1. The Sacred Scripture, or Word, Is Divine Truth Itself

Everyone says that the Word comes from God, is Divinely inspired, and so is holy. But even so, no one has known before this wherein the Divinity in it lies. For in its letter the Word appears as though written in the ordinary way, in a foreign style, neither as sublime or nor as lucid as writings of the present age seem to be.

As a result, a person who worships nature as God, or in preference to God, and so thinks prompted by self and his own self-interest, and not prompted by heaven in response to the Lord, may easily fall into error regarding the Word, and into scorning it, and when reading it, saying to himself, “What is this? What is that? Is this Divine? Can God, whose wisdom is infinite, speak so? Where is the holiness in it, and what makes it holy, other than some teaching of religion and so conviction?”

16. Without the spiritual sense no one would know why the prophet Jeremiah was commanded to buy himself a sash and put it around his waist, not to drag it through water, and to hide it in a hole in the rock by the Euphrates (Jeremiah 13:1-7).

Or why the prophet Isaiah was commanded to loose the sackcloth from upon his loins and put off the sandals upon his feet, and to go naked and barefoot three years (Isaiah 20:2-3).

Or why the prophet Ezekiel was commanded to pass a razor over his head and his beard, and then to divide the hair, burn a third part in the midst of the city, strike a third part with a sword, and scatter a third part in the wind, and to bind a few of the hairs in the edges of his garment, and finally throw them into the midst of the fire (Ezekiel 5:1-4).

Or why the same prophet was commanded to lie three hundred and ninety days on his left side and forty days on his right side, and to make himself bread of wheat, barley, millet and spelt mixed with cow dung and eat it; and in the meantime to put up a wall and a mound against Jerusalem and lay siege to it (Ezekiel 4:1-15).

Or why the prophet Hosea was twice commanded to take to himself a harlot as a wife (Hosea 1:2-9, 3:2-3).

And many other passages of a similar kind.

[2] Furthermore, without the spiritual sense, who would know the symbolic meanings of everything connected with the Tabernacle, such as the ark, the mercy seat, the cherubim, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the showbread upon the table, and the Tabernacle’s veils and curtains?

Without the spiritual sense, who would know the symbolic meanings of Aaron’s holy vestments — of his tunic, robe, ephod, urim and thummim, turban, and more?

Without the spiritual sense, who would know the symbolic meanings of all the commandments regarding the whole burnt offerings, other burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings? Or regarding the sabbaths and feasts?

The truth is that not the least of these particulars was commanded that did not symbolize something having to do with the Lord, heaven and the church.

It may be plainly seen from these few examples that there is a spiritual meaning present in each and every constituent of the Word.