Micah 4:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He refers to Zion, or Jerusalem, as "the pillar of the flock of the moment" (miserable), expressing it in a manner that showcases His inherent dignity while simultaneously conveying His grief: O Zion, My afflicted daughter, O wretched and dark abode of My sheep! Surely, and against your will, you will be laid bare before your foes; indeed, there will swiftly come upon you the kingdom that rules earthly nations, the mightiest of them all, namely, Babylon. He designates Zion or Jerusalem as a "pillar of darkness" and a gloomy residence because its inhabitants wander as if in shadows, unwilling to embrace the law of God as a lamp and guide for their lives, thus failing to welcome sanctity into their spirits; only under such a condition could they navigate securely, evade destruction, shun sin, and elude the misfortunes that beset them. Therefore, let us also lift our voices in praise to the Lord, declaring, "Enlighten my eyes, lest I fall asleep in death. Let not my enemy say, 'I am strengthened against him'" (Psalm 12:4-5). When we are illuminated by divine light and embrace the wisdom that flows from God, we will remain impervious to our adversaries; having been spared from the repercussions of divine wrath, we will relish in the bounty of heavenly joy and flourish eternally in Christ.

Once the tower of the flock and people of God has been sullied and abandoned due to the wicked mercenaries who slew the son of the master of the house (Luke 20), it now cries out from the ground in the person of Isaiah, referred to as Ariel. “And this tower is the daughter of Zion,” or as Simmachus translates it in Greek: “She herself is the daughter of Zion” (Is. 29). The original dominion, which is the reign of the daughter of Jerusalem, approaches this tower. The first authority, the original dominion, that will arrive at this tower is He who declared: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (Rev. 22:13), who, speaking of the assumed human nature, stated in Proverbs, “The Lord made me at the beginning of His ways for His works” (Proverbs 8:22), echoing the sentiment in Hebrews: “The Lord owned me.” The term “Ikppi” suggests “did not create me,” but implies ownership and possession.

The first dominion and kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem comes in such a way that He will elevate believers into lords and kings. The phrases “the first dominion shall come” or “Let the first dominion, the kingdom of the daughter of Zion come” derive from various readings, which note “from Babylon.” These may imply the end of Babylonian captivity, as the people will return to Jerusalem. Following this, the inquiry arises: “And now, why art thou depressed with sorrow?” or as rendered by the Seventy, “And now why hast thou known tribulation?” It asks, why are you burdened by grief, or why have you become acquainted with suffering, you to whom the Lord is soon to grant both first authority and kingdom? The response follows, “Because you have no king; your counselor is dead; you are overwhelmed with tribulation as though you have labored.”

The phrase “why hast thou known calamities?” can be interpreted to mean that anyone who deserves and endures suffering is one who has experienced calamities and lacks understanding of blessings; this aligns with the words from the first book of Kings: “But the sons of Eli, the sons of perdition, have not known God” (1 Kings 2:12), and elsewhere, “He that keepeth the command shall not know the word of evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:6). To sinners, the Lord declares, “Depart from Me, all ye that do wrong, for I know you not” (Ps. 6:9; Matt. 7:21). In contrast, it is said of the Lord, “Him that knew no sin, for our sakes He made sin” (2 Cor. 5:21), referring to God the Father.

The King and Angel of the Great Council signifies the Savior, who was crucified for a disbelieving nation and enveloped in tribulation as though He were a mother in childbirth. Behold Israel, who believed it held power, was suddenly rendered desolate; just as a woman in labor cannot evade pain, so Israel could not escape the impending captivity and the besieging army. In Scripture, it is rare to find holy women giving birth in anguish, with the notable exception of Rachel, who while traveling, delivered the “son of affliction,” later named by his father “the son of the right hand” (Gen. 35:16-18). Eve, expelled from paradise, heard the decree, “In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children” (Gen. 3:16) and is noted for her painful childbirth. Phinehas' wife, bound by labor pains and unable to rise like the woman, afflicted by Satan (Luke 13:16), bore a child upon learning of the Ark of God being captured and the defeat of the people (1 Samuel 4:19). Sarah, upon Isaac's birth, joyfully exclaimed, “The Lord hath made me laugh, for whosoever heareth shall triumph with me” (Gen. 21:6), for she was holy and had triumphed over her affliction.

Thus, the sorrows endured by the tower of the flock reflect the sufferings and pangs of death that even the Savior encountered, yet they could not entirely vanquish Him, just as He proclaims in Psalm 17, “The sorrows of death compassed Me, and the floods of ungodly men made Me afraid; the sorrows of hell compassed Me about” (Psalm 17:5). Some interpret the defiled and dark tower, and the daughter of Jerusalem, to designate the heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of the saints, of which the Apostle writes: “We have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22). This Jerusalem, until the present time, remains impure until her sons are gathered to her, until she has a counselor, and until she endures the pains as if she were giving birth, for witnessing so many of her sons lost, she will lament having begotten them in vain.

The prophet warns them of the impending threat from the Babylonian army, as Nebuchadnezzar had barely taken hold of his scepter before laying siege to them in the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign. The reason the prophet designated the Babylonian kingdom as the first power was because, shortly after ascending to the throne, Nebuchadnezzar initiated military action. Then, mocking their situation, the prophet poses a question: