New Church Life January/February 2017 | Page 34

new church life: jan uary/february 2017 challenges as we serve Him. Like the Lord or Abram, what is important to do in the midst of all the troubles is that we must at all times apply the Divine truth in our lives no matter how provoking the circumstances might be, and with the Lord’s help, we can overcome the challenges successfully. Undeniably, the land of Canaan presents a temporary challenge for Abram because of the famine, and it was made possible through the hells to tempt his faith in the Lord. We read: All temptation entails feelings of doubt regarding the Lord’s presence and mercy, regarding salvation, and other things such as these; for people who experience temptation suffer mental distress, even to the point of despair, in which state they are kept for the most part so that at length they may be confirmed in the conviction that all things are subject to the Lord’s mercy, that they are saved through Him alone (Arcana Coelestia 2334) Luckily, the temptation against Abram was over, and he emerged as a better person to accomplish his divine task in the Promised Land. Then Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and gold. And he went on a journey from the south as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. (Genesis 13:1-3). Certainly, Abram upgraded his religious life before he came out of Egypt because, “Abram was very rich in cattle (livestock) signifies the goods with which the Lord was then enriched; in silver, signifies the truths; and in gold, signifies the goods from truths.” (Arcana Coelestia 1549:2) Surprisingly, however, “Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, herds and tents.” (Genesis 13:5) The Heavenly Doctrine tells us: Lot represented things of the senses, by which are meant the external man and the pleasures he derives from sensory things, thus the most external things which usually captivate the mind in childhood and lead it away from the things that are good. For to the extent a person indulges in pleasures arising from evil desires he is drawn away from the celestial things that belong to love and charity. Indeed, present within those pleasures there is love originating in self and in the world, and with those loves celestial love cannot accord. (Arcana Coelestia 1547) It must be noted here that although Abram overcame the temptation of the famine in the Promised Land and the consequences of going to Egypt, yet again one more temptation was about to come his way on account of Lot, who was always travelling with him, due to Lot’s selfishness and materialism of this world. The Word says: Now the land was not able to support them that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. (Genesis 13:6-7) 30