1306. That 'a tower' means worship of self is clear from the meaning of 'a tower'. It is worship of self when a person sets himself up above everybody else even to the point of his being worshipped. Consequently self-love, which is pride and arrogance, is called height, loftiness, and exaltedness, and everything high is used to describe it, as in Isaiah,
The eyes of man's (homo) loftiness will be humbled, and the height of men (vir) brought low, and Jehovah alone will be exalted on that day, for the day of Jehovah Zebaoth will be against everyone that is lofty and high, and against everyone that is lifted up. and he will be humbled, and against all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up and against all the oaks of Bashan, and against all high mountains, and against all hills that are lifted up, and against every lofty tower and against every fortified wall. Isa 2:11-18.
This refers to self-love, described by the cedars, oaks, mountains, hills, and tower that are high and exalted.
[2] In the same prophet,
There will be brooks, streams of water, on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Isa 30:25.
Here likewise 'tower' stands for self-love and for exaltedness in worship. In the same prophet,
Behold, the land of the Chaldeans! This people was not. Asshur founded her in tziim.Notes
a They will erect their watch-towers; they will raise up her palaces, he will make her into a ruin. Isa 23:13.
This refers to Tyre and laying it waste. 'Watch-towers', a different expression from 'towers', stands for resulting delusions. In Ezekiel,
I will cause many nations to come up against Tyre, and they will break down the walls of Tyre, and destroy her towers, and I will scrape her dust from her and make her a bare rock. Ezek 26:3, 4.
Here likewise 'towers' has the same meaning.
[3] The reason why self-love in worship, or worship of self, is called 'a tower' is that 'a city' means doctrine, as shown already in 402, and cities in former times were fortified by towers with watchmen in them. Towers were also placed on their borders, and they were therefore called towers for watchmen, 2 Kings 9:17; 17:9; 18:8, and watchtowers, Isa. 23:13. In addition, when the Lord's Church is compared to a vineyard, things of worship and also the preservation of it are compared to a winepress and to 'a tower in the vineyard', as is clear in Isa. 5:1, 2; Matt. 21:33; Mark 12:1.
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