Week 2
Day 2

    Listen:

Psalms about the Lord’s Advent

“Jehovah will hear when I call to Him.”

Psalm 4

To the victor, on neginoth¹; a psalm of David.

When I call, answer me, O God of my justice;

In adversity², Thou hast enlarged for me;

Be gracious to me,

And hear my prayer.

Sons of a man, until when shall My glory be for humiliation?

Will you love emptiness, will you seek a lie? Selah.

But know that Jehovah has set apart the merciful one for Himself;

Jehovah will hear when I call to Him.

Tremble ye and do not sin;

Talk in your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.

Sacrifice sacrifices of justice,

And trust ye to Jehovah.

Many are saying, Who will show us good?

Lift Thou up the light of Thy face upon us, O Jehovah.

Thou hast put gladness in my heart,

More than in the time when their grain and their must³ are multiplied.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

For Thou, Jehovah, alone makest me to dwell securely.

The coming of the Lord

AC 9405:2. In the internal sense of the Word, the Lord alone and His kingdom and church are treated of. From this comes the holiness of the Word, and also the coming and presence of the Lord with those who... while reading the Word do not look to themselves, but to Him and the neighbor, that is, to the good of one’s fellow citizen, of our country, of the church, and of heaven.... The reason is that those who look to the Lord allow themselves to be raised by Him into the light of heaven; whereas those who look to themselves do not let themselves be raised, for they keep their view fixed on themselves and the world. From this it can be seen what is meant by seeing the Lord in the Word.

“When I call, answer me.”

AE 471:2. ...The expression “to answer” frequently occurs in the Word, and it signifies, in reference to the Lord, influx, inspiration, perception, and information, likewise mercy and aid.... “To answer” means not to answer but to flow into the thought, to give perception, and to give help from compassion. From this it is that “answers,” in reference to the Lord, signify perceptions from influx. It is to be noted that whatever comes from the Lord into the perception is called influx.

“Lift Thou up the light of Thy face upon us, O Jehovah.”

AE 42:3. “The light of the faces” of Jehovah or of the Lord means Divine truth from Divine love, and intelligence and wisdom from it, for both angels and men have all their intelligence and wisdom from Divine truth, or the Divine light in the heavens. Therefore “make Thy faces to shine upon us,” “lift up the light of Thy faces upon us,” and “cause Thy faces to shine” signify to enlighten in Divine truth, and to bestow intelligence and wisdom.

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep.”

AR 306. By “peace” are signified all things in their aggregate which are from the Lord, and thence all things of heaven and the church, and the happiness of life in them; these are of peace in the highest or inmost sense. It follows therefore that “peace” is charity, spiritual security, and internal rest. For when man is in the Lord, he is in peace with his neighbor, which is charity; in protection against the hells, which is spiritual security; and when he is in peace with his neighbor, and in protection against the hells, he is in internal rest from evils and falsities. (See also AC 3696.)

¹musical instruments (see AC 8337:5) which were strummed

²Or “tightness, confinedness”

³“Must” is grape juice that has not yet been fermented into wine.

⁴No topic number is given for these verses.

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