200. (iii) IT IS THE SPIRITUAL SENSE WHICH MAKES THE WORD DIVINELY INSPIRED AND HOLY IN EVERY WORD.
People in the church say that the Word is holy, and that this is because the Lord Jehovah spoke it. But because its holiness is not apparent in the literal sense by itself, if anyone for this reason once begins to doubt its holiness, he finds, when he subsequently reads the Word, much there to support his belief; for he says to himself: 'Surely this cannot be holy? Surely this is not Divine.' Therefore, to prevent this way of thinking from affecting a large number of people and then becoming prevalent, so that the Word would be rejected as a worthless book and the link it makes between such a person and the Lord would be broken, it is the Lord's good pleasure now to reveal its spiritual sense, in order that it may be known where the Divine holiness is hidden within it. Let us take examples to illustrate this.
At various places in the Word there is talk of Egypt, Assyria, Edom, Moab, the Children of Ammon, the Philistines, Tyre and Sidon, and Gog. Anyone who does not know that their names stand for matters that relate to heaven and the church, may be led into the erroneous belief that the Word has much to say about peoples and nations, and only a little about heaven and the church, much, that is, on worldly subjects and little on heavenly ones. But when he knows what is meant by these peoples or their names, he can be rescued from his error and brought back to the true belief.
[2] It is similar when one sees in the Word so many mentions of a garden, a grove, a wood, or the trees in them, such as the olive, the vine, the cedar, the poplar or the oak; or so many mentions of the lamb, the sheep, the goat, the calf or the ox; or of mountains, hills, valleys and the springs, rivers and waters in them, or many other similar things. Anyone who knows nothing of the spiritual sense of the Word cannot help thinking that it is merely these things which are intended. For he is unaware that garden, grove and wood mean wisdom, intelligence and knowledge, or that olive, vine, cedar, poplar and oak mean the good and truth of the church in their celestial, spiritual, rational, natural and sensual forms. Nor does he know that lamb, sheep, goat, calf and ox mean innocence, charity and natural affection; or that mountains, hills and valleys mean the highest, lower and lowest elements in the church.
[3] Nor does he know that Egypt means factual knowledge, Assyria the faculty of reason, Edom the natural level, Moab the adulteration of good, the Children of Ammon the adulteration of truth, the Philistines faith without charity, Tyre and Sidon the knowledge of good and of truth, Gog external worship without any internal. In general, Jacob in the Word means the natural church, Israel the spiritual church, Judah the celestial church. When one knows all these meanings, it is possible to reflect that the Word speaks only of heavenly matters, and those worldly matters are merely the underlying supports for the others. Let us take an example from the Word to illustrate this point too.
[4] We read in Isaiah:
On that day there shall be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, so that Assyria may come to Egypt and Egypt to Assyria, and the Egyptians may serve with Assyria. On that day Israel shall be a third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth; and Jehovah Zebaoth shall bless them, saying, Blessed is Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance, Isaiah 19:23-25.
In the spiritual sense this passage means that at the time of the Lord's coming factual knowledge, the faculty of reason and the spiritual will make one; and factual knowledge will then serve the faculty of reason and both of these will serve the spiritual. For, as said before, Egypt means factual knowledge, Assyria the faculty of reason and Israel the spiritual. The twice repeated mention of the day refers to the Lord's first and second comings.
