2768. 'That God tempted Abraham' means the Lord's severest and inmost temptations. This is clear from what follows. Abraham represents, and in the internal sense means, the Lord, as is evident from all that has been said so far where Abraham is the subject. And the fact that the Lord underwent severest and inmost temptations, which are described in the internal sense of this chapter, will be shown below. As regards the words 'God tempted', these are used in accordance with the sense of the letter in which temptations and many other things are attributed to God. But in accordance with the internal sense the truth is that God does not tempt anyone. In times of temptation He is constantly delivering the person from it, as far as possible, that is, as far as the deliverance does no harm, and He constantly has good in view to which He leads the one who is undergoing temptations. For God never consents to temptations with any other objectives.
[2] And although it is said of Him that He permits, this attribution is not made according to man's idea of permission, that is to say, that by permitting He approves Man cannot do other than have the idea that anyone who permits something also wills it. But it is evil residing with man which causes and even leads him into temptation. God is no more the cause of it than a king or a judge is when a person does evil and is therefore punished for it. For anyone who forsakes the laws of Divine order, all of which are those of good and from this of truth, makes himself subject to laws contrary to Divine order, which are those of evil and falsity, and consequently of punishments and torments.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church