Week 2    Day 1

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Caleb Inherits Hebron

Joshua 14:6-15

6 And the sons of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal; and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezzite said to him, Thou knowest the word that Jehovah spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning thee in Kadesh-barnea.

7 A son of forty years was I when Moses the servant of Jehovah sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land; and I returned him the word as it was with my heart.

8 And my brothers that went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I fully followed after Jehovah my God.

9 And Moses promised in that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy foot has trodden shall be for an inheritance to thee and to thy sons even to eternity; for thou hast fully followed after Jehovah thy God.

10 And now, behold, Jehovah has caused me to live, as He spoke, these forty and five years since Jehovah spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness; and now, behold, I am today a son of five and eighty years.

11 As yet I am as strong today as in the day that Moses sent me; as my power was then, so is my power now, for war, and to go out and to come in.

12 And now, give me this mountain, of which Jehovah spoke in that day; for thou heardest in that day that the Anakim were there, and the cities are great and fortified; perhaps Jehovah will be with me, and I shall dispossess them as Jehovah spoke.

13 And Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.

14 Therefore Hebron became an inheritance for Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezzite even to this day, because he had fully followed after Jehovah, the God of Israel.

15 And the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba; he was the great man among the Anakim. And the land had quiet from war.

AC 2909. In Kiriath-arba, the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. That this signifies in the church, is evident from the signification of “Kiriath-arba,” as being the church as to truth; and from the signification of “Hebron in the land of Canaan,” as being the church as to good. In the Word, and especially in the prophetical parts, where truth is treated of, good is treated of also, because of the heavenly marriage in everything of the Word... Therefore here, when Kiriath-arba is mentioned, it is also said, “the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.” (That the “land of Canaan” denotes the Lord’s kingdom, may be seen above... also that the places in that land were variously representative....

[2] In regard to Kiriath-arba which is Hebron, it was the region where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dwelt. That Abraham dwelt there, appears from what was said in a preceding chapter: “Abraham came and dwelt in Mamre, which is in Hebron” (Gen. 13:18). That Isaac dwelt there, appears from what is said in a later chapter: “Jacob came unto Isaac his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath-arba, the same is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned” (Gen. 35:27). That Jacob dwelt there is evident from Joseph being sent to his brothers by Jacob his father from the valley of Hebron (Gen. 37:14). From the representation of the three, as spoken of above, it is plain that Kiriath-arba which is Hebron, represented the church before Jerusalem did.

[3] That every church in process of time decreases, until it has nothing left of faith and charity, and then is destroyed, was also represented by Kiriath-arba which is Hebron, in its being possessed by the Anakim, by whom were signified dire persuasions of falsity (n. 581, 1673). That it was possessed by the Anakim, may be seen in several places (Num. 13:21, 22; Josh. 11:21; 14:15; 15:13, 14; Judges 1:10); and that it came to its end or consummation and was destroyed, was represented by all things in it being given by Joshua to the curse (Josh. 10:36, 37; 11:21); and the Anakim being smitten by Judah and Caleb (Judges 1:10; Josh. 14:13-15; 15:13, 14). And that there was again a new church, was represented by Hebron being assigned to Caleb for an inheritance, as to field and villages (Josh. 21:12); but the city itself was made a city of refuge (Josh. 20:7; 21:13); and a priestly city for the sons of Aaron (Josh. 21:10, 11), in the inheritance of Judah (Josh. 15:54).

[4] Hence it is evident that Hebron represented the Lord’s spiritual church in the land of Canaan. And likewise on this account David was required by the command of Jehovah to go to Hebron, and was there anointed to be king over the house of Judah. And after he had reigned there seven years and six months, he went to Jerusalem and took possession of Zion (see 2 Sam. 2:1-11; 5:5; 1 Kings 2:11); and then for the first time the spiritual church of the Lord began to be represented by Jerusalem, and the celestial church by Zion.

SD 4853. Concerning Good Dogs. In my sleep, there was with me a dog, which I seemed to lead by a cord. He was lively and energetic, and sometimes drank a lot. Having woken up, I was instructed that such dogs are appetites for speaking and teaching such things as pertain to doctrine. In a word, when the appetites are good, the dogs are good, and when evil, the dogs are [or signify] evil.

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