873. Verse 9 And the dove found no rest for the sole of its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were over the face' of the whole earth. And he put out his hand, and took hold of it, and brought it in to himself into the ark.

'The dove found no rest for the sole of its foot' means that no good and truth of faith at all had as yet been able to take root. 'It returned to him to the ark' means good and truth appearing to be the good and truth of faith with him. 'For the waters were over the face ¹ of the earth' means that falsities were still there to overflowing. '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.

Fusnotat:

9356. In this way the truth that God had become Man could be made plain, this being the first and most essential truth for the sake of which the Word exists. For nobody can believe in and love a God whom they cannot picture in some shape or form. Those therefore who acknowledge something they cannot picture lower their thinking to the natural order and so believe in what is not God, see 7211, 9303, 9315. Therefore the Lord was pleased to be born on our planet and to make this plain through the Word, not only in order that people might know it on earth but also in order that it might be made plain to all throughout the universe who enter heaven from any planet whatever. For in heaven all come in contact with others.