Spiritual Meaning of Come near, Approach

Spiritual Meaning of

Come near, Approach

By Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah, is signified the conjunction and presence of the Lord through the Word.

[3] That coming near denotes conjunction and presence, is because in the other life the distances of one from another are altogether according to the dissimilitudes and diversities of the interior things that belong to the thought and affection (AR 1273-1277, 1376-1381, 9104). Moreover withdrawals from the Lord, and approaches to Him, are precisely according to the good of love and the derivative faith from Him and to Him. For this reason the heavens are near to the Lord according to goods; and on the other hand the hells are remote from the Lord according to evils. From this it is evident why in the spiritual sense to be near and to approach denote to be conjoined; as also in the following passages:--

Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, that call upon Him in truth (Ps. 145:18);

to be nigh denotes to be present and conjoined. Again:--

Blessed is he whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach; he shall dwell in Thy courts (Ps. 65:4);

to approach denotes to be conjoined.

[4] Again:--

0 Jehovah, draw nigh unto my soul; deliver me (Ps. 69:18).

Jehovah is nigh to the broken in heart (Ps. 34:18).

Let them cause My people to hear My words, and turn them from their evil way, and from the wickedness of their works. Am I a God near by, and not a God afar off? (Jer 23:22, 23).

That God is said to be near by those who desist from evils, and to be afar off from those who are in evils, is manifest. In Moses:--

Moses said unto Aaron, This is that which Jehovah spake, saying, I will be sanctified in those who are near Me (Lev. 10:3);

to be sanctified in those who are near denotes among those who are conjoined with the Lord through the good of love and truth of faith from the Word. In Jeremiah:--

Then his Magnificent One shall be from him, and his Ruler shall go forth from the midst of him, and I will cause him to approach, and he shall approach unto Me; for who is he that hath pledged his heart to approach unto Me? (Jer. 30:21);

speaking of the Lord, who is the Magnificent One, and the Ruler; to approach unto Jehovah denotes to be united, for the approach of the Divine to the Divine is nothing else than union.

AC 9378

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.