9209. 'If you lend silver to [My] people, to the needy one with you' means giving instruction to those who have no knowledge of truth and still have a desire to learn it. This is clear from the meaning of 'silver' as truth, dealt with in 1551, 2048, 2954, 5658, 6112, 6914, 6917, 7999, 8932; from the meaning of 'lending' as communicating the good things of heaven in a spirit of charity and affection, dealt with in 9174, thus giving instruction; from the meaning of 'people' as those in possession of truths, in this instance those with no knowledge of truth since the people referred to are 'needy' (for the use of the word 'people' to mean those in possession of truths, see 1259, 1260, 2928, 3295, 3581, 7207); and from the meaning of 'the needy one' as those who have no knowledge of truth and still have a desire to learn it. For they are people in spiritual need and should be given instruction.

[2] The Word talks frequently about aiding the poor and needy. People in possession of external truths who have not yet been brought to internal truths believe that anyone at all in need of any kind of help should be aided, especially beggars who call themselves the poorest of all. Those who give such aid in a spirit of obedience, because they are commanded to act in that way, do well; for through that outward action they are brought to the inward aspect of charity and mercy. The inward aspect of charity and mercy consists in seeing clearly who exactly they are who should receive aid, what their character is, and in what way each is to be given it. Those who are brought eventually to the inward aspect of charity and mercy know that the inward aspect consists in desiring the welfare of and aiding the internal man, thus with gifts such as are beneficial to spiritual life, and that the outward aspect consists in aiding the external man, thus with gifts such as are beneficial to bodily life. But care must nevertheless always be taken to ensure that when aid is given to the external man, it is at the same time beneficial to the internal; for no one who aids the external but harms the internal is exercising charity. Therefore when one kind of aid is offered, the other must be kept in sight.

[3] The outward aspect of charity is what the external or literal sense of the Word describes when it says that aid should be given to the poor and needy, but the inward aspect of charity is what the internal or spiritual sense of the Word describes. For in the spiritual sense the internal man who is in a state of poverty and need and should be aided is meant, because in that sense 'the poor and needy' is used to mean those who lack good and have no knowledge of truth, and still have a desire for them. How these people are to be helped the letter of the Word also teaches, especially the Word taught by the Lord Himself when He was in the world. At that time the Lord revealed such things as have to do with the internal man, as is evident throughout the Gospels. Nevertheless He spoke in such a way that every detail had at the same time an inner meaning, intended for angels and at the same time for those in the internal Church. For the inner meaning contains such things as the authentic teachings of the Church present.

[4] Let what the Lord said to the disciples sent by John the Baptist to ask whether He was the One who must come serve to exemplify this,

Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard, that the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the poor have the gospel preached to them. Luke 7:20, 22.

These words were spoken for the external man and at the same time for the internal man. For the external man they declared that such miracles were being performed, for the internal man that the Church is being established among the kind of people who in a spiritual sense are blind, lame, lepers, deaf, and poor, thus among gentiles who have no knowledge of good or truth, and still have a desire for them. For 'the blind' describes those who have no knowledge of truth, 6990; 'the lame' those who are governed by good, but not genuine good because they have no knowledge of truth, 4302; 'lepers' those who are unclean, and still have a desire to be made clean; and 'the deaf' those without any belief in truth because they have no perception of it.

[5] But 'the poor' describes those who do not possess the Word and so know nothing about the Lord, and still have a desire to receive instruction, which is why it says that the gospel is preached to them. By 'the poor and needy' are meant in the internal sense those outside the Church who have no knowledge of truth because they do not possess the Word, but nevertheless have a desire to receive instruction, and who by virtue of what they do know are governed still by a little good; also those within the Church who for one reason or another are ignorant of truth, but are still moved by some good to desire it. All this is clear from places in which 'the poor and needy' are mentioned in the Word, as in David,

I am needy and poor; make haste to me, O God! [You are] my help and my deliverer, O Jehovah. Psalms 70:5.

These words were spoken by David who was not poor and needy, from which it is evident that spiritual poverty and need were meant. Similar words occur elsewhere,

I am needy and poor, O Lord; remember me. [You are] my help and my deliverer. Psalms 40:17.

In the same author,

The king will judge Your people in righteousness, and Your needy ones in judgement. ¹ The mountains will bring peace to the people, and the hills, in righteousness. He will judge the needy ones of the people, save the children of the poor, and break in pieces the oppressor. Psalms 72:2-4.

'Needy ones' here are those who are in spiritual need and for that reason are hungry, that is, they have a desire to receive instruction in truths.

[6] In the same author,

Let all my bones say, O Jehovah, who is like You, delivering the needy from him who is too strong for him, and the needy and poor from those who despoil him? Psalms 35:10.

'Bones' are factual knowledge of truth, 8005. 'The needy' here stands for those with little truth, and 'the poor' for those with little good, who are molested by evils and falsities. Because of such molestation 'the needy' in the original language are also 'the afflicted'; for 'being afflicted' means being molested by falsities, 9196. Similarly in the same author,

The wicked lies in wait ² to catch the needy; he catches the needy and draws him into his net. Psalms 10:9.

In Isaiah,

Is not this the fast, to break bread for the hungry, and to bring into the house needy outcasts? Isaiah 58:6-7.

In the same prophet,

Jehovah has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His needy ones. Isaiah 49:13.

In Zephaniah,

I will leave in your midst a needy and lean people, who hope in the name of Jehovah. Zephaniah 3:12.

In these places 'the needy' are those who have no knowledge of truth and desire to receive instruction.

脚注:

9174. 'And when a man borrows something from his companion' means truth from a different stock. This is clear from the meaning of 'borrowing' as receiving truth from a source other than self, thus from a different stock. The reason why 'borrowing' or 'asking of another' has this meaning is that in the spiritual world the only forms of good asked of others or imparted by others are ones that belong to intelligence and wisdom. Many other forms, it is true, are presented to view, indeed countless others; but these are appearances arising from those that belong to intelligence and wisdom. From this it is evident that 'borrowing' means being taught by another and so receiving truths or knowledge of truth and good from a source other than self. But this matter needs further explanation. A person is said to receive truths from self when he deduces them from the truths already present with him, at which time he combines these already present with those he deduces. But when he does this he entertains no other truths than those which are subject to and accord with the same good; for good is what arranges truths into order and links them together. Good is like the soul in a person, and truths are like those things with which the soul clothes itself and through which it acts. Just as every single thing in a person derives its life from his soul, as is well known, so the truths of faith receive theirs from the good of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour. If that good does not compose a person's soul but the good of self-love or of love of the world, the person is not a human being but a wild animal. Furthermore in the next life he looks in the light of heaven like a wild animal, though in his own light, which becomes thick darkness when the light of heaven enters in, he looks like a human being. It should be borne in mind however that it is the Lord who arranges truths to accord with the good of a person's life.

[2] But a person is said to receive truths from another source when he is taught by another. If they are not subject to and do not accord with the good that governs him they are, it is true, stored in his memory among factual knowledge, yet they do not become his, that is, part of his belief, because they spring from a different stock. These truths are the subject in the present verse and the one that follows it.

[3] When 'borrowing' and 'lending' are mentioned in the Word, receiving instruction and giving it in a spirit of charity and affection are meant, as in Matthew,

Give to everyone asking from you, and from him desiring to receive a loan from you, do not turn away. Matthew 5:42.

Here it is evident that 'asking' was not used to mean asking, for the words are 'give to everyone asking'; neither were 'desiring a loan' and 'receiving it' so used. For if a person gave to everyone who asked, and also to everyone desiring to receive a loan, he would be deprived of all his goods. But since the Lord spoke from the Divine, 'asking' and 'desiring a loan', and 'giving' and 'receiving a loan', were used to mean the communicating of heavenly goods, that is, of cognitions or knowledge of good and truth. The nature of this communication is such that the more an angel stirred by charity and affection imparts them to another, the more the general good flows into him from heaven, that is, from the Lord, 6478. Thus an angel who gives to him who asks is not deprived of goods but enriched with them. The like applies when a person stirred by charity and affection does good to another. But real charity consists in giving to good people, and mistaken charity consists in giving to bad people the things they ask for and desire, 8120, as accords with these words in David,

The wicked borrows and does not repay, whereas the righteous shows mercy and gives. Psalms 37:21.

In Luke,

If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks do you have? Rather, love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing from it; then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Highest. Luke 6:34-35.

[4] Here also 'lending' is used to mean being stirred by charity and affection to do good, thus to communicate the good things of heaven, and also to impart the good things of the world, yet to impart them with the good things of heaven in view. Charity and affection are present when good things are communicated without thought of reward, but charity and affection are absent when they are communicated with reward as the end in view, see 2373, 2400, 3816, 3956, 4943, 6388-6390, 6392, 6393, 6478, 8002. 'Loving enemies' and 'doing good' to bad people are aspects of charity and affection; but enemies are loved and good is done to them when they are given instruction and also when by suitable means they are corrected by them, 8121.

[5] The exercise of charity is also meant by 'lending' in Moses,

If you obey the voice of Jehovah and take care to do His commandments, you shall lend to many peoples, but you shall not borrow. Deuteronomy 28:1, 12.

'Lending to many peoples' means abounding in forms of good that belong to intelligence and wisdom and communicating them from that abundance, while 'not borrowing' means having no need of them from others, since all things are imparted to a person by the Lord. In David,

A good man who has mercy and lends will maintain his cause ¹ in judgement; for he will never be moved. Psalms 112:5-6.

'Having mercy and lending' is used to describe the state of those governed by real charity. A similar description occurs in Psalms 37:21, in addition to other places.

脚注: