4299. Omdat ik God van aangezichten tot aangezichten heb gezien en mijn ziel bevrijd is geweest; dat dit betekent dat Hij de zwaarste verzoekingen doorstond, alsof zij uit het Goddelijke waren, staat vast uit de betekenis van ‘God zien’, namelijk de toenadering tot Hem door de innerlijke dingen, namelijk door de goede en ware dingen, vandaar de tegenwoordigheid, zie nr. 4198 en uit de betekenis van de aangezichten, nrs. 1999, 2434, 3527, 3573, 4066;

en dus het denken en de aandoeningen, want deze beide zijn de innerlijke dingen, omdat zij van de ziel en van het gemoed zijn en zich in het aangezicht openbaren; en uit de betekenis van ‘mijn ziel is bevrijd geweest’ namelijk doorstaan, namelijk de Goddelijke tegenwoordigheid. Dat door al die dingen wordt aangeduid dat Hij de zwaarste verzoekingen doorstond alsof zij uit het Goddelijke waren, kan nergens anders vandaan blijken dan uit de naastgelegen en de verderaf gelegen oorzaken van de verzoekingen; de naastgelegen oorzaken zijn de boze en valse dingen bij de mens, die hem in verzoekingen leiden, dus de boze geesten en genieën die ze ingieten, nr. 4249; toch kan niemand verzocht worden, dat wil zeggen, enige geestelijke verzoeking ondergaan, dan alleen degene die een geweten heeft, want de geestelijke verzoeking is niets anders dan een marteling van het geweten; dus kunnen geen anderen verzocht worden dan zij die in het hemels en geestelijk goede zijn, want dezen hebben een geweten; de overigen hebben het niet en weten zelfs niet eens wat een geweten is; het geweten is de nieuwe wil en het nieuwe verstand uit de Heer; en dus is het de tegenwoordigheid van de Heer bij de mens en deze tegenwoordigheid is des te dichter nabij, hoe meer de mens in de aandoening van het goede of van het ware is; indien de tegenwoordigheid van de Heer dichter nabij is dan de mens naar verhouding in de aandoening van het goede of het ware is, dan komt de mens in verzoeking; de oorzaak hiervan is dat de boze en valse dingen die bij de mens zijn, die getemperd zijn met de goede en ware dingen bij hem, de nadere tegenwoordigheid niet kunnen doorstaan; dit kan vaststaan uit wat in het andere leven bestaat, namelijk dat de boze geesten geenszins enig hemels gezelschap kunnen naderen of zij beginnen angstig en gemarteld te worden; verder dat de boze geesten het niet verdragen dat de engelen hen onderzoeken, want zij worden terstond gemarteld en vallen in onmacht; en eveneens hieruit dat de hel van de hemel is verwijderd, met als oorzaak dat de hel de hemel niet verdraagt, dat wil zeggen, de tegenwoordigheid van de Heer die in de hemel is; vandaar komt het, dat in het Woord van hen gezegd wordt:

‘Dan zullen zij aanvangen te zeggen tot de bergen: Valt op ons en tot de heuvelen; Verbergt ons’, (Lukas 23:30);

en elders:

‘Zij zullen tot de bergen en tot de steenrotsen zeggen: Stort over ons en verbergt ons van het aangezicht van Degene die op de troon zit’, (Openbaring 6:16);

ook verschijnt de nevelachtige en duistere sfeer die uitwasemt van de boze en valse dingen van degenen die in de hel zijn, in de gedaante van een berg of een steenrots, waaronder zij verborgen worden, zie de nrs. 1265, 1267, 1270. Hieruit nu kan men weten dat ‘ik heb God van aangezichten tot aangezichten gezien en mijn ziel is bevrijd geweest’ de zwaarste verzoekingen betekent, alsof die uit het Goddelijke waren. De verzoekingen en de martelingen verschijnen alsof zij uit het Goddelijke waren, omdat ze, zoals gezegd, door de Goddelijke tegenwoordigheid van de Heer ontstaan, toch zijn ze niet vanuit het Goddelijke of uit de Heer, maar uit de boze en valse dingen die bij degene zijn die verzocht of gemarteld wordt; uit de Heer immers gaat niet dan het heilige, goede, ware en barmhartige voort; het is dit heilige, namelijk het goede, het ware en het barmhartige, dat diegenen die in de boze en valse dingen zijn, niet kunnen uithouden, omdat die dingen tegenovergesteld of strijdig zijn; de boze dingen, de valse dingen en de onbarmhartigheid streven aanhoudend daarnaar om die heilige dingen te schenden en voor zoveel als zij ze aanvallen voor zoveel worden zij gemarteld; en wanneer zij aanvallen en vandaar gemarteld worden, dan menen zij dat het het Goddelijke is dat hen martelt; dit is het wat wordt verstaan onder ‘alsof zij uit het Goddelijke waren’. Dat niemand Jehovah van aangezicht tot aangezicht kan zien en leven, was aan de Ouden bekend en van daar ging de erkentenis daarover over op de nakomelingen van Jakob; daarom waren zij zozeer verheugd wanneer zij enig engel hadden gezien en toch leefden; zoals in het Boek Richteren:

‘Gideon zag, dat het een engel van Jehovah was; daarom zei Gideon: Heer Jehovah, daarom omdat ik een engel van Jehovah gezien heb van aangezicht tot aangezicht; en Jehovah zei tot hem: Vrede zij u, vrees niet, omdat gij niet sterven zult’, (Richteren 6:22, 23). In hetzelfde Boek:

‘Manoach zei tot zijn echtgenote: Stervende zullen wij sterven, omdat wij God gezien hebben’, (Richteren 13:22);

en bij Mozes:

‘Jehovah zei tot Mozes:

‘Gij zult Mijn aangezichten niet kunnen zien, omdat de mens Mij niet zal zien en leven’, (Exodus 33:20). Dat van Mozes wordt gezegd dat hij met Jehovah sprak van aangezicht tot aangezicht, (Exodus 33:11) en dat ‘Jehovah hem gekend heeft van aangezicht tot aangezicht’, (Deuteronomium 34:10), is omdat Hij hem verscheen in een menselijke vorm die aangepast was aan zijn opneming en die uiterlijk was, namelijk als een oude man met een baard, die bij hem gezeten was, zoals ik door de engelen hierover ben onderricht; vandaar hadden ook de Joden geen andere voorstelling dan zoals van een zeer oud mens met een lange en sneeuwwitte baard, die meer dan de andere goden wonderen kon doen; niet dat Hij de Allerheiligste was, omdat zij niet wisten wat het heilige was; te minder zouden zij ooit het heilige hebben kunnen zien dat uit Hem voortgaat, omdat zij in een lichamelijke en aardse liefde waren, zonder heilig innerlijke, nrs. 4289, 4293.

878. 'He put out his hand' means his own power. 'And he took hold of it, and brought it in to himself into the ark' means that self was the source of the good he did and of the truth he thought. This is clear from the meaning of 'the hand' as power. Here therefore his own power from which he acts is meant. Indeed 'putting out his hand and taking hold of the dove and bringing it in to himself' is attaching and attributing to himself the truth meant by the dove. That 'the hand' means power, and also the exercise of power, and resulting self-confidence, is clear from many places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

I will visit upon the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Asshur, for he has said, By the power of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding. Isaiah 10:12-13.

Here 'hand' clearly stands for his own power to which he attributed what he had done, on account of which visitation was made on him.

[2] In the same prophet,

Moab will stretch out his hands in the midst of him as swimmer does to swim, but He will lay low his pride together with the powerfulness ¹ of his hands. Isaiah 25:11.

'Hands' stands for his own power resulting from projection of self above others, and so from pride. In the same prophet,

Their inhabitants were shorn of power, ² they were dismayed and filled with shame. Isaiah 37:27.

'Shorn of power' ² stands for having no power. In the same prophet,

Will the clay say to its potter, What are you making? or your work [say], He has no hands? Isaiah 45:9.

'He has no hands' stands for no power to it. In Ezekiel,

The king will mourn, and the prince will be wrapped in stupidity, and the hands of the people of the land will be all atremble. Ezekiel 7:17.

Here 'the hands' stands for power. In Micah,

Woe to those devising iniquity and working out evil upon their beds, which they carry out at morning light, and because they make their own hand their god! Micah 2:1.

'Hand' stands for their own power which they trust in as their god. In Zechariah,

Woe to the worthless shepherd deserting the flock! The sword will fall upon his arm and upon his right eye. His arm will be wholly withered, and his right eye utterly darkened. Zechariah 11:17.

[3] Since 'hands' means powers, men's evils and falsities are throughout the Word therefore called 'the works of their hands'. Evils come from the will side of man's proprium, falsities from the understanding side. The fact that this is the source of evils and falsities becomes quite clear from the nature of the human proprium, that it is nothing but evil and falsity. That this is the nature of the proprium see what has been stated already in 39, 41, 141, 150, 154, 210, 215. Because 'the hands' in general means power, the Word therefore frequently attributes hands to Jehovah, or the Lord. And in those contexts 'hands' in the internal sense means omnipotence, as in Isaiah, Jehovah, Your hand has been lifted up. Isaiah 26:11. 'Hand' stands for Divine power. In the same prophet,

Jehovah stretches out ³ His hand, they are all destroyed. Isaiah 31:3.

'Hand' stands for Divine power. In the same prophet,

Over the work of My hands command Me. My hands stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. Isaiah 45:11-12.

'Hands' stands for Divine power. In the Word regenerate people are often called 'the work of Jehovah's hands'. In the same prophet,

My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand measured out the heavens. Isaiah 48:13.

'Hand' and 'right hand' stand for omnipotence.

[4] In the same prophet,

Has My hand been shortened, that it cannot redeem? Is there no power in Me to deliver? Isaiah 50:2.

'Hand' and 'power' stand for Divine power. In Jeremiah,

You did bring Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm. Jeremiah 32:17, 21.

'Power' in verse Jeremiah 32:17 and 'hand' in verse Jeremiah 32:21 stand for Divine power. It is quite often stated that 'they were brought out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm': in Ezekiel,

Thus said the Lord Jehovih, On the day I chose Israel and lifted up My hand to the seed of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I lifted up My hand to them, to lead them out of the land of Egypt. Ezekiel 20:5-6, 23.

In Moses,

Israel saw the great work ⁴ which Jehovah did on the Egyptians. Exodus 14:31.

[5] All these quotations plainly show that 'the hand' means power. Indeed so much was the hand the symbol of power that it also became its representative, as is clear from the miracles performed in Egypt, when Moses was commanded to stretch out his rod or his hand and they were accomplished -

Moses stretched out his hand and there was hail all over Egypt. Exodus 9:22-23.

Moses stretched out his hand and there was darkness. Exodus 10:21-22.

Moses stretched out his hand and rod over the Sea Suph and it was dried up, and he stretched out his hand and it returned. Exodus 14:11, 27. ⁵

No mentally normal person can believe that any power resided in Moses' hand or rod. Rather, because the lifting up and stretching out of the hand symbolized Divine power, that action also became its representative in the Jewish Church.

[6] The same applies to Joshua's stretching out his javelin, described as follows,

Jehovah said, Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand towards Ai, for I will give it into your hand. When Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand, they entered the city and took it. And Joshua did not draw back the hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Joshua 8:18-19, 26.

This also makes clear the nature of the representatives which comprised the external features of the Jewish Church. Consequently the Word is such that details recorded in its external sense do not give the appearance of being representatives of the Lord and His kingdom, such as the reference in these quotations to Moses or Joshua stretching out his hand, and all other details recorded there. In these it is never evident that such things are being represented as long as the mind is fixed solely on the historical details of the letter. From this it is also evident how far the Jews had receded from a true understanding of the Word and of the religious practices of their Church by focusing the whole of their worship purely on things of an external nature, even to the extent of attributing power to Moses' rod and to Joshua's javelin, when in fact these had no more power in them than a piece of wood. Yet because they did symbolize the Lord's omnipotence, which was at the time understood in heaven, signs and miracles were accomplished when by command they stretched out their hand or rod. Something similar happened when Moses on the hilltop held up his hands. When he did so Joshua was winning, but when he dropped them he was losing. So they held his hands up for him. Exodus 17:9-13.

[7] It was similar with the laying on of hands when men were being consecrated, as the people did to the Levites, Numbers 8:9-10, 12, and as Moses did to Joshua when the latter was to succeed him, Numbers 27:18, 23 - the purpose being to confer power. And this is why in our own times the ceremonies of ordination and of blessing are accompanied by the laying on of hands. To what extent the hand meant and represented power becomes clear from the following references in the Word to Uzzah and Jeroboam,

Of Uzzah it says that he reached out (his hand) to the Ark of God and took hold of it, and as a consequence died. 2 Samuel 6:6-7.

'The Ark' represented the Lord, and so everything holy and heavenly. 'Uzzah reached out to the Ark' represented man's own power, which is his proprium. And because the proprium is unholy the word 'hand' is left out but nevertheless understood. It is left out to prevent angels perceiving anything so profane as his touching with his hand that which was holy. And because he 'reached out' he died.

[8] In reference to Jeroboam,

It happened, when he heard the saying of the man of God which he cried out against the altar, that Jeroboam reached out his hand from above the altar saying, Lay hold of him. And his hand which he reached out against him dried up, and he could not draw it back to himself. He said to the man of God, Entreat now the face ⁶ of Jehovah your God, that my hand may be restored to me. And the man of God entreated the face ⁶ of Jehovah and his hand was restored to him, and became as it was before. 1 Kings 13:4-6.

Here similarly 'reaching out his hand' means man's own power, or proprium, which is unholy. He was willing to violate what was holy by stretching out his hand against the man of God, as a consequence of which his hand was dried up. Yet because he was an idolater and therefore not able to profane, as stated already, his hand was restored. The fact that 'the hand' means and represents power becomes clear from representatives in the world of spirits. In that world a bare arm sometimes comes into sight possessing so much strength that it can break bones to bits and crush their inner marrow to nothing at all. It consequently strikes so much terror as to cause heart-failure. It really does possess such strength.

Notas de rodapé: