ACV9 S29 7410-7449

CLICK TO PRINT READING CLICK TO GO TO COMMENTS 7410 Verses 11-15. And Pharaoh saw that there was breathing, and he made heavy his heart, and heard them not, as Jehovah had spoken. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, and it shall become lice in all the land of Egypt. And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the land, and there was louse on man and on beast; all the dust of the land became louse in all the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, to bring forth lice, and they could not; and there was louse on man and on beast. And the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God; and Pharaoh's heart was made firm, and he heard them not, as Jehovah had spoken. "And Pharaoh saw that there was breathing," signifies that the weariness ceased; "and he made heavy his heart," signifies obstinacy; "and he heard them not," signifies no obedience; "as Jehovah had spoken," signifies according to the prediction; "and Jehovah said unto Moses," signifies instruction anew; "Say unto Aaron," signifies the influx of the internal law into the external law; "stretch out thy rod," signifies that he should show Divine power; "and smite the dust of the land," signifies that he should remove the things in the natural that had been damned; "and it shall become lice," signifies that evils will rise up therefrom; "in all the land of Egypt," signifies through the whole natural mind; "and they did so," signifies the effect; "and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod," signifies the power of internal truth through external truth; "and smote the dust of the land," signifies that things damned were removed; "and there was lice on man and on beast," signifies the interior and exterior evils of cupidities thence derived; "all the dust of the land became louse in all the land of Egypt," signifies that these evils were from the things that had been damned; "and the magicians did so with their enchantments, to bring forth lice," signifies an endeavor to pervert Divine order, and to portray the like in these things also; "and they could not," signifies in vain; "and there was louse on man and on beast," signifies the interior and exterior evils of cupidities; "and the magicians said unto Pharaoh," signifies perception and its communication with those who were in evils; "This is the finger of God," signifies that the power was from the Divine; "and Pharaoh's heart was made firm," signifies obstinacy; "and he heard them not," signifies disobedience; "as Jehovah had spoken," signifies according to the prediction. 7411 And Pharaoh saw there was breathing. That this signifies that the weariness ceased, is evident from the signification of "there being breathing," as being that there was no longer what was undelightful, thus that there was no longer weariness. (That it was wearisome and undelightful to them to reason from mere falsities, see above, n. 7392.) That which is delightful causes man to breathe freely and fully; but that which is undelightful causes him to breathe neither freely nor fully; hence it is that by "there being breathing," is signified that what was undelightful or wearisome ceased. 7412 And he made heavy his heart. That this signifies obstinacy, is evident from the signification of the "heart being made heavy," and also of "being hardened," and "being made firm," as being obstinacy (see n. 7272, 7300, 7305). 7413 And he heard them not. That this signifies no obedience, is evident from what was said above (see n. 7224, 7275, 7301, 7339), where are the like words. 7414 As Jehovah had spoken. That this signifies according to the prediction, see above (n. 7302, 7340). 7415 And Jehovah said unto Moses. That this signifies instruction anew, see n. 7186, 7226, 7267, 7304, 7380. 7416 Say unto Aaron. That this signifies the influx of the internal law into the external law, see above (n. 7381). 7417 Stretch out thy rod. That this signifies that he should show Divine power, is evident from the signification "to stretch out," as being to exercise and to show (as above); and from the signification of a "rod," as being power (see n. 4013, 4015, 4876, 4936, 6947, 7011, 7026); which power was Divine because Aaron had no power, still less was there power in the rod; but the power was exercised through Aaron and his rod. That it was exercised through the rod was because the things done by Divine command within the church were done by means of representatives (this was before the Lord's Coming), thus by the stretching out of the hand and of the rod; because the arm and the hand correspond to power, and from this also the rod. The reason why before the Coming of the Lord the things done within the church by Divine command were done by means of representatives, was that all things and each represented the Lord and His kingdom in the heavens, and His kingdom on earth, that is, the church. That this is so can also be seen from the Word, in which all things and each in the supreme sense treat of the Lord, and in the internal sense treat of His kingdom and church. 7418 And smite the dust of the land. That this signifies that he should remove the things in the natural that had been damned, is evident from the signification of "smiting," as being to remove; from the signification of "dust," as being that which is damned (of which in what follows); and from the signification of "the land," here the land of Egypt, as being the natural mind (n. 7409). That "dust" denotes that which is damned is because the places where evil spirits are, at the sides beneath the soles of the feet, appear as land, and in fact as land untilled and dry, under which are certain hells. This land is called "damned land," and the dust there signifies that which is damned. It has sometimes been granted me to see that the evil spirits shook off the dust there from their feet, when they desired to give anyone to damnation. This was seen to the right a little in front, in the border toward the hell of the magicians, where spirits are cast into their hell who during their life in the world have been in the knowledge of faith, and yet have led a life of evil. From this then it is that by "dust" is signified what is damned, and by "shaking off the dust" damnation.[2] It was from this signification that the Lord commanded His disciples to shake off the dust of their feet if they were not received, as in Matthew:Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city (Matt. 10:14-15; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5; 10:10-12);by the "disciples" here are not meant disciples, but all things of the church, thus all things of faith and charity (n. 2089, 2129, 2130, 3354, 3858, 3913, 6397); by "not receiving, and not hearing," is signified to reject the truths of faith and the goods of charity; and by "shaking off the dust of the feet," damnation. That "it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city," is because by "Sodom and Gomorrah" are meant those who are in evil of life, but who have known nothing of the Lord and the Word, and thus could not receive. From this it can be seen that there is not meant a house or city which would not receive the disciples, but those who are within the church and do not live the life of faith. Everyone can see that a whole city could not be damned because they did not receive the disciples and at once acknowledge the new doctrine which they preached.[3] By the "dust" also which was formerly put on the head when in grief and repentance, is signified that which is damned, as in these passages:The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the earth, they keep silence; they have made dust come up upon their head; they have girded themselves with sackcloth; the virgins of Jerusalem have made their head come down to the earth (Lam. 2:10).They shall cry bitterly, and shall make dust come up upon their heads, they shall roll themselves in the ashes (Ezek. 27:30).Weeping weep not in the house of Aphrah; roll thyself in the dust (Micah 1:10).They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing (Rev. 18:19);and also in the historical parts of the Word throughout. By dust upon the heads, and also by the casting down of the body and of the head to the earth, and there rolling in the dust, was represented humiliation, which when genuine is such that the person acknowledges and perceives himself to be damned, but to be received from damnation by the Lord (n. 2327, 3994, 4347, 5420, 5957).[4] By the "dust" into which the golden calf which they made in the wilderness was beaten and ground, is also signified what is damned, of which we read thus in Moses:I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire and I beat it, grinding it well, even until it was reduced unto dust; and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mountain (Deut. 9:21).By "dust" is also signified what is damned in the following passages:Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Upon thy belly shalt thou walk, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life (Gen. 3:14).Feed Thy people as in the days of eternity, the nations shall see, and blush at all their power, they shall lick the dust like a serpent (Micah 7:14, 16-17).Dust shall be the serpent's meat (Isa. 65:25).Come down, and sit upon the dust, O virgin daughter of Babel (Isa. 47:1).Our soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly hath cleaved to the earth (Ps. 44:25).My soul cleaveth to the dust, quicken Thou me (Ps. 119:25)."Dust" in the Word signifies also the grave, likewise what is lowly, and what is numerous. 7419 And it shall become lice. That this signifies that evils will rise up therefrom,...