ABRAHAM >> The Lord as to Rational Good
SARAH >> The Lord as to Rational Truth

  Abraham and Sarah were old. That this signifies the Human with the Lord, that it should be put off, is evident from the representation of Abraham and of Sarah; as also    from  the signification of the "old," or of "old age." Abraham here represents the Lord as to rational good, and Sarah represents the Lord as to rational truth, as has been said repeatedly in this chapter; thus each here represents the Human with the Lord, for the reason, as before said, that Jehovah was now present and spoke with Abraham; and Jehovah was the Lord's Divine itself, not separate from Him, although it is presented as separate in the historical representatives, for by means of historical things it cannot be represented otherwise. But as regards its being said that "Abraham and Sarah were old," signifying that that human should be put off-"old age" involves nothing else than the last time. "Old age" is mentioned in various places in the Word, as also that men "died;" but in the internal sense no old age, or death, such as those of the body, are ever perceived; but something else that is evident from the series of things; for in the other life old age and death are unknown. What is here meant is evident, as before said, from the series of things, namely, that the Lord was to put off the human. [AC 2198]

And Abraham added, and took a woman. That this signifies another state of the Lord, whom Abraham represents, and that Abraham and Sarah represented the Lord as to the Divine celestial, and Abraham and Keturah as to the Divine spiritual, is evident from the things hitherto said and shown concerning Abraham and Sarah his wife, and from those here related concerning Abraham and Keturah. But as it is said that Abraham here represents another state of the Lord, and that Abraham and Sarah represented the Lord as to the Divine celestial, but Abraham and Keturah the Lord as to the Divine spiritual, it should be known what the Divine celestial is, and what the Divine spiritual.

 [2] The Divine celestial and the Divine spiritual are such in respect to those who receive the Divine of the Lord, for the Lord appears to everyone according to the nature of him who receives, as may be seen from what has been said above (n. 1838, 1861), and is clearly manifest from the fact that the Lord appears in one way to the celestial, but in another to the spiritual; for to the celestial He appears as a sun, but to the spiritual as a moon (n. 1529-1531, 1838). The Lord appears to the celestial as a sun, because they are in celestial love, that is, in love to the Lord; but to the spiritual as a moon, because they are in spiritual love, that is, in charity toward the neighbor. The difference is like that between the light of the sun in the daytime and the light of the moon by night; it is also like the difference between the heat of the one and the heat of the other, from which springs vegetation. This is what is meant in the first chapter of Genesis by the words:
And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night (Gen. 1:16).

 [3] Speaking generally, the Lord's kingdom is both celestial and spiritual; that is, it consists of those who are celestial, and of those who are spiritual. And it is because the Divine of the Lord appears to the celestial as celestial, and to the spiritual as spiritual, that it is here said that Abraham and Sarah represented the Lord as to the Divine celestial, and that Abraham and Keturah represented Him as to the Divine spiritual. But as scarcely any know what the celestial is and what the spiritual, or who the celestial and the spiritual are, see what has already been said and shown concerning them, namely: What the celestial is, and what the spiritual (n. 1155, 1577, 1824, 2048, 2184, 2227, 2507): Who are celestial and who are spiritual (n. 2088, 2669, 2708, 2715): That the celestial man is a likeness of the Lord and does good from love, and the spiritual man is an image of the Lord and does good from faith (n. 50-52, 1013): That the celestial perceive truth from good, and that they never reason concerning truth (n. 202, 337, 607, 895, 1121, 2715): That in the celestial man good is implanted in his will part, but in the spiritual man it is implanted in his intellectual part, and that in this part a new will is created in those who are spiritual (n. 863, 875, 895, 897, 927, 1023, 1043, 1044, 2256): That the celestial from good itself see indefinite things, but that the spiritual, because they reason whether a thing is so, cannot attain to the first boundary of the light of the celestial (n. 2718): That the spiritual are in relative obscurity (n. 1043, 2708, 2715): That the Lord came into the world in order to save the spiritual (n. 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834).
[AC 3235]

That Abraham here represents the Lord as to Divine good spiritual, and his woman as to Divine truth adjoined to this good, is evident from what has been said before concerning husbands and wives, namely, that the husband represents good and the wife truth (as Abraham and Sarah heretofore, n. 1468, 1901, 2063, 2065, 2172, 2173, 2198, 2904; and as Isaac and Rebekah in the preceding chapter, n. 3077). The reason why the husband represents good, and the wife truth, is that the church is compared to a marriage, and also is the marriage of good and truth. Good is what the husband represents, because it is in the first place; but truth is what the wife represents, because it is in the second place; therefore also in the Word the Lord is called a "bridegroom," a "man" [vir], a "husband"; and the church is called a "bride," a "woman," a "wife." [2] What spiritual good is, and what the spiritual truth adjoined to this good, may be seen from the passages cited immediately above (n. 3235). Spiritual good in man is in general what is called the good of faith, and this is no other than charity toward the neighbor; but in order that it may be charity, it must come from the new will with which the spiritual man is gifted by the Lord. The spiritual truth adjoined to this good is what is called the truth of faith, and this is no other than that which regards charity first as the end for the sake of which it exists; and afterwards as the beginning from which it proceeds; but in order that it may be the truth of faith to the spiritual man, or faith, it must come from the new understanding with which he is gifted by the Lord; and the new understanding must have its light from the new will. [AC3236]

Author: EMANUEL SWEDENBORG