9373. Come up unto Jehovah. That this signifies conjunction with the Lord, is evident from the signification of “coming up,” as being to be raised toward interior things (see n. 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007), consequently also to be conjoined (n. 8760). That it denotes conjunction with the Lord, is because by “Jehovah” in the Word is meant the the Lord, (n. 1343, 1736, 1793, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2921, 3023, 3035, 5663, 6280, 6303, 6905, 8274, 8864, 9315). A secret which also lies hidden in the internal sense of these words, is that the sons of Jacob, over whom Moses was the head, were not called and chosen; but they themselves insisted that Divine worship should be instituted among them (according to wh at has been said in n. 4290, 4293); and therefore it is here said, “and He said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah,” as if not Jehovah, but another, had said that he should come up. For the same reason in what follows it is said that “the people should not go up” (verse 2); and that “Jehovah sent not His hand unto the sons of Israel who were set apart” (verse 11); and that “the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the sons of Israel” (verse 17); and lastly that Moses, being called the seventh day, “entered into the midst of the cloud.” For by “the cloud” is meant the Word in the letter (n. 5922, 6343, 6752, 6832, 8106, 8443, 8781); and with the sons of Jacob the Word was separated from its internal sense, because they were in external worship without internal, as can be clearly seen from the fact that now, as before, they said, “all the words which Jehovah hath spoken we will do” (verse 3); and yet scarcely forty days afterward they worshiped a golden calf instead of Jehovah; which shows that this was hidden in their hearts while they were saying with their lips that they would serve Jehovah alone. But nevertheless those who are meant by “the called and the chosen” are those who are in internal worship, and who from internal worship are in external; that is, those who are in love to and faith in the Lord, and from this in love toward the neighbor.

2132. As to its being said in the Word that there entered also one who was not clothed in a wedding garment (Matthew 22:11-13), and that he was cast out, it was shown how the case is with this also. There are some persons who during their bodily life have been imbued with the deceit of being able to feign themselves angels of light; and in the other life, when in this hypocritical state, they are also able to insinuate themselves into the nearest heavenly societies. But they do not remain there long, for the moment they perceive the sphere of mutual love there, they are seized with fear and horror, and cast themselves down (and it then appears in the world of spirits as if they had been cast down), some toward the lake, some toward Gehenna, and some into some other hell.

10698. 'And afterwards all the children of Israel approached' means all who, although their interest lay in things on an outward level devoid of what was inward, would nevertheless represent those on an inward level. This is clear from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those whose interest lay in things on an outward level devoid of those on an inward one, dealt with just above in 10692. The reason why those who would represent things on an inward level is also meant is that Moses won for that nation the concession that it should represent the Church even though they were by nature such that no Church could be established among them. No Church can exist among those whose interest lies in things on an outward level devoid of what is inward, because the Church resides with a person on an inward level and not on an outward one devoid of the inward. For a person is in contact with heaven and with the Lord through the inward level; when this does not exist, that is, when it has been closed off, he is in contact with hell. But although the children of Israel were by nature such that it was impossible for them to have any contact with heaven through the inward level, they were nevertheless able to represent such things as belonged to the Church and heaven. This was accomplished solely by means of outward things to which inward ones correspond; and it was on account of this that they were accepted.

No Church existed among that nation, only a representative of the Church, see in the places referred to in 9320 (end), 10396.

Through the outward things which represented inward ones contact with heaven was effected, see again in the places referred to in 9320 (end), 10396, and also what is said in 10492, 10500, 10549-10551, 10570, 10575, 10602, 10629.