out of the natural man, raised up, and implanted in the good that is present in the rational can hardly enter in. And if not even these things are known to take place, what possibility is there of anyone knowing how the whole process takes place, a process involving wisdom so great, as it is from the Divine, that not the tiniest fraction can ever be explored? Only its most general aspects can be seen.

[3] This therefore being so, let no one be surprised that the things present here in the internal sense cannot be described intelligibly, and the things which are described are beyond human comprehension, for they have reference to and describe that process. Furthermore the internal sense exists chiefly for angels, to the end that by means of the Word communication may exist between heaven and man; and to the angels these things are among such as give them great delight, because food in heaven consists of everything that constitutes intelligence and wisdom. And to them the blessedness of wisdom and intelligence consists in whatever has the Lord as its subject.

10728. 'And said to them, These are the words which Jehovah has commanded, to do them' means instruction regarding the major truth of the Church to which all others look back. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' as instruction, dealt with in the places referred to in 10280; and from the meaning of 'the words which Jehovah has commanded, to do them' as the major truth that must be fully obeyed. The reason why this is meant is that those words refer to the sabbath, which was the chief of all representative signs, and so means the major truth to which all others look back; for the representative signs in the Church among the Israelite nation were forms of truth on the last and lowest level of order. The situation with representative signs is that the objects which appear in the natural world, in its three kingdoms, compose the last and lowest level of Divine order; for all the realities of heaven, which are called spiritual and celestial, terminate in them. In all this lies the reason why a representative Church was established and why such things were commanded as would represent heaven fully, with every kind of truth and good existing there, on last and lowest levels. And the things which carried the representation were formed out of such objects as exist in the natural world - the tabernacle surrounded with curtains, the table in it on which the loaves of the Presence were laid, the lampstand and its lamps, the altar on which incense was offered, Aaron's garments and the breastplate consisting of precious stones, and other objects in addition to these. What such things represented has been shown in what has gone before.