10083. And shalt wave them a wave-offering before Jehovah. That this signifies the consequent Divine life, is evident from the signification of “waving a wave-offering,” as being to vivify, thus life; and because it is said “before Jehovah,” Divine life is signified. That “to wave a wave-offering” denotes to vivify, that is, to give Divine life, is evident from the passages in the Word where “waving a wave-offering” is mentioned, as in Moses:

When ye shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest, he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah to make you well pleasing; on the morrow of the Sabbath the priest shall wave it (Leviticus 23:10-11).

by the “harvest” is signified the state of the truth of faith from good, thus the state of good (see n. 9295); by “the sheaf of the firstfruits” is signified its state collectively; hence by “being waved by the priest” is signified being vivified to receive a blessing; for every blessing, in order to be a blessing, must have life in it from the Divine.

[2] Again:

Aaron shall wave the Levites a wave-offering before Jehovah from among the sons of Israel, that they may be for ministering the ministry to Jehovah. Thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and shalt wave them a wave-offering to Jehovah. Afterward shall the Levites come to minister in the Tent of meeting; and thou shalt purify them, and shalt wave them a wave-offering. And when the Levites were purified, and Aaron waved them a wave-offering before Jehovah; and expiated them to purify them (Numbers 8:11, 13, 15, 21).

From all this it can be seen what is meant by “waving a wave offering,” namely, that it denotes to vivify by acknowledgment, which is the first of life from the Divine with man. Knowledge does indeed precede acknowledgment, but there is nothing of Divine life in knowledge until it becomes acknowledgment, and then faith. The Levites represented truths ministering to good, and Aaron represented the good to which they ministered; therefore the Levites were “waved,” that is, were vivified; and therefore it is also said that they were to be “purified,” for life from the Divine must be in truths in order that they may minister to good, and this life first flows in by means of acknowledgment.

[3] The like is signified by the “waving of gold” in Moses:

The men came with the women, and brought a clasp, a nose-ring, gold, a girdle, all vessels of gold, every man who waved a wave-offering of gold to Jehovah (Exodus 35:22);

“to wave a wave-offering of gold to Jehovah” denotes to vivify by the acknowledgment that it was Jehovah’s, that is, the Lord’s. That “to wave a wave-offering” has such a signification is from correspondence, for all motion corresponds to a state of thought; hence progressions, journeyings, and the like, which belong to motion, in the Word signify states of life (n. 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605, 8103, 8417, 8420, 8557).

[4] In John:

At the pool of Bethesda lay a great multitude of them that were sick. And at a certain time an angel went down unto the pool, and troubled the water; whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in, was made whole, with whatever disease he was holden (John 5:2-7).

By “troubling the water” was here likewise signified vivification through acknowledgment and faith, thus also purification through truths. (That motion signifies states of life, see n. 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321, 4882, 5605, 7381, 9440, 9967; and that “waters” denote the truths of faith, n. 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 8568, 9323; that all purifications are effected through the truths of faith, n. 2799, 5954, 7044, 7918, 9088; and that healings represented restorations of spiritual life, n. 8365, 9031)

[5] As by the “waving upon the palms of Aaron” is signified vivification through the acknowledgment of the Lord, and that all things are from Him, therefore a few words shall be said about this acknowledgment and the faith thence derived. It was often said by the Lord, when the sick were healed, that they should “have faith,” and that it would be done to them “according to their faith” (as Matthew 8:10-13; 9:2, (Matthew 9:2) 22, 27-29; 13:57-58; 15:28; 21:21-22, 31-32; Mark 5:34, 36; 10:49, 52; Luke 7:9, 48-50; 8:48; 17:19; 18:42-43). The reason was that the first of all is to acknowledge that the Lord is the Savior of the world, for without this acknowledgment no one can receive anything of truth and good from heaven, thus no faith; and because this is the first and most essential of all, therefore in order that the Lord might be acknowledged when He came into the world, in healing the sick He questioned them concerning their faith, and those who had faith were healed. The faith was that He was the Son of God who was to come into the world, and that He had power to heal and to save. Moreover, all the healings of diseases by the Lord, when He was in the world, signified healings of the spiritual life, thus the things that belong to salvation (n. 8364, 9031, 9086).

[6] Because the acknowledgment of the Lord is the first of all things of spiritual life, and the most essential thing of the church, and because without it no one can receive from heaven anything of the truth of faith and the good of love, therefore the Lord often says that he who “believeth in Him hath eternal life,” that he who “doth not believe hath not life” (as John 1:1, 4, (John 1:4) 12-13; 3:14-16, 36; 5:39-40; 6:28-30, 34-35, 40, 47-48; 7:37-38; 8:24; 11:25-26; 20:30-31); but He also teaches at the same time that those have faith in Him who “live according to His precepts,” so that the consequent life may enter into the faith. All this has been said to illustrate and confirm the fact, that the acknowledgment of the Lord, and that from Him is all salvation, is the first of life from the Divine with man. This first of life is signified by the “wavings upon the palms of Aaron.”

9031. And healing he shall heal him. That this signifies restoration, namely, by means of interpretation, is evident. For if the things which are in the literal sense of the Word are looked at interiorly, they all agree together. This is circumstanced like that which is said in the Word about the sun, that it rises and sets, when yet it does not rise or set; but such an appearance is presented to the inhabitants of the earth, because the earth rotates every day around its axis. This natural truth lies hidden in the former, which is according to the appearance to the external sight. If it had been said in the Word contrary to this appearance, the common people would not apprehend it, and what the common people do not apprehend they do not believe. The case is similar with the Sun of heaven, which is the Lord, concerning which it is also said that it “rises,” but in hearts, when man is being regenerated; and also when he is in the good of love and faith; and that it “sets” when man is in evil and in the consequent falsity. And yet the Lord is continually in His rising, from which also He is called the “Sunrise,” or “East,” and He is never in any setting; nor does He turn Himself away from man, but man turns himself away from Him. From this arises the appearance that the Lord turns away His face and also brings evil; and therefore it is also so said in the Word. This likewise is the truth, but apparent truth, thus it is not in conflict with the former. From all this it can now be seen what is meant in the internal sense by “healing he shall heal,” namely, the restoration of spiritual truth, which is effected by means of a right interpretation of the memory-truth, or that of the literal sense of the Word.

[2] The case is similar with every truth of the literal sense, for in the natural light, which is that of the sensuous man, this appears just as it is expressed in the Word, because the literal sense is natural, and is for the sensuous man. But when the same is presented in the light of heaven, it then appears according to the internal sense; for this sense is spiritual, and is for the heavenly man, because those things which are of natural light vanish away in the light of heaven; for natural light is like shade or cloud, and heavenly light is like the glory and the brightness when the cloud is taken away. And therefore also the literal sense of the Word is called “a cloud,” and the internal sense “glory” (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 4391, 5922, 6343, 8106, 8443, 8781).

[3] By “healing he shall heal” is signified in the spiritual sense to restore, because disease and sickness signify the infirmity of the internal man, which infirmity exists when he is sick in respect to his life, which is the spiritual life; thus when he turns aside from truth to falsity, and from good to evil. When this is the case, the spiritual life sickens; and when he wholly turns himself away from truth and good, it dies; but this death is called “spiritual death,” which is damnation. As this is the case with the life of the internal man, therefore such things as relate to diseases and death in the natural world are said in the Word of the diseases of the spiritual life, and of its death. So also the cures of diseases, or healings, as in Isaiah:

Jehovah smiteth Egypt, smiting and healing; whence he turneth himself unto Jehovah, and He shall be entreated for them, and shall heal them (Isaiah 19:22).

Surely He was pierced for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and in His wound we are healed (Isaiah 53:5);

speaking of the Lord.

[4] In Jeremiah:

Return, ye perverse sons, I will heal your backslidings (Jeremiah 3:22).

Behold, I will cause to come up to it cure and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them abundance of peace and truth (Jeremiah 33:6).

Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt; in vain hast thou multiplied medicines; there is no healing for thee (Jeremiah 46:11).

And in Ezekiel:

By the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that, cometh up the tree for food, whose leaf falleth not, neither is the fruit consumed; it springeth up again in its months, because the waters thereof go forth out of the sanctuary; therefore the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for medicines (Ezekiel 47:12).

“The fruit which shall be for food” denotes the good of love and charity which is for the nourishment of the spiritual life; “the leaf which shall be for medicine” denotes the truths of faith which are for the refreshment and restoration of that life. (That “fruit” denotes the good of love and of charity, see n. 3146, 7690; and that “leaf” denotes the truth of faith, n. 885)

[5] As diseases and sicknesses, and also healings and medicines, are not said in the Word of the natural life, but of another life which is distinct from the natural life; it is therefore plain to him who gives some consideration to the matter, that man has another life, which is that of his internal man. They who have gross thoughts with respect to the life of man, believe that he has no other life than that of the body, which is the life of the external or natural man. They wonder what the life of the internal man may be, and even what the internal man is. If they are told that that life is the life of faith and charity, and that the internal man is man’s spirit, which lives after death, and which is essentially the man himself, they wonder still more. And such of them as live only for the body, and not for the soul, thus who are merely natural men, have no apprehension whatever of what is said about the life of faith and charity, and about the internal man, because their thought is merely from natural light, and not at all from spiritual light. Wherefore also after death they remain gross in respect to thought, and live in the shadow of death, that is, in falsities from evil; and they are wholly in thick darkness, and blind to the light of heaven.