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Numbers Chapter 6

Summary of the Spiritual Sense

1. The character of the celestial man is described, namely, that he is unwilling to investigate spiritual or celestial truths during his-regeneration, because he is distinguished from the man of the Spiritual Church, and cannot appropriate truths for the sake of being led into good; and in him ultimate truths are not separated from good, he is in good and truth conjoined, and he acts from good by truth, through the immediate perception of truth, vers. 1-5.
2. Concerning the regeneration of the celestial man, his purification from evil, his devotion to the Lord, the reconciliation of his external man with his internal, and the state of innocence he acquires, vers. 6-12.
3. Concerning the state of the celestial man made perfect by regeneration, vers. 13-21.
4. And, lastly, concerning the conjunction of the celestial with the spiritual heavens, vers. 22-27.

1.  This is evident, because by Jehovah is denoted the Divine Being as to His love, 2001; by speaking is denoted influx, 2951; by Moses is represented Divine Truth, or the Word, 7010; and by saying is denoted perception, 1791, 1822.

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2.  Speaking to the children of Israel, and saying to them, denotes through influx to the man of the Spiritual Church from which he learns, 2951, 3654, 7304; and any man or woman making a special vow, the vow of a Nazarite, to separate himself to the Lord, denotes the celestial man who is wholly devoted to the Lord, because a man or a woman signifies the internal or external of the church, 158, 160; making a special vow, denotes willing that the Lord may provide, and also a sacred desire for conjunction with Him, 3732, 6091; and the vow of a Nazarite, denotes the consecration of the celestial man to the Lord, 5113¹⁶.

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3.  Separating himself from wine and strong drink, denotes that the celestial man is unwilling to investigate spiritual truths during His regeneration, 202, 337; 5113¹⁶, 683; the three expressions, namely, wine, vinegar of wine, and liquor of grapes, denote, respectively, truths relating to the internal, interior, and external man according to the series, and drinking denotes appropriation, 3168; grapes denote charity, as peculiar to the Spiritual Church, 1071²; fresh grapes or dried, denote affections of. charity either in their development, or when confirmed in the understanding as distinct from the will, 8869⁴; and eating denotes appropriation, 3168.

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4.  Not eating anything that is made of the grape from the kernels even to the husk during all the days of his separation, denotes that he who is a man of the Celestial Church is distinguished from the man of the Spiritual Church, and therefore cannot appropriate truths, either internal or external, for the sake of being led to good, 3168, 1071, 5113¹⁶, 3732, 6091.

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5.  All the days of his vow of separation no razor coming upon his head, denotes that, in him, even ultimate truths in their plenitude and power are not separated from good, 3301³; until the days are fulfilled in which he separates himself to the Lord being holy, denotes that during the whole course of his regeneration he is specially devoted to the Lord because he is in good and truth conjoined, 487, 9680²; and letting the locks of the hair of his head grow long, denotes that he continually acts from good by truths, having immediate perception thereof, 3301³.

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6.  All the days that he separates himself to the Lord, not coming near a dead body, denotes that during regeneration he does not allow himself to be contaminated willingly by the unregenerated affections of the merely natural man, which are void of spiritual life, 487, 3900¹¹.

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7.  Not making himself unclean for his father or for his mother when they die, denotes that neither does he allow hereditary evils and falsities either internal or external to corrupt his life, 3703²⁰, 8876; when fathers and mothers denote internal evils and falsities from heredity, brothers and sisters denote such as are external, 3703²²; when they die, denotes when evils and falsities are rejected, 1408; and his separation to God being upon his head, denotes that he is inwardly in good, in truth, and in obedience thence derived, ver. 2.

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8.  Being holy to the Lord all the days of his separation, denotes that during the whole process of his regeneration and purification he is, as to his ruling motive, wholly in love to the Lord, 487, 968o², 2001. Notice here the use of the term God in the preceding verse, and the term Jehovah in this.

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9.  Any man dying very suddenly beside him, denotes temptation and victory in the conflicting state of his preparatory life, 1408; defiling the head of his separation, denotes coming into contact with evil, and opposing it from his cherished love, 10130, 3728, 5113¹⁶; shaving his head on the day of his cleansing, denotes the rejection of the merely natural life as his regeneration is advancing, 3301³; and the seventh day denotes when the perfected celestial state is attained, 84.

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10.  The eighth day denotes the new state caused by victory in temptation, 2044; bringing to the priest two turtledoves or two young pigeons, denotes a closer conjunction of the truths perceived in the understanding with celestial good, 870, 9946; and the door of the tent of meeting, denotes the acknowledgement of the Lord,

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11.  The priest offering one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, denotes that, from good, the celestial man confesses that evil and error are removed by Him, while good and truth are confirmed, 9946, 10227, 3400, 10053; making atonement denotes the reconciliation of man with the Lord, and of the external man with the internal, 10042, III; sin by reason of the dead, denotes that merely natural affection causes their separation, 3900¹⁰; and hallowing his head the same day, denotes that purification from evil causes their conjunction and a state of holiness, 8042, 9680², 3728, 487.

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12.  Separating to the Lord the days of his separation, denotes that by every victory in temptation the devotion of the celestial man to the Lord is strengthened, because no one can be fully separated, or devoted to the Lord without the removal of evil, which is effected by temptations, and is denoted by the sin offering, 5113¹⁶, 10053; bringing a he-lamb of the first year for a guilt offering, denotes that evil remitted produces a state of the celestial things of innocence which is acknowledged to be from the Lord, because the sin offering mentioned in the last verse, denotes evil remitted; the he-lamb, denotes the celestial things of innocence, and of the first year, denotes in all fullness, 2906⁹; and a guilt offering denotes the acknowledgement of the Lord in worship for the removal of evil committed without intention, 3400, 9156; and the former days being void because his separation was defiled, denotes that no actual state of conflict with evil gives any quality to the perfect celestial state, because evil active in the natural man causes temptation; for by days are denoted states, 487; being void, or falling, denotes separation, 3203; and the separation defiled, denotes a state of impurity, 10130.

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13.  This being the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled, denotes when the regeneration of the celestial man is completed according to the Divine Law, 487, 5113¹⁶; and being brought to the door of the tent of meeting, denotes that he must fully acknowledge the Lord, 2356.

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14.  Offering his oblation to the Lord one he-lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, denotes confession that he receives from the Lord all the celestial things of innocence, 10227, 2830³, 2906⁹; and the he-lamb denotes what is internal, the ewe-lamb what is external, and the ram what is spiritual, 2830³, while the burnt offering signifies worship from pure love; the sin offering worship indicating purification from evil; of the first year, signifies fullness; without blemish signifies what is perfect, 10053, 3400, 2906, 7837; and a peace offering signifies worship from freedom on account of the remission, or removal, of evil, 10097.

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15.  The basket denotes the Sensual, which is the receptacle, 10080, 10107; it is said simultaneously, because what is highest in successive order is in the midst in simultaneous order, 5897, 9996; bread, cakes, and wafers, denote good, respectively, in the internal, the interior, and the external man, 10107; unleavened, denotes what is free from evil and falsity, 2342; anointed with oil and mingled with oil, denotes from love, 2177; fine flour denotes what is spiritual, 2177; mixing evidently denotes conjoining, 3993⁵; and meal offerings and drink-offerings denote celestial and spiritual good and truth which nourish the soul, 2177, 1071.

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16.  The priest presenting them before the Lord, denotes that this acknowledgement is entirely from celestial good, 9946, 10227; and offering his sin offering and his burnt offering, denotes both as to the removal of evil and the reception of good, 3400, 10053.

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17.  Offering the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, denotes that so also is the acknowledgement of the reception of spiritual and celestial love in the middle degree of the mind, 2830³; with the basket of unleavened bread, denotes as to the reception of all degrees of good in the natural mind, ver. 15; and with the meal offering, and the drink offering thereof, denotes as to the reception of all celestial and spiritual good and truth which nourish the sou50:2177, 1071. But the peace offering, denotes worship from freedom on account of the remission of evil, 10097, because the worship is not entirely free so long as there is temptation, and also self compulsion; and the reason why the burnt offering is mentioned before the sin offering in the first instance and after it in the second, is to show that the worship of the Lord from pure love, and with full devotion, is indeed the essential in worship under all circumstances with the celestial man; but that, nevertheless, with him also, the removal of evil must precede and not follow the realization of good.

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18.  The Nazarite shaving the head of his separation at the door of the tent of meeting, denotes that when the celestial man is thus sanctified, he puts off the old natural state when all temptation has ceased, 3301³; putting the hair on the fire, denotes putting on the new natural state which is holy from pure love, 3301³, 934, 10055; and under the sacrifice of the peace offerings, denotes the medium of conjunction, 8517, 9278³.

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19.  Taking the sodden shoulder of the ram, denotes all the power of spiritual or internal good with which the celestial man has fought against evil, 1085, 10043; one cake and one wafer, denote all the good interior and external, that had supported him in the conflict, 10107; putting them into the hand of the Nazarite, denotes that they were from celestial love, 9946, 878; and after he had shaven the head of his separation, denotes when the former natural man was separated, 3301³, 2356, 3540³.

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20.  The priest waving them before the Lord, denotes that then the new natural man is vivified from within, 10089, 223; this being holy for the priest together, with the wave breast and the heave thigh, denotes the acknowledgement of the Lord in all fullness, pure love indeed wholly predominating in a state of holiness there, even as in the interior spiritual degree, and in the inmost conjugial principle which are rendered active from the Lord, ver. 19, 10091-10093; and after that the Nazarite being permitted to drink wine, denotes that the celestial man, from his state of perfection in good, can instantly perceive, and also appropriate all spiritual truths,

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21.  This being the law of the Nazarite who vows, denotes the Divine Law for the celestial man who devotes himself to the Lord, ver. 2; his oblation to the Lord for his separation, denotes his acknowledgement of the Lord as distinct from that of the spiritual man by being more complete, vers. 14, 15; and according to his vow that he vows, so doing after the law of his separation, denotes that it is not possible for him not thus to be distinguished, because this is a law of Divine Order, ver. 13.

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22.  This is evident, because by Jehovah is denoted the Divine Being as to His love, 2001; by speaking is denoted influx, 2951; by Moses, is represented Divine Truth, or the Word, 7010; and by saying is denoted perception, 1791, 1822.;

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23.  Moses speaking to Aaron and to his sons saying, denotes according to influx into the celestial and thence into the spiritual heavens, 2951, 9946; and on this wise blessing the children of Israel and saying to them, denotes that there is now full conjunction of the Lord with the spiritual heavens, and perception there with the spiritual, 10495, 1791, 1822.

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24.  "The Lord bless you and keep you," denotes that goodness and truth are conjoined in their inmost principles, 2001, 10495, 3382.

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25.  "The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you," denotes that thence all interior truths have spiritual light and joy, 2001, 222-3, 3195.

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26.  "The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace," denotes that thence also the external principles are elevated into light and become receptive of eternal peace, 2001, 222-3, 3780.

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27.  Putting the Lord's name upon the children of Israel, denotes that thus a Divine quality is impressed upon the spiritual man through the celestial, 2009, 3654, 10017; and the Lord blessing them, denotes that, in this way, a full conjunction of all human powers with the Lord in simultaneous order is effected, 2001, 10495, 3654.

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Discussion

This interesting chapter deals with the celestial man, as distinguished from the spiritual man, and at the same Lime with the spiritual man in his celestial state, or in the state when he no longer learns the truth in order that he may become good, but when, being good, he perceives the truths that agree with his good, and makes use of them as a means of doing good. Now this distinction between the celestial and spiritual man, and consequently between the celestial and spiritual heavens, and the celestial and spiritual states of the man of the church generally, was unknown to the Christian world, before it was revealed in the Arcana Coelestia; and also, there are several other distinctions made in the writings of the New Church generally, which were not known before. And for this reason, as every one may see, it became necessary that new terms should be used to mark those distinctions. And on this account also those terms cannot be dispensed with in treating methodically on the various subjects with which they are connected without a great sacrifice of clearness. No apology, therefore, is needed for the constant use of these terms in their proper places ; and as they are generally explained, where it is necessary, the distinctions themselves will, in time, become quite familiar, and, of course, will be found of immense use, in properly understanding spiritual things. Let us, therefore, reverently study what the celestial man is, and what the celestial state of every man is, as set forth in the correspondential language of the portion of the Word now before us.

A Nazarite means, literally, one separated, devoted, or sanctified for the service of God; and a cognate term, derived from the same root, means the hair of the head, as shown by the Nazarite; hence, therefore, we may clearly see how it is that he represents the celestial man, and the celestial state of any man, or in other words an angel of the highest heaven especially; an angel of any heaven, as to the good, or love which makes him an angel, and a man of the church as to the principle of good, or love, by which alone any one can be devoted to the Lord. Thus, then, the term Nazarite covers the whole meaning of the term celestial. For no one can be devoted to the Lord unless he loves the Lord, and all that proceeds from the Lord.

This, then, being so, consider what is first said of the Nazarite, who, of course, in the supreme sense, represents the Lord Himself as to His Human nature, 3301³. He was commanded not to drink wine, and not to eat anything that came from the vine, to signify that the celestial man is not regenerated by means of truth in the understanding, like the spiritual man, but by means of good in the will, and this because the celestial man, in the strict sense, means the man in whom the will and understanding make one, on which account he does not learn truth, and store it up in his memory with a view to becoming good, but he perceives what is true from his state of good; and then by uniting the truth he thus perceives with his good, he is gradually made perfect, or regenerated. For although the celestial man is in good and truth conjoined essentially or internally, it docs not necessarily follow that he is so actually or externally, because he is born from his parents with tendencies to evil and error, and also in a state of ignorance, and therefore he cannot be perfect, until his faculties are developed, and thus until he is able to perceive truths from his good, and to conjoin them with his good in a perfect life. Now in order to understand the distinction between the celestial and spiritual man, and thus between the people of the Most Ancient Church, and those of the Ancient Church, both as to their essential nature, and with regard to regeneration, we must study this well. To be regenerated by means of good in the will, that is, by means of affection, and thus to be made perfect in truth, is a very different thing from being regenerated by means of truth in the understanding and thus, by means of intelligence. In both cases, of course, regeneration implies the rejection of evil and error, and being established in goodness and truth, and in both cases love conjoins truth to itself; but in the case of the spiritual, the love is of a lower degree comparatively, as love to the neighbour is in a lower degree than love to the Lord. Hence, then, we now see why the celestial man was not allowed, spiritually, to drink wine, or to eat anything that came from the vine: it was because he did not reason concerning truths, as to whether they were truths or not, but perceived what was true from the interior light, which was from the Lord through his good, according to the Lord's words concerning him, namely, "Let your communications be ' Yea, yea, Nay, nay,' for whatever is more than these comes of evil " (Matt 5:37).

But when the Nazarite had fulfilled his appointed days, as we read further on, he was permitted to drink wine; and since the celestial man, whom he represents, neither before nor after his complete regeneration, reasons concerning truths but perceives them, we have to consider in what sense the perfected celestial man drinks wine spiritually. To perceive truths from the state of good, be it known, is the office of the understanding conjoined with the will; and this the celestial man does during his regeneration and after it, as is evident. But to appropriate truths by applying them to the life, either during regeneration or after it, is the office of the will, and this is what is signified also by drinking wine. Hence, therefore, it is said in the series of the internal sense, in ver. 20, "the celestial man, from his state of perfection in good, can instantly perceive, and also appropriate all spiritual truths." That is, this drinking of wine by the celestial man, properly represents the full appropriation of all truths, relating to his life, in the natural sense now completely one with the higher degrees. And, indeed, concerning this state, see AE 918¹²; and consider that, in regard to the Lord, it represents the state of the Human, so to speak, when it was fully glorified, or when He arose from the dead with His whole body which He had in the world, and when He could emphatically say, "All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth," thus assuming as to the Human also, Divine Omnipotence. But see Matt 26:29, Mark 14:25, Luke 22:18.

And this brings us to another point which demands attention.

The Nazarite was not to shave his head, and he was to let the locks of his hair grow long, in order to denote that, in the celestial man, truth was never to be separated from good, that all its power was to be exercised in the natural degree, and that he had continual perception thereof. This the reference given shows; and also that when his days were fulfilled, and he shaved off the hair of his head, it was to denote the putting off of the old, and the putting on, in fullness, of a new natural man. This, therefore, clearly indicates that the celestial man, equally with the spiritual, was required to overcome evil, and that his regeneration was not simply a development from a lower degree of good to a higher. On the contrary, it consisted in the elimination of evil and error from the natural affections and thoughts, so that there might be perfect harmony between the higher degree of good and the lower. But, indeed, that the celestial man, before regeneration is completed, enters into temptation for his purification, is abundantly evident from what now follows in our second section. Let us consider it.

The Nazarite was not to allow himself to come near any dead body. Now what a striking symbol is a dead body, or carcass, of the merely natural man void of spiritual life! But the celestial man, as distinguished from the spiritual man, could not have been contaminated with evil, as thus represented, if there had been no evil with him in the natural degree of his life; that is, if there had been with him no actual evil there. And, of course, there could have been no actual evil, if there had not been hereditary evil, except in the case of the first created human beings whoever they were. But the next verse assures us that he was not compelled to adopt evil from hereditary tendencies; and this also is clear from the fact that the very first pair, if we assume that the whole human race sprang from one pair, were in freedom to choose between the love of the Lord and the love of self (Gen 2:16-17), or more strictly between the love of the Lord and selfishness. During all the states of his Nazariteship, or separation, therefore, the celestial man was holy to the Lord by virtue of good. And this cannot be said of the spiritual man, who acts from truth rather than from good in the course of his regeneration.

We now come to reflect upon the purification of the celestial man from evil, which is described by accidental contamination through contact with the dead body of a person dying suddenly beside the Nazarite. And we notice first the peculiarity of this expression, as indicating the manner in which evil impulses causing temptation are excited by evil spirits. For there can be no impulse of evil without influx from the hells; and this influx, in the case of the regenerating man, involves temptation. And if we call to mind the words of Paul when he said, "I die daily" (1 Cor 15:31), we shall understand the spiritual meaning of a man dying suddenly. It is the rejection of the corrupt old life through conquering in temptation. And in this is the celestial man defiled, in that he is conscious of his evil. But he puts off the old life, as represented by the Nazarite shaving his head, and puts on the holy state of the new life denoted by the seventh day. And now follows, therefore, the worship of the Lord in the new state, and the renewal of the vow of consecration, the meaning of all these things in relation to the progress in regeneration of the celestial man, appearing sufficiently from what is said in giving the references, because similar things have been previously considered. But a word must be said explanatory of the last clause in the section. For it must not be supposed that the former days being void, denotes that the previous states of the regeneration of the celestial man contributed nothing towards his final perfection, since every previous state of good and truth and their conjunction, occurring during life, has its value, as is evident from the fact that we could not have the full corn in the ear, unless we previously had the ear and the blade before it, according to the Lord's leaching (Mark 4:28; AC 29). And hence, then, we are to understand by "former days," not any previous states of good and truth, but of evil and falsity; and that is why it is said to signify that "no actual state of conflict with evil, gives any quality to the perfect celestial state, because evil active in the natural man causes temptation." And, besides this, the words we are studying also convey the consoling and strengthening thought to the man of the church in general, that in heaven our evil states will have passed away, and that indeed actual states of conflict against evil will never more be experienced.

"Eternal mansions, bright array!
Oh blest exchange! Transporting thought! Free from the approaches of decay, Or the least shadow of a spot! "

With regard to the state of the celestial man made perfect by regeneration, which comprises our third section, there are some interesting particulars. He now acknowledges the Lord in all fullness; he worships Him from the inmost degree of his life, even to its outermost; the animals sacrificed indicate the successive order of influx as to good; the basket with its contents, denotes the same good in simultaneous order, to show that, in the perfect state, all degrees of good are in the ultimate or natural degree in their fullness and their power; and the meal offering and drink offering are last mentioned among the offerings, to show not only the intensification of this full reception of goodness and truth, but also that, in the perfect state in heaven, what nourishes the souls of the angels nourishes their bodies also, appearing in correspondential forms suitable for that purpose.

We have already seen the signification of shaving the head, and now, since it denotes the putting off of the old natural state and the putting on of the new, we can thence perceive the peculiarity of what is said in vers. 19-20. For it was after the Nazarite had shaven the head of his separation that the waving and heaving took place, and that he could drink wine. That is, spiritually, it is only when the old natural state is rejected and the new state is inaugurated, that truth and good respectively can be fully acknowledged and perceived to be from the Lord, and that the celestial man can fully appropriate them. And thus the more closely we examine the particulars of the description before us, the more clearly do the truths of the internal sense of the Word manifest themselves, and the more completely does the order and beauty of Divine revelation appear.

And, lastly, we have to consider the internal sense of words so familiar to us as are those of the blessing with which the chapter ends. That blessing denotes conjunction, the references show. But because the Lord, or Jehovah, signifies the Divine Being as to His love, we thence observe that it is love that causes conjunction. And truly every human being is eternally conjoined with the Lord through the reception of life or love from Him; and yet this alone does not give the conjunction signified by the threefold blessing. In order that there may be true conjunction with the Lord, He must not only love us, but we must love Him. Hence, therefore, to pray that the Lord may bless us or any one else, includes the desire that we may

love the Lord, and what proceeds from Him, namely, mercy, joy and peace, and in short all things good and true. And to pray the threefold blessing, is to desire to love the Lord as to all the degrees of our life. And thus only can our prayer be a true prayer, whether the desire be for ourselves or for others. It is worth our while, therefore, to know the internal sense of the Lord blessing us; for if we do not know it, we may easily imagine that it is a blessed thing to receive all kinds of good things from the Lord, externally, and to enjoy them without any reference to our own state internally.

Again, it is interesting to remark that this grand form of blessing is not only threefold, thus relating to the whole of the degrees of our life. It is also double in those degrees, and thus teaches the important lesson that we must be truly conjoined to the Lord both as to our wills and our understandings. That is, we must not only love to be good, but we must love to be truthful as well. Truly it is goodness that is a blessing, but it is truth that keeps or preserves us; the face of the Lord shines upon us when we ourselves are merciful, and He is gracious to us, when we ourselves are intelligently kind, or gracious; and He lifts up the light of His countenance upon us, when we act according to His truth, giving us peace also, when we are fully disposed to promote peace amongst our brethren.

And in one word, if we have inwardly in ourselves the heavenly affections symbolized by Aaron and his sons, involving the peace which the world can neither give nor take away, they will certainly descend and bring into perfect harmony every lower principle of our hearts and minds, which are collectively represented by the children, of Israel in relation to the priests who pronounce the blessing.