118. And poverty, but thou art rich, signifies the acknowledgment that they know nothing from themselves. This is evident from the signification of "poverty," as being the acknowledgment of heart that they know nothing from themselves (of which presently); and from the signification of "but thou art rich," as being the affection of spiritual truth (of which also presently). That by "poverty" spiritual poverty is here meant, and that by "thou art rich" is meant to be spiritually rich, is clear, since these things are said to the church. To be spiritually poor, and yet to be rich, is to acknowledge in heart that one has no knowledge nor understanding nor wisdom from himself, but that he knows, understands, and is wise wholly from the Lord. In such acknowledgment are all the angels of heaven, wherefore they are also intelligent and wise, and this in the same degree in which they are in the acknowledgment and perception that this is the case. For they know and perceive that nothing of the truth that is called the truth of faith, and nothing of the good that is called the good of love, is from themselves, but that these are from the Lord; they also know and perceive that all things that they understand and in which they are wise have reference to the truth of faith and to the good of love; and from this again they know that all their intelligence and wisdom is from the Lord; and because they know and acknowledge this, and also wish and love it to be so, Divine truth from which are all intelligence and wisdom continually flows in from the Lord, and this they receive in the measure in which they are affected by it, that is, love it. But, on the other hand, the spirits of hell believe that all things which they think and will, and thence speak and do, are from themselves, and nothing from God; for they do not believe in a Divine; consequently, instead of intelligence and wisdom they have insanity and folly, for they think contrary to truth, and will contrary to good, and this is to be insane and foolish. Every man who is in the love of self does the same; he cannot do otherwise than attribute all things to self, because he looks only to self; and because he does this he is not in any acknowledgment that all intelligence and wisdom are from the Lord; consequently, when such persons think with themselves, they think contrary to the truths and goods of the church and of heaven, although when speaking with men they talk otherwise, from a fear of losing their reputation. [2] From this it can be known what "poverty" in the spiritual sense means. He who is spiritually poor is nevertheless rich, because he is in the spiritual affection of truth; for into this affection intelligence and wisdom from the Lord flow; for everyone's affection receives and imbibes things congenial to it, as a sponge does water; therefore the spiritual affection of truth receives and imbibes spiritual truths, which are the truths of the church, from the Word. The spiritual affection of truth has no other source than the Lord, because the Lord is Divine truth in heaven and in the church, for Divine truth proceeds from Him. And as the Lord loves to lead everyone to Himself, and to save him, and this He can do only by the knowledges of good and truth from the Word, so the Lord loves to impart these to man, and make them of his life, for in this way and no other can He lead man to Himself and save him. From this it is manifest that all spiritual affection of truth is from the Lord, and that no one can be in that affection unless he acknowledges the Divine of the Lord in His Human, for by such acknowledgment there is conjunction, and according to conjunction there is reception. (On this more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, where it treats of The Wisdom of the Angels of Heaven, n. 265-275; and of The Wise and the Simple in Heaven, n. 346-356, and elsewhere in the same work, n. 13, 19, 25, 26, 133, 139, 140, 205, 297, 422, 523, 603; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 11-27; and above, in the explanation of Revelation, n. 6, 59, 112, 115, 117. [3] In the Word, "the poor and needy" are mentioned here and there, also the "hungry and thirsty." By "the poor and needy" are signified those who believe that of themselves they know nothing; and also those who are destitute of knowledge because they have not the Word; and by the "hungry and thirsty" are signified those who continually long for truths, and long to be perfected by means of truths. These two classes are meant by the "poor," the "needy," the "hungry," and the "thirsty," in the following passages:
Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled (Matt. 5:3, 6). Blessed are the poor; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are ye that hunger; for ye shall be filled (Luke 6:20, 21). To the poor the Gospel shall be preached, and the poor hear the Gospel (Luke 7:22; Matt. 11:5). The master of the house said to the servant that he should go out into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor (Luke 14:21). Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down with confidence (Isa. 14:30). I was an hungered and ye gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me to drink (Matt. 25:35). The poor and the needy seek water, and there is none, their tongue faileth for thirst, I, Jehovah, will answer them. I will open rivers on the heights, and fountains will I place in the midst of the valleys (Isa. 41:17-18).
From this last passage it is clear that the "poor and needy" are those who long for the knowledges of good and truth, for the "water" that such seek is truth. (That "water" is the truth of faith, see above, n. 71.) Their longing is here described by "their tongue fainting for thirst," and the abundance they are to have by "rivers being opened on the heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys." [4] Those who do not know that by the "rich" are signified those who have the Word and who thence can be in the knowledges of truth and good, and that by the "poor" are signified those who have not the Word, and yet long for truths, know no other than that by the "rich man" in Luke (16:19 seq.) "who was clothed in purple and fine linen," are meant the rich in the world, and that by the "poor man" who "was laid at his gate, and desired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table," are meant the poor in this world. But by the "rich man" there the Jewish nation is meant, which had the Word, and might from it have been in the knowledges of truth and good; and by the "poor man" are there meant the Gentiles that had not the Word and yet longed for the knowledges of truth and good. The rich man is described as "clothed with purple and fine linen," because "purple" signifies genuine good (Arcana Coelestia, n. 9467), and the "fine linen" genuine truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 5319, 9469, 9596, 9744), both from the Word. The poor man is described as "laid at the rich man's gate, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table," because by "to be laid at the gate" is meant to be rejected, and to be deprived of the opportunity to read and understand the Word; and "wishing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table" means to long for some truths from the Word, for "food" signifies the things of knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom and in general, good and truth (Arcana Coelestia, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 5655, 8562, 9003); and "table" signifies a receptacle for these (Arcana Coelestia, n. 9527). As the poor man was in that longing, which is the same as the spiritual affection of truth, it is said of him that "he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom," by which is signified to be raised into an angelic state in respect to intelligence and wisdom; "Abraham's bosom" is the Divine truth that is in heaven, for those who are in that are with the Lord. (That "Abraham" in the Word signifies the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2010, 2833, 2836, 3245, 3251, 3305, 3439, 3703, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847.) [5] The like that is signified here by the "rich man" and the "poor man who hungered" is signified by the "rich" and the "hungry" in Luke:
The hungry He hath filled with good, and the rich He hath sent empty away (Luke 1:53). (That by "riches" in the Word are meant spiritual riches, which are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1694, 4508, 10227; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 365; and in a contrary sense, the knowledges of what is false and evil, which are confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word, Arcana Coelestia, n. 1694.) That "riches" in the Word signify the knowledges of truth and good, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, is from correspondence; for with the angels in heaven all things appear as if refulgent with gold, and silver, and precious stones; and this so far as they are in the intelligence of truth and in the wisdom of good. Also with the spirits who are below the heavens there are riches in appearance according to the reception of truth and good from the Lord with them.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church