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Genesis 45

Verses 16-20. And the voice was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s brethren have come; and it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, come ye into the land of Canaan; and take your father and your households, and come unto me; and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. And now commanded, this do ye: take you out of the land of Egypt carts for your babes, and for your women, and bring your father, and come. And let not your eye be sparing upon your stuff; because the good of the whole land of Egypt, this is for you.

Arcana Coelestia  

5948. Also let not your eye be sparing upon your stuff. That this signifies that things instrumental are not to be cared for, is evident from the signification of “stuff” or “vessels,” as being things instrumental. That these are not to be cared for is signified by “let not your eye be sparing.” There are things essential, and things instrumental. For an essential to work an effect anywhere, it must have an instrumental whereby to act; for just as an instrumental has been formed, so it acts. For example, the body is the instrumental of its spirit; the external man is the instrumental of the internal; memory-knowledge is the instrumental of truth; and truth is the instrumental of good (n. 3068, 3079); and so on.

[2] In the Word things instrumental are called “vessels;” in the present case “stuff,” because they are said of the migration, thus of the things in the houses. But essential things are called in the Word “things,” and are those which act by means of instrumental things. Thus as interior things act through exterior things, they are relatively essential. By instrumental things not being to be cared for, is meant that these must not be regarded as the end, but essential things; for insofar as instrumental things are regarded as the end, so far essential things withdraw themselves and vanish. Thus if memory-knowledge is regarded as the end, and truths are not cared for, truths at last so vanish away that it cannot be perceived whether there are any truths. Also if truths are regarded as the end, and good is not cared for, good at last so vanishes as not to be. Furthermore, with those who have earthly, or bodily, or worldly things as the end, so that these are their only care, and not heavenly things, heavenly things so vanish away that at last scarcely anything heavenly is acknowledged. These and similar things are what are signified by “let not your eye be sparing upon your stuff.”

[3] But be it known that “essential” and “instrumental” are relative terms; that is, that an essential is so called because it acts by means of another thing as by its instrument or organ. But when another thing acts by means of that which was essential, then this becomes instrumental; and so on. Moreover in the created universe there is not anything essential in itself; this exists solely in the Highest, that is, in the Lord, who, because He is Esse or the Essential in itself, is called “Jehovah” from esse (being). All other things are only instrumental. From all this then it follows that because as before said essential things must be regarded as the end, and not instrumental things, the Lord alone must be so regarded.

5928. As regards the conjunction of good with truths, and the reciprocal conjunction of truths with good, be it known that when good flows into truths and conjoins them with itself, it pours into them good from its own, and by means of its own attaches them to itself, whence comes the conjunction. And as truths thus receive life, it afterward appears as if they act from themselves, when they act reciprocally or react. Nevertheless truths do not act from themselves, but from the good which flows into the good attached by itself to the truths.

The case herein is like the blood vessels in a living body. Truths are as it were the vessels without the blood; but good is as it were the blood; when this pours itself into the vessels which before were empty, it sets them in motion, and also in reciprocal motion, for they have received from the blood a capacity of moving, and as it were life. From all this it is evident how the case is with the conjunction of good with truths, and with the reciprocal conjunction of truths with good.
5937. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph. That this signifies the perception of the natural from the internal celestial, is evident from the signification of “saying” in the historicals of the Word, as being perception (of which often above); from the representation of Pharaoh, as being the natural in general (see n. 5160, 5799); and from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal celestial (n. 5869, 5877). As the celestial which Joseph represents is internal, and the natural which Pharaoh represents is external, therefore the perception is of the natural from the internal celestial, for all perception is from within, and in no case is there any perception of what is interior from without; for whence the influx, thence the perception.

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.