Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 4:8-9
[2] Those become merely sensuous and corporeal who have first known the things of the spiritual world and have afterward rejected them, and have imbued themselves with principles of falsity contrary to truths, and as to life have looked solely to worldly, bodily, and earthly things, and from this have believed that life ought to be enjoyed with every pleasure, saying, "What has man more while he lives? when we die we die; and who has ever come from another life to tell us about it? we know not what it is to live when life goes out of a man." If anyone by rational arguments sets them thinking at all about eternal life, they think that they shall not fare worse than others, and immediately relapse to the state of their former life. With such there is a closing of the passage for the light of heaven and its influx, and the light of heaven in their natural becomes like thick darkness, but the light of the world therein becomes brightness (n. 6907), and the brightness is so much the more brilliant, as the light of heaven is more darkened; hence it is that such see no otherwise than that the evils of their life are goods, and that consequently the falsities are truths. It is from this then that a man becomes sensuous and corporeal. In a word, when a passage for the influx of the light of heaven has once been opened, and afterward is closed, the man is then driven to look downward, and not upward; and this from Divine order, lest the truths which he has once acknowledged, and which remain in his interior man, should be contaminated with falsities, and thus profaned.
[3] The case is the same with the Gentiles who recede from their religiosity; but their lot is better than the lot of those who are within the church, because they have no truths from the Word, consequently no genuine truths; but truths joined with many fallacies, which cannot be so much profaned. With regard to the signification of a "voice," as being what is announced from the Word, be it known that a "voice" is often spoken of, and is also joined to such things as have no relation to a voice, as here it is also joined to a sign: "if they do not hear the voice of the former sign, they will believe the voice of the latter sign;" and also in other passages:
The voice of the whip, and the voice of the sound of a wheel (Nahum 3:2).
The floods have lifted up their voice above the voices of many magnificent waters (Ps. 93:3, 4).
[4] That a "voice" signifies annunciation, and in a good sense annunciation from the Word, which voice is called the "voice of Jehovah," is evident in David:--
The voice of Jehovah is in power; the voice of Jehovah is in glory; the voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars; the voice of Jehovah cutteth off the flames of fire; the voice of Jehovah maketh the wilderness to tremble; the voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to calve; and strippeth the forests (Ps. 29:4, 5, 9)
To Him that rideth upon the heaven of the heaven of old; lo He shall utter with His voice, a voice of strength (Ps. 68:33).
In these passages a "voice" denotes Divine truth, thus the Word, and annunciation from it. What a "voice" further signifies, (n. 219); and that "voice" is predicated of truth, (n. 3563).
. That they will believe the voice of the latter sign. That this signifies that they would have faith in what had been foretold from the Word, namely, that they would become profaners of truth, is evident from the signification of "believing," as being to have faith (n. 6970); from the signification of a "voice," as being what is announced (n. 6971), thus also what is foretold; and from the signification of "leprosy," which is here the "latter sign," as being the profanation of truth (n. 6963). What profanation is, see also above (n. 6959), and in the passages there cited. . And it shall be, If they do not believe also these two signs. That this signifies if they should have no faith whatever that such things would come to pass, is evident from the signification of "believing," as being to have faith (that is, in the spiritual sense, of which above, (n. 6970); and from the signification of "the two signs," as being that they would become sensuous and corporeal, and afterward profaners of truth, which is signified by the serpent that was made by the casting of the rod of Moses upon the earth (n. 6971), and by the hand which being put into the bosom became leprous (n. 6963). Thus by "not believing these two signs" is signified to have no faith whatever that such things would come to pass. . And do not hear thy voice. That this signifies if they do not yield any obedience, is evident from the signification of "hearing," as being obedience (n. 2542, 3869, 5017); from the signification of "voice," as being what is announced and foretold (n. 6971, 6972); and from the representation of Moses, whose voice they were to hear, as being the Lord as to the Divine law, that is, as to the Divine truth, thus as to the Word, for therein is Divine truth. Hence it is again that by the expression, "if they do not hear thy voice," is signified, if they do not yield any obedience. In this passage and before (verses 1 and 8), it is said "if they do not believe," and "if they do not hear," and yet the two expressions appear alike, for he who does not believe, does not hear. Yet they are distinct, for "believing," by which is signified faith, is said of the truth of faith, and thus relates to the intellectual; but "hearing," by which is signified obeying, is said of the good of charity, and thus relates to the will. For in the Word, especially the prophetic, where truth is expressed in its own words; good is also expressed in its own words, on account of the heavenly marriage, which is the marriage of good and of truth, in every detail of the Word (n. 683, 793, 801, 2173, 2516, 2712, 4138, 6343) . Thou shall take of the waters of the river. That this signifies false memory-knowledges, is evident from the signification of "the waters of the river," namely, of Egypt, or the Nile, as being false memory-knowledges. "Waters" denote truths (n. 2702, 3424, 4976); and in the opposite sense falsities, (n. 790); also the "river of Egypt" denotes false memory-knowledges, (n. 6693). . And pour out on the dry (land). That this signifies insertion into the natural, is evident from the signification of "pouring out," as being insertion; and from the signification of "the dry (land)," as being the natural. A dry place is called "dry," and the land is also so called, and by the "land of Egypt" is signified the natural mind, which is in falsity, thus the natural (n. 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301), and still more by the "dry (land)." . And the waters which thou hast taken out of the river. That this signifies inversion of state, is evident from what presently follows, for it is said that "they shall become blood in the dry (land)," whereby is signified the falsification of all truth, and the privation of it in the natural. When this takes place the state is completely inverted; and hence these words, as they involve an inversion of state, are also said to signify it. There is also a total inversion of state in the natural when it is entirely occupied by falsities. This rarely happens with man while he lives in the world, but in the other life it takes place with all who are cast into hell. That it rarely happens with man while he lives in the world is because he is then continually kept in a state capable of being reformed, provided that he desists from evils in freedom. But after death his life follows him, and he remains in the state which he had acquired by the whole course of his life in the world.[2] Then he who is in evil is no longer capable of being reformed; and lest he should have communication with any society of heaven, all truth and good are taken away from him; so that he remains in evil and falsity, which grow there in accordance with the capacity to receive them that he has acquired in the world. Nevertheless he is not allowed to pass beyond the acquired bounds. This inversion of state is what is here meant, which is such that he can no longer be amended as to the interiors, but only as to the exteriors, namely, by fear of punishments. After enduring these many times, he at last abstains from evil, not in freedom, but by compulsion, the cupidity of doing evil still remaining. This cupidity, as before said, is kept in check by fears, which are external and compulsory means of amendment. This is the state of the evil in the other life.
. They shall become blood in the dry (land). That this signifies the falsification of all truth, and the consequent privation of it in the natural, is evident from the signification of "blood," as being holy truth proceeding from the Lord, and in the opposite sense truth falsified and profaned (n. 4735); and from the signification of "the dry (land)," as being the natural (n. 696). That "blood" signifies the falsification of truth and its profanation, is especially evident in Nahum:Woe to the city of bloods! it is all full of lying and rapine; the prey departeth not. The voice of a whip, and the voice of the sound of a wheel; and a neighing horse, and a jumping chariot; the horseman mounting, and the shining of a sword, and the flash of a spear; and a multitude of pierced, and a heap of carcass and no end of body; they stumble on their body. Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts (Nahum 3:1-4);
that by the "city of bloods" is signified the doctrine of falsity, thus by "blood," falsified and profaned truth, is plain from all the words of its description in the internal sense, and not only in these verses which have been cited, but also in those which follow, the description of it being continued in the whole chapter; for the "city" is doctrine; its being "all full of lying and rapine" denotes being full of falsity, and of evil from falsity; "the voice of a whip and the voice of the sound of a wheel" denotes the defense of falsity by fallacies; "a neighing horse and a jumping chariot," denotes from a perverted intellectual and the like doctrine; "the horseman mounting, the shining of a sword, the flashing of a spear," denotes combat against truth; "the multitude of pierced" denotes innumerable falsities thence, and those who are in falsities; "a heap of carcass, and no end of body" denotes innumerable evils thence, and those who are in evils; "the whoredoms of a harlot" denote the falsifications themselves, and in like manner "witchcrafts."
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