Spiritual Meaning of Gad

Spiritual Meaning of

Gad

By Gad are also signified those who make all salvation consist in works alone, like the Pharisee of whom the Lord says in the parable:--

The Pharisee standing by himself prayed thus, God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess (Luke 18:11, 12);

thus holding external things as the veriest truths. They who are such are also in the Lord's kingdom, but on the threshold, and therefore the Lord says,

"I say unto you, the publican went down to his house justified more than the Pharisee (Luke 18:14),

thus that the Pharisee also went down justified, because he had done works from obedience to command. In a word, by Gad are represented those who call that truth which is not truth, and from this non-truth do works; hence their works are like the truths, for works are nothing but the will and understanding in act. That which saves these men is the intention to do what is good, and something of innocence in their ignorance.

[4] They who are in external works from that which is not truth, but which they believe to be truth, are signified by Gad also in Isaiah

Ye that forsake Jehovah, that forget the mountain of My holiness, that set out a table for Gad, and that till a drink-offering unto Meni (Isa. 14:11);

to set out a table for Gad denotes to be in works alone. And in Jeremiah:--

Against the sons of Ammon, thus saith Jehovah: (Are there no sons) to Israel? hath he no heir? wherefore doth his king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in the cities thereof? (Jer. 49:1);

to inherit Gad denotes to live in works from that which is not truth; the sons of Ammon are they who falsify truths, and live according to them when falsified (AC 2468), to whom these things about Gad are applied by the prophet.

from AC 6405

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.