Logopraxis

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

4970. Verses 2-6. And Jehovah was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his lord the Egyptian. And his lord saw that Jehovah was with him, and that Jehovah made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his eyes, and he ministered to him; and he set him over his house, and all that he had he gave into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he set him over in his house, and over all that he had, that Jehovah blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of Jehovah was in all that he had, in the house and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was beautiful in form, and beautiful in look. "And Jehovah was with Joseph," signifies that the Divine was in the celestial of the spiritual; "and he was a prosperous man," signifies that all things were provided; "and he was in the house of his lord the Egyptian," signifies that it might be initiated into natural good; "and his lord saw that Jehovah was with him," signifies that it was perceived in natural good that the Divine was therein; "and that Jehovah made all that he did to prosper in his hand," signifies that all things were of the Divine providence; "and Joseph found grace in his eyes," signifies that it was accepted; "and he ministered to him," signifies that the memory-knowledge was appropriated to its good; "and he set him over his house," signifies that good applied itself thereto; "and all that he had he gave into his hand," signifies that all that belonged to it was as it were in its power; "and it came to pass from the time that he set him over in his house, and over all that he had," signifies a second state after good applied itself thereto, and all that belonged to it was as it were in its power; "that Jehovah blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake," signifies that from the Divine it then had the celestial natural; "and the blessing of Jehovah," signifies increase; "was in all that he had, in the house and in the field," signifies in life and in doctrine; "and he left all that he had in Joseph's hand," signifies that it appeared as if all things were in its power; "and he knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which he did eat" signifies that good was thence made its own; "and Joseph was beautiful in form," signifies the good of life thence derived; "and beautiful in look," signifies the truth of faith thence derived.

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4971. And Jehovah was with Joseph. That this signifies that the Divine was in the celestial of the spiritual, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being the celestial of the spiritual from the rational (of which above, n. 4963); and because the subject treated of is the Lord here as to the internal man in His Human - by "Jehovah was with him" is signified that the Divine was therein; for the Divine was in His Human, because He was conceived of Jehovah. In the case of the angels, the Divine is not in them, but is present with them, because they are only forms recipient of the Divine from the Lord.

4972. And he was a prosperous man. That this signifies that all things were provided, is evident from the signification of "being prosperous," when said of the Lord, as being that it was provided, namely, that He should be enriched with all good.

4973. And he was in the house of his lord the Egyptian. That this signifies that it might be initiated into natural good, is evident from the signification of a "lord," as being good, of which presently; and from the signification of an "Egyptian," as being memory-knowledge in general, and hence the natural (see n. 4967). That to be "in a house" is to be initiated, is because a "house" is the mind in which good is (see n. 3538), here the natural mind; and moreover "house" is predicated of good (n. 3652, 3720).

4954. CHAPTER THE THIRTY-NINTH.

In the prefatory remarks to the preceding chapter, the Lord's words in Matthew 25, verses 31 to 33, concerning the Judgment upon the good and the evil were unfolded (see n. 4807-4810). There now come to be unfolded the words which there follow in order, namely:

Then shall the king say to them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and ye gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and ye gathered Me; naked, and ye clothed Me; I was sick, and ye visited Me; I was in prison, and ye came unto Me (Matt. 25:34-36).

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4955. What these words involve in the internal sense will appear from what follows. Be it known in the first place that the works here enumerated are the very works of charity in their order. This no one can see who is not acquainted with the internal sense of the Word, that is, who does not know what is meant by giving the hungry to eat, giving the thirsty to drink, gathering the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and coming unto those who are in prison. He who thinks of these acts from the sense of the letter only, infers that they mean good works in the external form, and that there is nothing secret in them beyond this; and yet there is something secret in each of them, which is Divine, because from the Lord. But the secret is not at this day understood, because at this day there are no doctrinals of charity; for ever since men have separated charity from faith, these doctrinals have perished, and in place of them the doctrinals of faith have been invented and received, which do not at all teach what charity is and what the neighbor. The doctrinals existing among the ancients taught all the genera and all the species of charity, and also who the neighbor is toward whom charity is to be exercised, and how one is the neighbor in a different degree and in a different respect from another, and consequently how the exercise of charity varies in its application toward different persons. They also grouped the neighbor together into classes, and assigned them names, calling some the poor, needy, miserable, afflicted; some the blind, lame, halt, and also fatherless and widows; and others the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, bound, and so on; thus knowing what duty they owed toward one and toward another. But as before said these doctrinals perished, and with them the understanding of the Word, insomuch that no one at this day knows otherwise than that by the "poor," the "widows," and the "fatherless," in the Word, none other are meant than they who are so called; in like manner here by the "hungry," the "thirsty," the "strangers," the "naked," the "sick," and those who are "in prison;" when yet by these charity is described such as it is in its essence, and the exercise of it such as it must be in its life.

4956. The essence of charity toward the neighbor is the affection of good and truth, and the acknowledgment of self as being evil and false; yea, the neighbor is good and truth itself, and to be affected by these is to have charity. The opposite to the neighbor is evil and falsity, which are held in aversion by one who has charity. He therefore who has charity toward the neighbor is affected by good and truth, because they are from the Lord, and holds in aversion what is evil and what is false because these are from self; and when he does this, he is in humiliation from self-acknowledgment, and when he is in humiliation, he is in a state of reception of good and truth from the Lord. These are the characteristics of charity which in the internal sense are involved in these words of the Lord: "I was hungry, and ye gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and ye gathered Me; naked, and ye clothed Me; I was sick,