527. 'And to those fearing Thy Name, the small and the great' signifies who love the things that are the Lord's in a lesser or a greater degree. By 'to fear the Lord's Name' is signified to love the things that are the Lord's. By 'to fear' is signified to love, and by 'the Lord's Name' are signified all the things by means of which He is worshipped (n. 81). By 'the small and the great' are signified those who fear the Lord in a lesser or greater degree. 'To fear' here signifies to love, because everyone who loves also fears to do evil to him whom he loves. A genuine love is not given without that fear. Accordingly he who loves the Lord fears to do evil things because evil things are against Him, for they are against His Divine laws in the Word, which is from Himself, thus is Himself. In fact they are against His Divine Essence, which is that He wills to save all, for He is the Saviour, and He cannot save a man unless he lives in accordance with His laws and precepts. And, what is more, he who loves evils also loves to do evil to the Lord, even to crucify Him. This lies inmostly hidden in every evil, even with those who in the world make oral confession of Him. That this is the case is unknown to men but is very well known to angels. [2] That 'to fear God' signifies to love the things that are of God by doing them, and not willing to do those that are against Him, is plain from these passages:-
What does Jehovah God seek from thee, except that thou shouldest fear Jehovah thy God, to go in all His ways, and to love Him? Deut. x 12.
You shall go after Jehovah your God, and Him shall you fear, that you may keep His precepts Deut. xiii 4 [H.B. 5].
Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God, Him shalt thou serve, and shalt cleave to Him Deut. x 20; vi 2, 13, 14, 24; viii 6; xvii 19; xxviii 58; xxxi 12.
Who shall grant that they may have a heart for fearing Me, and for keeping My precepts? Deut. v 29 [H.B. 26].
Teach me Thy way, O Jehovah, unite my heart to the fear of Thy Name Ps. lxxxvi 11.
Blessed is he fearing Jehovah, who walks in His ways Ps. cxxviii 1; cxii 1; Jer. xliv 10.
If I am the Father, where is My honour? If I am the Lord, where is the fear of me? Mal i 6; ii 5; Isa. xi 2, 3.
I will give them one heart, and one way to fear Me, and I will give My fear in their heart, that they may not go back from with Me (ab apud Me) Jer. xxxii 39, 40.
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Jehovah Ps. cxi 10.
Besides elsewhere, as Isa. viii 13; xxv 3; xxix 13; l 10; Jer. xxxiii 9; Ps. xxii 23 [H.B. 24]; xxxiii 8, 18; xxxiv 7, 9 [H.B. 8, 10]; lv 19 [H.B. 20]; cxv 10, 11; cxlvii 11; Rev. xiv 7; Luke i 50. But the fear of God in the case of the evil is not love but a fear of hell.
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