Verses on Various Occasions · Chapter
CXXI: Intercession of the Saints explained
The chapter reflects on Moses' forty-day vigil on the mountain, where he is granted visions of the heavenly kingdom and eternal mysteries.
What happens
The chapter reflects on Moses' forty-day vigil on the mountain, where he is granted visions of the heavenly kingdom and eternal mysteries. Yet, he is also shown a vision of the Israelites' idolatry in the valley, prompting his intercessory prayer to avert divine wrath. The poem underscores the role of the saints as mediators between heaven and earth.
Themes in this chapter
The Role of the Saint
Moses exemplifies the saint as intercessor, receiving heavenly visions yet remaining mindful of the earthly community's struggles.
Sin and Redemption
The guilty deed of idolatry and the need for intercession to stay Heaven's rising flame highlight the dynamic of sin and the possibility of redemption through saintly mediation.
Nature and the Divine
The contrast between the mountain's divine presence and the valley's earthly struggle underscores the intersection of nature and the divine.
Characters to notice
- Moses
Moses is depicted on the mountain, receiving visions of the eternal throne and the fount of life, but is also shown the idolatry of the people so he may intercede for them.
- The Saints
The chapter illustrates the intercessory role of saints, with Moses as a type of saint who prays for the struggling flock.
- Lord
The Lord is implied as the source of the visions and the one whose rising flame Moses seeks to stay through intercession.
Key passages
“While Moses on the Mountain lay, Night after night, and day by day, Till forty suns were gone, Unconscious, in the Presence bright, Of lustrous day and starry night, As though his soul had flitted quite From earth, and Eden won;”
Moses remained on the mountain for forty days and nights, so absorbed in the divine presence that he lost awareness of time and earthly surroundings, as if his soul had already left the world and entered paradise.
This describes Moses' mystical absorption in God's presence during his forty-day vigil.
“But lest he should his own forget, Who in the vale were struggling yet, A sadder vision came, Announcing all that guilty deed Of idol rite, that in their need He for his flock might intercede, And stay Heaven’s rising flame.”
To ensure Moses did not forget his people still struggling below, a sorrowful vision revealed their idolatry, so that he might pray for them and avert God's impending judgment.
The vision of the golden calf incident prompts Moses' intercessory prayer, a key theme of the chapter.