9349. In chapters 20-23, the laws, judgments, and statutes, that were promulgated from Mount Sinai, have been treated of, and it has been shown what they contain in the internal sense, thus how they are perceived in heaven; namely, not according to the literal sense, but according to the spiritual sense, which is not apparent in the letter, but still is within it. One who does not know how this is, may indeed suppose that the Word as to its literal sense is thus annihilated, because in heaven no attention is paid to it. But be it known that the literal sense of the Word is by no means thereby annihilated; but is indeed rather confirmed; and that each word has weight, and is holy, from the spiritual sense which is within; because the literal sense is the basis and support on which the spiritual sense rests, and with which it coheres in the closest conjunction, insomuch that there is not even a jot or point, or a little horn, in the letter of the Word, which does not contain within it the holy Divine; according to the words of the Lord in Matthew:

Verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one little horn shall not pass away from the law, till all things be done (Matthew 5:18);

It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one point in the law to fail (Luke 16:17).

(That “the law” denotes the Word, see n. 6752, 7463.)

[2] Therefore also it has come to pass through the Divine providence of the Lord, that the Word, especially the Word of the Old Testament, has been preserved in respect to every jot and point from the time when it was written. It has also been shown from heaven, that in the Word not only every expression, but also every syllable, and what seems incredible, every little horn of a syllable in the original tongue infolds in it something holy, which becomes perceptible to the angels of the inmost heaven. That this is the case I am able to affirm; but I know that it transcends belief. From this it is evident that the outward rituals of the church, which represented the Lord and the internal things of heaven and the church that are from the Lord, and which are treated of in the Word of the Old Testament, have indeed been for the most part abrogated, but that the Word nevertheless remains in its Divine sanctity; because, as before said, each and all things therein still infold holy Divine things, which are perceived in heaven while the Word is being read; for in every detail there is a holy internal which is its internal sense; that is, its heavenly and Divine sense. This sense is the soul of the Word, and it is truth Divine itself proceeding from the Lord; thus it is the Lord Himself.

[3] From all this it can be seen how the case is with the laws, judgments, and statutes promulgated by the Lord from Mount Sinai, and which are contained in chapters 20-23, which have been explained; namely, that each and all things therein are holy because they are holy in their internal form; but that nevertheless some of them have been abrogated in respect to present use where the church is, which is an internal church. Some of them however are of such a nature that they may serve a use if one so pleases; and some of them are to be altogether observed and done. And yet those which have been abrogated in respect to use where the church is, and those which may serve a use if one so pleases, and also those which are to be altogether observed and done, are equally holy in their holy internal; for in its bosom the whole Word is Divine. This holy internal is that which the internal sense teaches, and is the same as the internal things of the Christian Church, which the doctrine of charity and faith teaches.

[4] In order that what has been said may be placed within the apprehension, let us take for illustration the laws, judgments, and statutes treated of in the aforesaid chapters. Those which are to be altogether observed and done are those contained in Exodus 20:3-5, 7-8, 12-17, 23; in Exodus 21:12, 14-15, 20; in Exodus 22:18-20, 28; and in Exodus 23:1-3, 6-8, 24-25, 32. Those which may serve a use if one so pleases, are such as are contained in Exodus 20:10; in Exodus 21:18-19, 22-25, 33-36; in Exodus 22:1-14, 17, 21-23, 25-27, 31; and in Exodus 23:4-5, 9, 12-16, 33. And those which have been abrogated in respect to present use where the church is, are contained in Exodus 20:24-26; 21:2-11, 16, 21, 26-29, 31-32; in Exodus 22:15, 29-30; and in Exodus 23:10-11, 17-19. But, as before said, both the latter and the former are equally holy, that is, are equally the Divine Word.

1322. That they hear not a man the lip of his fellow. That this signifies that all are at variance, or that the one is against the other, is evident from the words themselves. “Not to hear one another’s lip,” is not to acknowledge what another says, and in the internal sense not to acknowledge what another teaches, that is, his doctrine, for “lip” is doctrine, as has been shown above (at verse 1). They acknowledge it indeed with the mouth, but not with the heart; but agreement with the mouth is nothing when there is disagreement of the heart. The case in this respect is the same as it is with evil spirits in the other life, who, in like manner as the good, are distinguished into societies, but are kept conjoined together by being attached by the like phantasies and cupidities, so that they act as a one in persecuting truths and goods. Thus there is a certain common interest by which they are held together; but as soon as this common bond is dissolved, they rush one upon another, and then their delight consists in tormenting their associate or associates. The case is similar with such doctrine and worship in this world; those in it acknowledge what pertains to doctrine and ritual harmoniously enough; but the common interest that holds them together is the worship of self; and so far as they can share in this common interest, they acknowledge; but so far as they cannot share or hope to share in it, they are disunited; for the reason given just above, that no one of this character possesses any truth, but everyone has falsity in the place of truth, and evil in the place of good. This therefore is what is signified by their “not hearing a man the lip of his fellow.”