4736. Cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness. That this signifies that they should conceal it meanwhile among their falsities, that is, that they should regard it as false, but still retain it because it was of importance to the church, is evident from the signification of a “pit,” as being falsities (see n. 4728); and from the signification of a “wilderness,” as being where there is no truth. For the word “wilderness” has a wide signification, it means where the land is uninhabited, and thus not cultivated; and when predicated of the church, it denotes where there is no good, and consequently no truth (n. 2708, 3900). Thus by a “pit in the wilderness” are here meant falsities in which there is no truth, because no good. It is said in which there is no truth because no good; for when anyone believes that faith saves without works, truth may indeed exist, but still it is not truth in him, because it does not look to good, nor is it from good. This truth is not alive, because it has in it a principle of falsity, consequently with anyone who has such truth, the truth is but falsity from the principle which rules in it. The principle is like the soul, from which the rest have their life. On the other hand there are falsities which are accepted as truths, when there is good in them, especially if it is the good of innocence, as with the Gentiles and also with many within the church.

9667. 'And you shall overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings from gold, houses for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold' means a representative sign of the good from which and through which everything derives its existence. This is clear from the meaning of 'overlaying with gold' and 'making from gold' as a representative sign of good, dealt with in 9510, in addition to which good that lends support is meant by 'boards', 9634, good and truth joined together by 'rings', 9493, 9495, and the power of truth from good by 'bars' or 'poles', 9496. The reason why everything should derive its existence from and through the good is that everything throughout creation has connection with good and with truth, and good is that from which truth and so from which everything derives its existence. And good has its origin in the Divine Himself. The Lord's Divine Love constitutes Divine Good; for all good belongs to love. Divine Love itself and so Divine Good is Being itself (ipsum Esse), which is called Jehovah and also the Lord, and the Manifestation (Existere) of that Being is Truth. From all this it may be seen that everything derives its existence from good.