2669. 'Also, the son of the servant-girl I will make into a nation' means the spiritual Church which was to receive the good of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'the son of the servant-girl' and also of 'a nation'. 'The son of the servant-girl' or Ishmael, while he was in Abraham's house, that is, while he was with Abraham, represented the Lord's first rational, as shown in 2652, 2653, 2657, 2658. But now he has been separated he takes on another representation, namely that of the spiritual Church, 2666. A similar change of representation occurred previously with Lot who while with Abraham represented the Lord's external man, 1428, 1429, 1434, 1547, 1597, 1598, 1698, but once he had been separated from Abraham he represented the external Church and many states of that Church, 2324, 2371, 2399, 2422, 2459, and in the whole of Chapter 19. As regards 'nation' meaning good, see 1159, 1258-1260, 1416, 1849. Here the good of faith is meant since it has reference to the spiritual Church. Hence the words used here, 'Also, the son of the servant-girl I will make into a nation', mean the spiritual Church which was to receive the good of faith, which is charity.

[2] The Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth is celestial and spiritual, and therefore angels are distinguished into those who are celestial and those who are spiritual, see 202, 337. To celestial angels the Lord appears as the Sun, to spiritual as the Moon, 1053, 1521, 1529-1531. Men in a similar way are distinguished into those who are celestial and those who are spiritual. Those who belonged to the Most Ancient Church which existed before the Flood were celestial, dealt with in 607, 608, 784, 895, 920, 1114-1125, while those who belonged to the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood were spiritual, dealt with in 609, 640, 641, 765. For what the difference was between those two Churches, see 567, 607, and for what the difference is between what is celestial and what is spiritual, 81, 1155, 1577, 1824, 2048, 2069, 2088, 2227, 2507. The celestial are referred to by the Lord in the following,

He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. And when He has led out His own sheep He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.

The spiritual however are referred to in these words,

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. John 10:3-4, 16.

The good of love is that which constitutes the celestial Church, but the good of faith that which constitutes the spiritual Church. The truth of faith does not constitute the Church but leads into it.

2658. 'For the son of this servant-girl shall not inherit together with my son, with Isaac' means that the merely human rational could not possess the same life as the Divine Rational itself, neither as to truth nor as to good. This is clear from the meaning of 'inheriting' as possessing the life of another, to be dealt with immediately below; from the meaning of 'the son of a servant-girl' as the merely human rational as to truth and as to good, dealt with in 2657; and from the meaning of 'my son, Isaac' as the Divine Rational as to truth, meant by 'my son', and as to good, meant by 'Isaac', dealt with in 2623, 2630. That 'Isaac' is the Divine Rational as to good is clear from verses 6-7 (in 2640, 2641, 2643) - from the meaning of 'laughter', from which he was named, as the affection for truth, or good that flows from truth. From this it is evident that 'the son of this servant-girl shall not inherit together with my son, with Isaac' means that the merely human rational cannot possess the same life as the Divine Rational, neither as to truth nor as to good. Its inability to possess the same life is clear from the single consideration that the Divine is life itself, and this being so possesses life within Itself, whereas the merely human is only an organ for life and that being so does not possess life in itself.

[2] Once it had become Divine the Lord's Human was no longer an organ or recipient of life; it was now Life itself, the same as that of Jehovah Himself. It had this life at the start from its very conception from Jehovah, as is plainly evident from the Lord's own words in John,

As the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. John 5:26.

The Divine Human is what is called 'the Son', 1729, 2159, 2628. In the same gospel,

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:4.

In the same gospel,

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6.

In the same gospel,

Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, though he die, will live. John 11:25.

In the same gospel,

The bread of God is that which ¹ comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. John 6:33.

Man however is not life but an organ or recipient of it, see 2021, and in various places elsewhere. From this it may be evident that when the Lord was made Jehovah even as to the Human, that which was not life in itself, that is, the merely human, was banished. This is the meaning of the statement that the son of a servant-girl could not inherit together with the son Isaac.

[3] When 'inheriting' in the internal sense has reference to the Lord it means possessing the Father's life, and so possessing life within Himself; and when it has reference to men it means possessing the Lord's life, that is, receiving life from the Lord. This is clear from many places in the Word. Possessing life in Himself is the very Being (Esse) of life, which is Jehovah, whereas possessing the Lord's life, or receiving life from the Lord, is accepting the Lord in love and faith. And because such persons abide in the Lord and are the Lord's they are called His heirs and sons.

[4] In the Old Testament Word 'inheritance' is used to refer both to what is celestial, or good, and to what is spiritual, or truth, though what is celestial is expressed by one word, what is spiritual by another. The first word may be rendered as 'possessing by inheritance', but the second as 'inheriting'. In the original language the first word also implies possession, but the second a derivation from such possession, in the way that celestial and spiritual are related to each other, or good and truth are related. In the present verse, where 'Isaac' represents the Lord's Divine Rational or Divine Human, the word describing possession by right of inheritance is used, for the Lord's Divine Human is sole heir and possessor, as He also teaches in the parable recorded in Matthew 21:33, 37-38; Mark 12:7; Luke 20:14; and in various places declares that all that is the Father's is His.

[5] When 'possessing by inheritance' and 'inheriting' in the Word have reference to men, they mean receiving life from the Lord, and therefore receiving eternal life or heaven, for only those who receive the Lord's life receive heaven. This is clear in John,

He who overcomes will receive all things by inheritance, and I will be his God and he will be My Son. Revelation 21:7.

In Matthew,

Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters for My name's sake will receive a hundredfold and will be allotted the inheritance of eternal life. Matthew 19:29; 25:43; Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18.

Here heaven is called 'eternal life', elsewhere simply 'life', as in Matthew 18:8-9; 19:17; John 3:36; 5:24, 29, the reason being that the Lord is life itself, and anyone who receives His life is in heaven.

[6] In David,

God will save Zion and will build the cities of Judah; and they will dwell there and possess it by inheritance; and the seed of His servants will inherit it, and those loving His name will dwell in it. Psalms 69:35-36.

Here 'possessing by inheritance' has reference to those in whom celestial love exists, 'inheriting' to those in whom spiritual love exists. In Isaiah,

He who trusts in Me will inherit the land, and will possess by inheritance My holy mountain. Isaiah 57:13.

Here the meaning is similar.

[7] In Moses,

I will bring you to the land over which I lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a hereditary possession. Exodus 6:8.

In the sense of the letter these words mean that the land of Canaan was to be granted to them as a hereditary possession, which did in fact happen. But in the internal sense they mean that heaven was to be granted to those in whom love to and faith in the Lord were present, for as the Lord is represented by 'Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob' so are love itself and faith itself meant by them, and consequently people in whom love and faith are present, and who accordingly abide in the Lord. These are also meant by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with whom many will recline at table in the kingdom of heaven, in Matthew 8:11; for those who are in heaven are completely unaware of Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, and know only of what is represented and meant by them. And the same goes for 'reclining at table (or eating) with them'. For all names mentioned in the Word mean real things, see 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888, and the land of Canaan means the heavenly Canaan or heaven, 1585, 1607, 1866, which is also referred to simply as 'the land', 1413, 1607, 1733, 2571. So too in Matthew,

Blessed are the meek, for they will receive the inheritance of the land. Matthew 5:5.

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