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.

32. 2. Our nature from creation enables us to be more and more closely united to the Lord. Support for this may be found in the material about levels in part 3 of Divine Love and Wisdom, particularly on the following points. There are three distinct or vertical levels in us from creation (Divine Love and Wisdom 230-235). These three levels exist in each of us from birth and can be opened. As they are opened, we are in the Lord and the Lord is in us (Divine Love and Wisdom 236-241). All processes of perfection increase and rise by and according to levels (Divine Love and Wisdom 199-204). We can see from this that the nature we have from creation enables us to be united to the Lord more and more closely, level by level.

[2] It is vital, however, that we know what these levels are. There are two kinds, distinct or vertical and gradual or horizontal, and it is vital to know how they differ. All of us have the three distinct or vertical levels within us by creation and therefore from birth. We become involved in the first level, the one called "earthly," when we are born, and we can gradually expand this level within us until we become rational. We become involved in the second level, the one called "spiritual," if we live by the spiritual laws of the divine design, laws that are divine as to their truth; and we can also become involved in the third level, the one called "heavenly," if we live by the heavenly laws of the divine design, laws that are divine as to their goodness.

[3] The Lord opens these levels within us depending on the way we live. This is really happening in this world, but not so that we can sense or feel it until after we leave this world. As the levels are then opened and perfected, we are more and more closely united to the Lord. This union can intensify to eternity as we grow closer; for angels it actually does keep intensifying to eternity. Still, no angel can enter into the first level of the Lord's love and wisdom or reach its boundary, because the Lord is infinite and angels are finite, and there is no ratio between what is infinite and what is finite.

Since a knowledge of these levels is necessary for understanding the human condition and the way it is raised and brought closer to the Lord, I dealt with this specifically in Divine Love and Wisdom 173-281, to which you may refer.