6889. Verses 16-20 Go and gather the elders of Israel, and you are to say to them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me - the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - saying, I have certainly visited you and I seen] what has been done to you in Egypt. And I say, I will cause you to come up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite, and the Amorite and the Perizzite, and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey. And they will hear your voice, and you and the elders of Israel are to go in to the king of Egypt, and you are to say to him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has come to meet us; and now let us go, we beg you, a way of three daysa into the wilderness, and let us sacrifice to Jehovah our God. And I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go, not evenb by a strong hand. And I will stretch outc My hand, and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in the midst of it; and after that he will send you away. 'Go and gather the elders of Israel' means those with intelligence in the spiritual Church. 'And you are to say to them' means instruction. 'Jehovah, the God of your fathers' means Him who was the God of the Ancient Church. 'Has appeared to me' means His presence. 'The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob' means the Lord's Divine itself and Divine Human. 'Saying, I have certainly visited you' means His coming to those who belong to the [spiritual] Church. 'And [seen] what has been done to you in Egypt' means the endeavour to bring them into subjection. 'And I say, I will cause you to come up out of the affliction of Egypt' means raising up and delivering from molestation by false factual knowledge.
'To the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite, and the Amorite and the Perizzite, and the Hivite and the Jebusite' means the region of heaven occupied by those steeped in evils and falsities. 'To a land flowing with milk and honey' means where pleasure and delight abound. 'And they will hear your voice' means obedience. 'And you and the elders of Israel are to go in to the king of Egypt' means a communicating to those who are steeped in falsities and engage in molestation. 'And you are to say to him' means influx. 'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has come to meet us' means the Lord's Divine in the Church, and what was commanded by Him. 'And now let us go, we beg you, a way of three days into the wilderness' means a life of truth in a state totally removed from falsities, even though it is led in a state of obscurity. 'And let us sacrifice to Jehovah our God' means thus the worship of the Lord. 'And I know' means foresight. 'That the king of Egypt will not allow you to go' means that falsity will set itself in opposition. 'Not even by a strong hand' means that against them the power of those who belong to the spiritual Church will not be strong enough. 'And I will stretch out My hand' means power from the Divine. 'And strike Egypt with all My wonders' means the means used by Divine power against falsities. 'Which I will do in the midst of it' means which will have a direct effect on them. 'And after that he will send you away' means the driving away of them [of those steeped in falsities], and deliverance [of those guided by truths].
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