Week 4    Day 1

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The Inheritance of Simeon

Joshua 19:1-9

1 And the second lot came out to Simeon, for the tribe of the sons of Simeon, for their families. And their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah.

2 And they had in their inheritance Beer-sheba and Sheba, and Moladah,

3 and Chazar-shual, and Balah, and Atsem,

4 and Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah,

5 and Ziklag, and Beth-marcaboth, and Chazar-susah,

6 and Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen: thirteen cities and their villages;

7 Ain, Rimmon, and Ether, and Ashan: four cities and their villages;

8 and all the villages that were all around these cities to Baalath-beer, Ramah of the south. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families.

9 From the region of the sons of Judah was the inheritance of the sons of Simeon; for the part of the sons of Judah was too much for them; and the sons of Simeon had their inheritance in the midst of the inheritance of them.

Simeon’s Place in the Camp of Israel

AC 3708:15. They were to encamp around the tent of the congregation with the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun toward the east; with the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad toward the south; with the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin toward the west; and with the tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali toward the north (Num. 2:1 to the end).

The South in Heaven

HH 141. In the world, that is called “the south” where the sun is in its greatest altitude above the earth.... Thus in the world it is from the south that all the quarters are determined.

HH 149. In [this] order the angels in each society in heaven dwell in relation to one another: towards the east are those who are in a greater degree of love and charity, towards the west those who are in lesser degree; towards the south are those who are in greater light of wisdom and intelligence, and towards the north those who are in less.

Judah and Simeon Together

AC 1574:3. After the death of Joshua, the sons of Israel asked of Jehovah, Who shall go up for us first against the Canaanite, to fight against him? And Jehovah said, Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand. And Judah said to Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, and let us fight against the Canaanite; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. And Simeon went with him. And Judah went up; and Jehovah gave the Canaanite and the Perizzite into their hand (Judg. 1:1-4).

Here by “Judah” is represented the Lord as to celestial things, and by “Simeon” as to the derivative spiritual things. “The Canaanite” is evil, and “the Perizzite” falsity, which were overcome.

The Meaning of Simeon Among the First Four Sons Born to Jacob

AC 3863:3. Faith in the understanding is that which is signified by “Reuben;” but faith in the will is what is signified by “Simeon.” That faith in the understanding, or the understanding of truth, precedes faith in the will, or the willing of truth, must be evident to everyone; for when anything is unknown to man (such as heavenly good), he must first know that it exists, and understand what it is, before he can will it.

AC 3869:2. [S]uch is the circle of things in man, that whatever enters by the ear and eye, or by the hearing and sight, passes into his understanding, and through the understanding into the will, and from the will into act. And in like manner the truth of faith first becomes the truth of faith in memory-knowledge; afterwards the truth of faith in the will; and lastly the truth of faith in act, thus charity. Faith in memory-knowledge, or in the understanding, is “Reuben” ... Faith in the will is “Simeon;” and when faith in the will becomes charity, it is “Levi.”

AC 5626. [T]he representation of Simeon... is faith in the will... thus the good of faith, because when the truth of faith passes into the will it becomes the good of faith. For the truth then passes into the man’s life, and when it is there, it is regarded not as something to be known, but as something to be done. Consequently, it changes its essence and becomes actual. Hence it is no longer called truth, but good.

AC 3882. “Reuben” signifies the truth which is the first of regeneration, or of the new birth; this is truth merely as to memory-knowledge, thus it is to know truth. “Simeon” signifies the truth which is the second of regeneration, or of the new birth; this is truth as to the will, thus it is to will truth. “Levi” signifies the truth which is the third of regeneration, or of the new birth; this is truth as to affection, thus it is to be affected with truth, which is the same thing as charity. But “Judah” signifies good, which is the fourth of regeneration, or of the new birth, and this is the celestial of love. When the regenerate man, or he who is born anew, arrives at this stage, the Lord appears to him, for he has then ascended from the lowest step, as by a ladder, up to the step where the Lord is.

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