10582. That I will put thee in a cleft of the rock. That this signifies the obscurity and falsity of faith such as is with those who are in external things without what is internal, is evident from the signification of “a cleft of the rock,” as being what is obscure and false of faith; for by “rock” is signified faith (as just above, n. 10580); and by a “cleft,” its obscurity and also its falsity (of which below). It is said “such as is with those who are in external things without what is internal,” because with such all the truth which is of faith is in obscurity, and is also attended with falsity. For such of them as believe the Word, believe it everywhere according to the letter, and not according to its interior meaning; and those who so believe cannot be in any light, for light from heaven flows in through the internal into the external. Moreover, what they believe without light from heaven appears as truth, but nevertheless with them it is falsity, for they have a material and earthly idea about truth, and not at the same time a spiritual and heavenly idea, and every material and earthly idea abounds in fallacies unless there is in it light from heaven. For example: as James and John had an earthly idea about the Lord’s kingdom, they asked that they might sit the one on His right hand and the other on the left in His kingdom; but Jesus said:

Ye know not what ye ask. Ye know that the princes of the nations lord it over them. Not so shall it be among you; but whosoever would become great among you must be your minister; and whosoever would be first must be your servant (Matthew 20:21-22, 25-27).

[2] People of this character, like the men of those days, do not know what the heavenly kingdom is, nor what the glory there is, not what love is, nor even what faith is; in general, not what good is; for they base their judgment on bodily and earthly things, and call good all the delight of the body and its senses; and eminence over others they call glory; the love of the world and the love of self they call heavenly love; and memory-knowledge made persuasive they call faith. When they think about God, they think materially, and therefore either deny God and regard nature as God; or else they worship idols, or dead men. From this it is evident how obscure is faith, and also how false it is, with those who are in merely external things.

[3] In such obscurity and falsity of faith are those who believe the Word solely as to the sense of its letter, without doctrine made from it by one who is enlightened. They who read the Word without doctrine are like those who walk in darkness without a lamp. Such are all merely sensuous men. That such is the Jewish nation is evident, for they explain all things of the Word according to the sense of the letter, because they are in external things separate from what is internal. In the other life such people do not dwell upon the rocks; but either in caves there, or in clefts of the rocks.

[4] That a “cleft of the rock” denotes what is obscure and false of faith, is evident also from other passages in the Word, as in Isaiah:

In that day Jehovah shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the rivers of desolations, and in the clefts of the rocks (Isaiah 7:18-19).

in this passage is described the coming of the Lord and the state of the church at that time, that there would be desolation of all things that belong to spiritual truth and good. For by these words is signified that the man of the church would then have receded from internal things, and would have become altogether external, thus merely sensuous. To become sensuous is not to apprehend and believe anything but what the external senses assert. “The fly in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt” denotes the falsity of the wholly external or merely sensuous man; “the bee in the land of Assyria” denotes the falsity of reasoning therefrom; “the rivers of desolations” denote the truths of doctrine altogether desolated; and “the clefts of the rocks” denote the falsities of faith thence derived. Who would divine that these words signify such things which, unless disclosed by the internal sense, would be completely hidden?

[5] Again:

In that day a man shall cast away the idols which they had made for themselves to bow down to, to the moles and to the bats; to enter into the clefts of the rocks, and into the fissures of the ragged rocks (Isaiah 2:20-21);

“to bow down to the moles and to the bats” denotes to worship such things as are in thick darkness and in the shade of night, that is, external things without anything internal; “to enter into the clefts of the rocks, and into the fissures of the ragged rocks,” denotes into the obscurities and darknesses of faith, thus into falsities.

[6] In Jeremiah:

I will bring back the sons of Israel upon their land; and send unto many fishers, who shall fish them; and unto hunters, who shall hunt them from upon every mountain, upon every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks (Jeremiah 16:15-16).

The restoration of the church is here treated of, which is signified by “bringing back the sons of Israel upon their land;” “to fish them” denotes to instruct in the external things of the church; “to hunt them” denotes to instruct in the internal things thereof; they who are “upon mountain and upon hill” denote those who are in love and in charity; those in “the holes of the rocks” denote those who are in faith not yet enlightened, thus who are in what is obscure of faith.

[7] Again:

I have made thee smallest among the nations; the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the holes of the rock holding the height of the hill (Jeremiah 49:15-16).

The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rocks, in the height of thy seat; who saith in his heart, Who shall pull me down to the earth? Though thou exalt thee as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, from thence I will pull thee down (Obad. 3, 4).

“To dwell in the holes of the rock” denotes in falsities of faith. The subject here treated of is those who exalt themselves above others, believing that they are more learned than all others, when yet they are in falsities, and even cannot see truths. In the other life such persons dwell in the holes of rocks, and sometimes they project themselves upon the rocks; but they are cast down therefrom into their holes, and into the caves which are beneath the rocks. This is meant by “holding the height of the hill,” and “exalting thyself as an eagle,” and “setting the nest among the stars,” and yet being “pulled down.” From all this it can now be seen that by “putting Moses in a cleft of the rock” is signified such obscurity and falsity of faith as is with those who are in external things without what is internal; for by Moses is here meant the people, because he here bears relation to their head (see n. 10556).

8581. Behold I stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb. That this signifies the Lord in respect to the truths of faith, is evident from the signification of “a rock,” as being faith, here faith from the Lord, or the Lord in respect to faith; for Jehovah, that is, the Lord, says, “Behold I stand upon the rock;” and from the signification of “Horeb,” as being the Divine Law; consequently by these words is signified the Lord in respect to the truths of faith which are from His law, or the Word. That “a rock” denotes the Lord as to faith, and relatively to man, the faith which is from the Lord, is evident from many passages in the Word, as in Moses:

Give ye greatness to our God, the Rock whose work is perfect. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and he did eat the produce of the fields, He made him suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the stone of the rock. But when Jeshurun became fat, he kicked, he forsook God who made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. The Rock that begat thee thou hast given to forgetfulness, and hast forgotten God thy Former. Their rock hath sold them, and Jehovah hath shut them up, for their rock is not as our Rock. When it is said, Where are their gods, the rock in which they trusted (Deuteronomy 32:3-4, 13, 15, 18, 30-31, 37).

From these words it is plain that it is Jehovah, that is, the Lord, who is called “the Rock”; that this is Jehovah or the Lord as to faith, is clear from the details here in the internal sense.

[2] In Daniel:

Thou wast seeing till that a stone was cut out, which was not by hands, and it smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces. Then were the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; so that the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them. But the stone that smote the image became a great Rock, and filled the whole earth. The God of the heavens shall make a kingdom arise which shall not be destroyed to the ages; and His kingdom shall not be permitted to another people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms; but itself shall stand to the ages. Forasmuch as thou hast seen that a stone was cut out from the rock, that was not by hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold (Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45).

This is said of the Lord and His kingdom, and by “a stone” is meant faith, and by “a rock” the Lord as to faith. That these things are signified by “stone” and by “rock,” is plain to everyone who reflects. “Stone” too signifies in the Word the truth which is of faith (see n. 643, 1298, 3720, 3769, 3771, 3773, 3789, 3798, 6426); and therefore the Lord as to Divine truth is called “the Stone of Israel” (n. 6426). That “a rock” denotes the Lord as to the truth of faith, is because by “a rock” is also meant a bulwark against falsities; the bulwark itself is the truth of faith, for combat is waged from this truth both against falsities and against evils.

[3] From all this it can also be seen that by “rock” is meant the Lord as to faith, and also the faith which is from the Lord, in the words which the Lord spake to Peter, in Matthew:

I say unto thee, Thou art Peter [Petrus], and upon this rock [Petra] I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens (Matthew 16:18-19).

That “a rock” here denotes the Lord as to faith, and the faith which is from the Lord, and that Peter represents this faith, see the preface to Genesis 22, also n. 3750, 4738, 6000, 6073, 6344. It is also plain to everyone who thinks from sound reason that the power of opening heaven and of shutting hell for the good, and of opening hell and shutting heaven for the evil, belongs to the Lord alone; and that this belongs to faith is because faith is from the Lord, thus also is the Lord’s, that is, the Lord Himself is in it. Moreover all sovereign power in the other life comes through the truth of faith from good (see n. 4931, 6344, 6423, 8200, 8304). And he who thinks from reason can conclude that the Lord’s church has not been built upon any man, thus not upon Peter, but upon the Lord Himself, thus upon faith in Him.

[4] From all this it can be seen into what and how great errors they fall, who press so closely the sense of the letter of the Word; and with what eagerness the leaders of the church catch at the idea that such power was given to Peter, and consequently to those who call themselves his successors, because it favors their love; and with what difficulty they suffer themselves to be persuaded that anything else is meant, for everyone desires to procure for himself the height of power. From the above it is also plain how necessary it is to know what is signified in the internal sense by “a rock,” what by “keys,” what by “the gates of hell,” and many other things.

[5] That Jehovah is called “the Rock,” and that then is meant the Lord as to faith, is also evident from many other passages in the Word, as from the following, which may be cited without further explication:

Send ye the lamb of the Ruler of the land from the Rock toward the wilderness unto the mount of Zion (Isaiah 16:1).

Thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not remembered the Rock of thy refuge (Isaiah 17:10,

Asshur shall fall with the sword not of a man, also his rock shall pass away through dread thereof (Isaiah 31:8-9).

Let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them cry from the top of the mountains (Isaiah 42:11).

Attend to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, that seek Jehovah, look back unto the Rock from which ye were hewn (Isaiah 51:1).

Forsake the cities, and dwell in the rock, ye inhabitants of Moab (Jeremiah 48:28).

I am against thee, O destroying mountain, destroying the universal earth; and I will stretch out My hand against thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a mountain of burning; neither shall they take from thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations (Jeremiah 51:25-26);

speaking of Babel. And in David:

He made me come up out of a pit of devastation, out of the mire of clay, and He set my feet upon a rock (Psalms 40:2).

From the extremity of the earth do I cry unto Thee when my heart faileth, Thou leadest me to the Rock that is high from Me (Psalms 61:2).

He fed them with the fat of wheat; and with honey out of the rock I sated them (Psalms 81:16).

[6] As “a rock” signified the Lord as to faith, and faith from the Lord, therefore also wonderful things were done upon a rock, of which it is thus written in the book of Judges:

The angel of Jehovah said unto Gideon that he should take the flesh and the unleavened things, and put them upon the rock, and pour out the broth, and there went up fire out of the rock, and devoured the flesh and the unleavened things (Judg. 6:20-21).

Manoah the father of Samson took a kid of the goats, and offered it upon the rock. Then the angel did wondrously, and went up in the flame (Judg. 13:19-20).

What these things signified can be seen if from the internal sense there is unfolded what Gideon represented, and what Manoah the father of Samson; also what was signified by “the flesh” and “the unleavened things,” and by “the broth,” as also by “the kid of the goats,” and by “the fire;” for all and each of these things were representative and significative.

[7] From the signification of “a rock,” as being faith, it can also be known what is meant by Moses being put in an opening of the rock when he was to see Jehovah (Exodus 33:20-23); for by “an opening of a rock” is signified obscurity of faith. That the rock in Horeb from which came the waters signified the Lord, is known in the churches; but that it signifies the Lord as to faith, and also that it signifies faith from the Lord, has now been shown. The like to what is signified by “the rock in Horeb” is also signified by these words in Isaiah:

Say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed His servant Jacob, then shall he not thirst, He shall lead them in the wastes, He shall make the waters flow out of the rock for them, while He shall cleave the rock that the waters may flow out (Isaiah 48:20-21).

That water was not given to the people from any other rock than that in Horeb, is because by “Horeb” is signified the Divine Law; that the Divine Law is signified by “Horeb,” is because the Law was there promulgated; and faith which is from the Lord is from the Divine Law, that is, from the Word; for through this the Lord teaches what faith is, and also gives faith.