8707. 'And make known to them the way in which they must go' means the light of intelligence and the life led as a result of it. This is clear from the meaning of 'the way' as that which has reference to the understanding of truth, dealt with in 627, 2333, in this instance on a more internal level since it has reference to the understanding of truth which a member of the spiritual Church possesses as a result of the direct influx of truth from the Lord, an influx which does not bring a person any actual discernment of truth, only the light that enables him to use his understanding (the situation with this light is as it is with the light which the sight of the eye depends on. In order that the eye may see objects light is necessary, providing illumination all around; in this light the eye sees and discerns objects, and is struck by their beauty and delightfulness because of their accord with true order. The situation is similar with the sight of the inner eye which is the understanding, in order that this may see, light is again necessary, providing illumination all around, in which objects that are matters of intelligence and wisdom may manifest themselves. The source of this light is Divine Truth which goes forth directly from the Lord, see 8644 (end); and objects in that light appear beautiful and delightful to the extent that they accord with the good anyone possesses); and from the meaning of 'in which (light) they must go' as the life led as a result. For the meaning of 'going' in the internal sense as life, see 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605, 8417, 8420.
Exodus 18
1
Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, how that Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, received Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
3
and her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom, for Moses said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land".
4
The name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my help and delivered me from Pharaoh's sword."
5
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.
6
He said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, have come to you with your wife, and her two sons with her."
7
Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent.
8
Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how Yahweh delivered them.
9
Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Yahweh had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
10
Jethro said, "Blessed be Yahweh, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
11
Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods because of the thing in which they dealt arrogantly against them."
12
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all of the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.
13
It happened on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.
14
When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, "What is this thing that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?"
15
Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
16
When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws."
17
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
18
You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to perform it yourself alone.
19
Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You represent the people before God, and bring the causes to God.
20
You shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do.
21
Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
22
Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.
23
If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all of these people also will go to their place in peace."
24
So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.
25
Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
26
They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard causes to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
27
Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.
Arcana Coelestia #2333
2333. 'And in the morning you may rise up and go your way' means being strengthened in this way in good and truth. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'rising up in the morning', and also from the meaning of 'going on one's way'. In the Word 'the morning' means the Lord's kingdom and whatever belongs to the Lord's kingdom, and so primarily the good that flows from love and charity. This will be confirmed from the Word at verse 15. 'Way' however means truth, see 627. From this it follows that after they had been in his house and spent the night there, which meant that they dwelt in the good of charity with him, 'they rose up in the morning and went their way', which means that in this way they were confirmed in good and truth.
[2] These phrases, as do all the rest, show how far removed the internal sense is from the sense of the letter and therefore how hidden from view it is, especially in the historical parts of the Word. They show that this sense is not discernible unless individual expressions are explained according to the meaning they have all through the Word. Consequently when ideas are confined to the sense of the letter, the internal sense is seen as something altogether dark and obscure. Conversely when ideas are confined to the internal sense, the sense of the letter in a similar way is seen as something obscure. Indeed angels see it as nothing, for angels no longer have worldly and bodily ideas as man does, but spiritual and celestial ones, into which the expressions of the sense of the letter are marvellously converted when the Word which man is reading rises up to the sphere in which angels dwell, that is, up to heaven. This happens because of the correspondence of spiritual things with worldly, and of celestial with bodily, a correspondence which is absolutely consistent but whose nature has not been disclosed until now in the explanation of expressions, names, and numbers in the Word as to their internal sense.
[3] So that the nature of that correspondence may be known, or what amounts to the same, how worldly and bodily ideas pass over into corresponding spiritual and celestial ideas when they are raised towards heaven, let 'the morning' and 'way' be taken as examples: When a person reads of 'the morning', as in the phrase here 'rising up in the morning', angels do not conceive the idea of the start to a new day but the idea which 'morning' has in the spiritual sense. The idea they conceive is similar to the statement in Samuel,
The Rock of Israel . . . He is like morning light, when the sun rises on a cloudless morning. 2 Samuel 23:3-4.
And in Daniel,
The Holy One said to me, Up to the evening when it is becoming morning, two thousand three hundred times. Daniel 8:14, 26.
Thus instead of 'the morning' angels perceive the Lord, or His kingdom, or celestial things of love and charity. This they do varyingly according to the train of thought in the Word which a person is reading.
[4] Similarly where a person reads of 'a way', as in 'going on your way' here, they cannot have any idea of a way, but a spiritual or a celestial idea, that is to say, like that in John, when the Lord said,
I am the way and the truth. John 14:6.
Also the idea in David,
Make Your ways known to me, O Jehovah, guide my way in truth. Psalms 25:4-5.
And in Isaiah,
He made him know the way of understanding. Isaiah 40:14.
Thus instead of 'a way' angels perceive truth. They do so in the historical as well as the prophetical sections of the Word; in fact angels no longer have any interest in matters of history as these are not at all in keeping with the ideas they have. Consequently in place of historical details they perceive such things as belong to the Lord and His kingdom, which also follow on one after another in marvellous array and perfect sequence in the internal sense. For this reason, so that the Word may serve angels as well, all historical details there are representative, and each expression serves to mean such things. This special feature is what makes the Word different from all other literature.
