(AC) - A Disclosure of the Hidden Treasures of Heaven Contained in the Holy Scripture or Word of the Lord, Together with Amazing Things Seen in the World of Spirits and in the Heaven of Angels

AC 2609

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2609. But as regards the Precepts of Life, such as all things in the Decalogue, and many in the Law and the Prophets-these, being of service to man's very life, are of use in both senses, both the literal and the internal. The things contained in the literal sense were for the people and peoples of that period, who did not apprehend internal things; and the things contained in the internal sense were for the angels, who have no care for external things. Unless the precepts of the Decalogue contained internal things also, they would never have been promulgated on Mount Sinai with so great a miracle; for such things as it contains, such as that parents are to be honored, that men must not steal, must not kill, must not commit adultery, must not covet what is another's, are things which the Gentiles also know and have prescribed in their laws; and which the sons of Israel as men must have been well acquainted with, without such a promulgation. But as those precepts were for the service of life, in both senses, and were as external forms produced from internal, that corresponded to each other-this was the reason why they came down out of heaven upon Mount Sinai with so great a miracle, and in their internal sense were uttered and heard in heaven, while in their external sense they were uttered and heard on earth.
[2] Take as an example the promise that they who honor their parents shall have their days prolonged upon the land: by "parents" the angels in heaven perceived the Lord; by the "land," His kingdom, which those who worship Him from love and faith should eternally possess as sons and heirs; whereas by "parents" men on earth understood parents; by "land," the land of Canaan; by the "prolongation of their days," the years of their life. Take again the precept that men must not steal: by this the angels who were in heaven perceived that they should take nothing away from the Lord, and should not claim anything of righteousness and merit for themselves; whereas men on earth understood that they must not steal; from which we can see that these precepts are true in both senses. Take again the precept that men must not kill: by this the angels in heaven perceived that they should not hate anyone, and should not extinguish anything of good and truth with anyone; whereas men on earth understood that their friends must not be killed. The case is the same with all the other precepts.

GENESIS 21

1. And Jehovah visited Sarah, as He had said; and Jehovah did unto Sarah as He had spoken.
2. And Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time, as God had spoken with him.
3. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
4. And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son, a son of eight days, as God had commanded him.
5. And Abraham was a son of a hundred years when Isaac his son was born unto him.
6. And Sarah said, God hath made laughter for me, everyone that heareth will laugh with me.
7. And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, Sarah shall suckle sons? For I have borne a son to his old age.
8. And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast, on the day when he weaned Isaac.
9. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, mocking.
10. And she said unto Abraham, Cast out this handmaid and her son; for the son of this handmaid shall not inherit with my son, with Isaac.
11. And the word was evil exceedingly in the eyes of Abraham, on account of his son.
12. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be evil in thine eyes because of the boy, and because of thine handmaid; all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice, for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
13. And also the son of the handmaid I will make a nation, because he is thy seed.
14. And Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave to Hagar, and put them on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away; and she went and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15. And the water was spent out of the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16. And she went and sat by herself over against him, withdrawing about a bowshot; for she said, Let me not see the death of the child; and she sat over against him; and she lifted up her voice, and wept.
17. And God heard the voice of the child, and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the child where he is.
18. Arise, lift up the child, and strengthen thy hand in him, for I will make him a great nation.
19. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water, and she went and filled the bottle with water, and gave the child drink.
20. And God was with the child, and he grew, and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became a shooter of the bow.
21. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
22. And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army said unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest.
23. And now swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not be false to me, nor to my son, nor to my son's son; according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
24. And Abraham said, I will swear.
25. And Abraham reproved Abimelech, because of the well of water which Abimelech's servants had taken away.
26. And Abimelech said, I know not who hath done this word, neither didst thou tell me, neither heard I of it, but today.
27. And Abraham took flock and herd, and gave to Abimelech, and they two struck a covenant.
28. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What are these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?
30. And he said, Because these seven ewe lambs thou shalt take from my hand, that it may be a witness unto me that I have digged this well.
31. Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there they sware both of them.
32. And they struck a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech rose up, and Phicol the captain of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
33. And he planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the God of eternity.
34. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.

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