9925. 'When he ministers' means while engaged in worship and preaching the gospel. This is clear from the meaning of 'ministering' - when said of Aaron, who represents the Lord - as worship and preaching the gospel. By this worship is meant everything representative of that worship which springs from the good of love and the truths of faith. For worship that springs from these is indeed worship; but worship devoid of them is like the shell without the nut, and like the body without the soul. This is what the worship among the Jewish and Israelite nation was like, since their worship did no more than represent inward things, which are those of love and faith, as has been stated. Even so, the Lord saw to it that such worship should be discerned in the heavens, so that through it a link with mankind might be established, not through inner things but through the correspondences of these with outward things, regarding which, see the places referred to in 9320 (end), 9380. This worship is what is meant by Aaron's ministering.
[2] The reason why preaching the gospel is also meant is that preaching the gospel implies all those things in the Word which have to do with the Lord, and all those in worship which served to represent Him. For preaching the gospel involves declaring the truth about the Lord, about His Coming, and about the things of which He is the author, namely things that belong to salvation and eternal life. And since everything in the Word in its inmost sense has to do solely with the Lord, and also everything in worship served to represent Him, the whole of the Word is the gospel, as likewise was all the worship which was performed in accord with what was commanded in the Word. And since the priests had charge of worship, and also gave instruction, worship and preaching the gospel were meant by their ministry.
