48
네가 그들의 행위대로만 행치 아니하며 그 가증한대로만 행치 아니하고 그것을 적게 여겨서 네 모든 행위가 그보다 더욱 부패하였도다
이사야서 57
1
의인이 죽을지라도 마음에 두는 자가 없고 자비한 자들이 취하여감을 입을지라도 그 의인은 화액 전에 취하여 감을 입은 것인 줄로 깨닫는 자가 없도다
2
그는 평안에 들어갔나니 무릇 정로로 행하는 자는 자기들의 침상에서 편히 쉬느니라
3
무녀의 자식, 간음자와 음녀의 씨 너희는 가까이 오라
4
너희가 누구를 희롱하느냐 누구를 향하여 입을 크게 벌리며 혀를 내미느냐 너희는 패역의 자식, 궤휼의 종류가 아니냐
5
너희가 상수리나무 사이 모든 푸른 나무 아래서 음욕을 피우며 골짜기 가운데 바위 틈에서 자녀를 죽이는도다
6
골짜기 가운데 매끄러운 돌 중에 너희 소득이 있으니 그것이 곧 너희가 제비 뽑아 얻은 것이라 너희가 전제와 예물을 그것들에게 드리니 내가 어찌 이를 용인하겠느냐
7
네가 높고 높은 산 위에 침상을 베풀었고 네가 또 그리로 올라가서 제사를 드렸으며
8
네가 또 네 기념표를 문과 문설주 뒤에 두었으며 네가 나를 배반하고 다른 자를 위하여 몸을 드러내고 올라가며 네 침상을 넓히고 그들과 언약하며 또 그들의 침상을 사랑하여 그 처소를 예비하였으며
9
네가 기름을 가지고 몰렉에게 나아가되 향품을 더욱 더하였으며 네가 또 사신을 원방에 보내고 음부까지 스스로 낮추었으며
10
네가 길이 멀어서 피곤할지라도 헛되다 아니함은 네 힘이 소성 되었으므로 쇠약하여 가지 아니함이니라
11
네가 누구를 두려워하며 누구로하여 놀랐기에 거짓을 말하며 나를 생각지 아니하며 이를 마음에 두지 아니하였느냐 네가 나를 경외치 아니함은 내가 오래동안 잠잠함을 인함이 아니냐
12
너의 의를 내가 보이리라 너의 소위가 네게 무익하니라
13
네가 부르짖을 때에 네가 모은 우상으로 너를 구원하게 하라 그것은 다 바람에 떠 가겠고 기운에 불려갈 것이로되 나를 의뢰하는 자는 땅을 차지하겠고 나의 거룩한 산을 기업으로 얻으리라
14
장차 말하기를 돋우고 돋우어 길을 수축하여 내 백성의 길에서 거치는 것을 제하여 버리라 하리라
15
지존무상하며 영원히 거하며 거룩하다 이름하는 자가 이같이 말씀하시되 내가 높고 거룩한 곳에 거하며 또한 통회하고 마음이 겸손한 자의 영을 소성케 하려 함이라
16
내가 영원히는 다투지 아니하며 내가 장구히는 노하지 아니할 것은 나의 지은 그 영과 혼이 내 앞에서 곤비할까 함이니라
17
그의 탐심의 죄악을 인하여 내가 노하여 그를 쳤으며 또 내 얼굴을 가리우고 노하였으나 그가 오히려 패역하여 자기 마음의 길로 행하도다
18
내가 그 길을 보았은즉 그를 고쳐 줄 것이라 그를 인도하며 그와 그의 슬퍼하는 자에게 위로를 다시 얻게 하리라
19
입술의 열매를 짓는 나 여호와가 말하노라 먼 데 있는 자에게든지 가까운 데 있는 자에게든지 평강이 있을지어다 평강이 있을지어다 내가 그를 고치리라 하셨느니라
20
오직 악인은 능히 안정치 못하고 그 물이 진흙과 더러운 것을 늘 솟쳐내는 요동하는 바다와 같으니라
21
내 하나님의 말씀에 악인에게는 평강이 없다 하셨느니라
Arcana Coelestia # 10177
10177. 'And you shall make an altar for burning incense' means that which is representative of the Lord, of His hearing and receiving with pleasure everything of worship that springs from love and charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'an altar for burning incense' as that which is representative of such things of worship as are raised up to the Lord. The fact that they are things springing from love and charity will be evident from what follows below. 'An altar' has the same meaning as whatever is placed on it; and this is so because the altar is that which contains and whatever is placed on it is the contents, and container and contents make a single unit, like a table and the bread that is on it or a cup and the wine that is in it.
[2] The reason why an altar and not a table was made for burning incense was that among the Israelite nation altars were the chief representative signs of worship springing from love. For fire burned on them, and 'fire' means the love and charity from which worship springs. Regarding altars, that they were the chief representative signs of worship, see 4192, 4541, 8623, 8935, 8940, 9714.
[3] The reason why the altar of incense represented the hearing and receiving of everything of worship that springs from love and charity was that the creation of the cloud of smoke was a sign of that which is raised up on high, and the odour of the smoke was a sign of that which is pleasing, consequently of that which is heard and received by the Lord. And what springs from love and charity, this alone is pleasing to and received by the Lord. This also explains why that altar was overlaid with gold and was called the golden altar; for 'gold' means the good of love and charity, see the places referred to in 9874, and what has been stated in 9874, 9881.
[4] The reason why that alone which springs from love and charity is pleasing to the Lord, and is therefore heard and received by Him, is that love constitutes all that a person is; for a person is such as his love is. This explains why angels in heaven live as embodiments of love and charity. To them the form of love and charity is the human form, because the Lord, who is within them and gives them form, is - as to His Divine Human - Divine Love itself. From their faces therefore, from their speech, from their gestures, and especially from the spheres of their affections which flow out of them to a long way off, one can perceive clearly what kinds of love reign in them.
[5] And since love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour originate in the Lord, and since love is a spiritual bonding, whatever emanates from these is heard and received by the Lord. Any holy and religious respect paid to Him that does not spring from them is indeed heard but it is not received with pleasure. It is a hypocritical holiness and respect, something merely outward, devoid of anything inward. Outward holiness devoid of anything inward reaches no further than the outskirts of heaven and dwindles away there. But outward holiness springing from inward reaches right on into heaven, according to the essential nature of that inward holiness, thus reaches towards the Lord. For outward holiness devoid of that inward holiness is a product solely of the lips and movements of the body, whereas outward holiness springing from inward comes at the same time from the heart. Regarding these two kinds of holiness, see what has been stated and shown in 8252-8257.
[6] In the tent of meeting outside the veil there was the table on which the loaves of the presence were laid, also the lampstand with its lamps, and the altar of incense. The loaves of the presence represented love to the Lord, the lamps of the lampstand represented charity and faith, and the incense on the altar represented worship springing from them, which is why it was burned every morning and every evening, when the lamps were 'adorned'. From this as well it is evident that the burning of incense represented worship of the Lord which springs from love and charity. The actual tent in which those objects resided represented heaven, where all worship is such. The loaves represented celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, see 9545; the lampstand represented spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbour and the good of faith, 9548-9561; and the tent represented heaven, 9457, 9481, 9485, 9784, 9963.
[7] When the word 'worship' is used the holiness which is expressed by means of prayers, adorations, thanksgivings, and similar acts of devotion that emanate from inward feelings of love and charity should be understood. These constituents of worship are what should be understood by 'the burning of incense', as may be recognized from the following places: In David,
My prayers are acceptable, [as] incense before You. Psalms 141:2.
In John,
The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 5:8.
In the same book,
An angel holding a golden censer ... And much incense was given to him, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. The smoke of the incense went up from the prayers of the saints. Revelation 8:3-4.
[8] Since incense was a sign of worship and of its being raised up, thus of its being heard and received by the Lord, Moses commanded [those who rebelled against him] to take censers with incense in them, and to burn it before Jehovah, in order that they might consequently know whom Jehovah would choose, thus whom He would hear, Numbers 16:1ff. And when the people grumbled Aaron ran with incense, into the midst of the congregation, when a plague began, and in so doing stopped it, Numbers 16:46-48. In Malachi,
From the rising of the sun even to its setting Jehovah's name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense has been offered to My name, and a pure minchah. Malachi 1:11.
'A pure minchah' is added because the good of love is meant by it, 10137. In Moses,
The sons of Levi will teach Jacob [Your] judgements and Israel Your law. They will put incense in Your nose, and burnt offering on Your altar. Deuteronomy 33:10.
The expression 'putting incense in the nose' is used because perception is meant by 'the nostrils', 4624-4634. 'Burnt offering' is added here because by this too that which springs from the good of love is meant.
[9] But in the contrary sense 'burning incense' means worship springing from contrary loves, namely self-love and love of the world, for example burning incense to other gods, Jeremiah 1:16; 44:3, 5; burning incense to idols, Ezekiel 8:11; 16:18; and burning incense to the baalim, Hosea 2:13.
[10] Because the burning of incense served to mean such things as rise upwards to and are accepted with pleasure by the Divine it was also one of the religious practices among gentiles. The use of frankincense, censers, and incense-boxes by the Romans and other nations is well known from historical evidence. That kind of religious practice was derived from the Ancient Church, which was spread through many regions of Asia, such as Syria, Arabia, Babylon, Egypt, and Canaan. That Church had been a representative Church, thus a Church consisting in outward forms that represented inner realities, that is, celestial and spiritual things. A large number of religious practices, one of which was the burning of incense, were passed on from that Church to surrounding nations, and from these through Greece into Italy. Another practice like this was the care of the perpetual fire entrusted to chaste virgins whom they called the Vestal Virgins.
[11] The incense that was burned in the Ancient Church, and consequently in the Israelite Church, was prepared from fragrant substances, such as stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense, because perception was meant by an odour, and delightful perception by a fragrant odour, see 925, 1514, 1517-1519, 3577, 4624-4634, 4748, 10054. But 'frankincense' in particular means the truth of faith, and therefore when frankincense is mentioned in the Word oil, bread, minchah, or else gold, by which the good of love is meant, is linked with it, as in Isaiah,
All those from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will proclaim the praises of Jehovah. Isaiah 60:6.
Similarly those who came from the east, in Matthew,
Wise men from the east came, seeking the Lord who had then been born ... opening their treasures; and they presented gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:1-2, 11.
In the Word those who were from the east and were called 'sons of the east' mean people who possessed the cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth, see 3249, 3762. 'Sheba' has the same meaning, 1171, 3240. And for the meaning of 'gold' as the good of love, see the places referred to in 9874 or 9881.
[12] In Jeremiah,
They will bring burnt offering and sacrifice, and minchah, and frankincense. Jeremiah 17:26.
'Minchah' in like manner means the good of love, 9992, 10137. From all this it is evident that in the Word 'frankincense' means truth that composes faith; for where good is spoken of in the Word, so too is truth, on account of the heavenly marriage, which is that of goodness and truth, in every single part of it, see the places referred to in 9263[end], 9314. For the same reason also oil as well as frankincense was placed on a minchah, Leviticus 2:1-2, 15, though not on a minchah required for a sin offering, Leviticus 5:11, nor on a minchah for jealousy, Numbers 5:15. The reason why they were not placed on these minchahs was that such minchahs were presented for expiation from evils, and as long as a person is at the stage of expiation he cannot receive the good of love or truth of faith, because evils stand in the way. It is different after they have been expiated or removed.
[13] The good of love cannot be imparted to anyone unless at the same time the truth of faith is as well. For good brings truth into being, and in that truth it acquires a particular quality and receives an outward form. This was why every minchah had frankincense on it, as did the loaves of the presence which were laid on the table in the tent of meeting, Leviticus 24:7, the good of love being meant by 'loaves', 3478, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 8410, 9323, 9545, 10040, 10137.
