243. 3. The Israelites worshiped a golden calf in the wilderness and acknowledged it as the God who had led them out of the land of Egypt, while God was watching from nearby Mount Sinai and doing nothing to prevent it. This happened in the wilderness of Sinai near the mountain. The fact that Jehovah did not dissuade them from this outrageous worship is in keeping with all the laws of divine providence, both those already mentioned and those that will follow. They were allowed this evil to keep them all from destruction. That is, the Israelites had been led out of Egypt in order to portray the Lord's church, and they could not portray it until Egyptian idolatry had been uprooted from their hearts. This could not be accomplished unless they were given room to act out what was in their hearts and get rid of it because of severe punishment.

Further meanings of this worship, including the threat of total rejection and the raising up of a new nation by Moses, may be found in the discussion of Exodus 22 [32] in Secrets of Heaven [Arcana Coelestia 10393-10512], where these subjects are discussed.