8832. 'And also the priests coming near Jehovah must sanctify themselves' means that those governed by spiritual good, which has the Divine within it, are to be covered over. This is clear from the meaning of 'the priests' as good, dealt with in 1728, 2015 (end), 6148, at this point spiritual good since the children of Israel, whose priests they were, represented those belonging to the spiritual Church, and so those governed by good coming through truth and guided by truth springing from good, 7957, 8234; from the meaning of 'going near Jehovah' - said in reference to 'the priests', by whom good is meant - as having the Divine within it; and from the meaning of 'being sanctified' as having one's interiors covered over, dealt with in 8788, 8806.

1728. 'And he was a priest' means the holiness of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'a priest' in the Word. Two special ways in which the Lord is characterized are as King and as Priest. A king or the office of king means holy truth, and a priest or the office of priest means holy good. The former is the Divine Spiritual, the latter the Divine Celestial. As King the Lord governs every single thing in the universe from Divine Truth; but as Priest He does so from Divine Good. Divine Truth is the order itself of His kingdom existing everywhere, all the laws of which are truths, or eternal verities. Divine Good is the very essential of order, every aspect of which is an expression of mercy. Both of these - Divine Good and Divine Truth - are attributed to the Lord. If solely Divine Truth were His, no mortal man could be saved, for truths condemn everyone to hell. But Divine Good, which is the essence of mercy, raises people up from hell towards heaven. Divine Truth and Divine Good are what kings and priests in the Jewish Church represented; and Melchizedek as king of Salem and priest to God Most High represented them too.