n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 3
This then sets the scene and defines the context of what follows. Jericho, as
a major fortified city, represents a church that is in the knowledge of good and
truth. The special emphasis with Jericho is that it represents a church where
the people used the knowledge they had from the Word to do “the good of
truth” which is the same as “the good of life.” (Apocalypse Explained 458)
The situation with the bad water teaches that even in a good church like
the one represented by Jericho, there are alternating states. There are times
when people temporarily lose track of where they are trying to go, and then it
seems to them that although they know intellectually that the city/the church
is a good place, the water is bad and the land is barren – there is confusion and
tension.
Elisha showed them (and us) that this is not really a serious problem and
it can be solved quite easily and quickly by the application of a little bit of salt.
Just as natural salt is pleasant when added to food, but painful when used to
sterilize a wound, the use of spiritual salt has two aspects as well. As we read
above, salt can represent the “longing of truth for good” which sounds like
something that is pretty nice. But remember, if you are in a good state, if you
are already doing what you know you should, your truth will not be longing
for good!
So, it becomes clear that you are in that state in the first place because
there is something interfering with the process, and that something has to be
removed. The removal of evil states or spheres that interfere with and prevent
people from doing what they know to be good is called a “vastation” and is
represented by salt. (See Arcana Coelestia 2455)
Rubbing salt in a wound is a painful thing, and even if it causes a patient
to avoid a terrible infection, he rarely thanks you for the pain. So, although
Elisha brought healing to the people of Jericho, not everyone there appreciated
it – which leads us to the next part of the story.
The human mind is designed to develop in a certain way: we begin as
children in a state of natural good. Then, through education, we learn truths
from many sources and begin to use them to define our lives. As this process
is refined, and the truth becomes less important to us than the good that it can
do to others, we come into a “celestial” state, where good rules.
Here we see this series described by Elisha moving from Gilgal, or natural
good, to Jericho, or spiritual good, to Bethel (which means “House of God” in
Hebrew), and which represents celestial good, or charity. (See Arcana Coelestia
1451, 1453:2) But before he can get to Bethel, he is accosted by some youths
from Jericho.
Arcana Coelestia 6766 teaches us that youths represent those who are in the
early stages of regeneration. In these youthful states, we are able to discriminate
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