THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
The discourse revisits sorrowful forecasts and concludes with a depiction of the glorious and wondrous deeds performed by Christ. It appears to extend the previous statements while highlighting the consequences of divine retribution. The text proclaims, “And thou, thou pillar of the flock of the moment, O ye women of Zion, unto thee shall come, and the first power shall come in, the kingdom out of Babylon the daughter of Jerusalem” (Micah 4:8). Following this, it declares that your cavalry will vanish, along with the splendor of your chariots; your cities will be laid waste, and you will suffer the loss of your very walls, for the Babylonians burned the cities along with the inhabitants.
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The results of your labors—your sorcery, false prophecies, and the very factories of deception—the temples and the idols—will be utterly obliterated, and the sacred groves will be leveled. What shall ensue from this? This glorious judgment and method of punishment will not go unnoticed by the surrounding nations; they shall recognize that they endured these calamities due to their failure to heed God, that is, because of their rebellion. Wisdom echoes this sentiment, warning those with unruly hearts, “Forasmuch as ... For I also will laugh at your destruction, but I will rejoice when calamity befalls you, and when distress comes upon you…. calamity shall arrive suddenly, and destruction shall come like a tempest” (Proverbs 1:24, 26-27); indeed, the fruits of turning away from God are wrath, anger, fury, grief, and pain. Consequently, we ought to eagerly and promptly heed God’s invitation towards righteousness and engage in actions pleasing to Him, as hesitance and negligence in performing good works will lead to our detriment and expose us to intense suffering. Yet observe how God transforms the very penalties for sin into a means of grace for humanity: He rescues Israel from detestable idolatry, altars, sanctuaries, sacrifices, and the veneration of earthly creations. Thus, it is not in vain to be under His correction, provided it is “in judgment, and not in wrath,” as the prophet states (Jeremiah 10:24). If one were to claim that this applied to the Jews, who acted defiantly against Christ, they would not be mistaken. Without question, their cities fell into ruin, and an entire generation capable of bearing arms was eradicated by the Roman forces. It is likely they remained accountable for their ancestral idolatry, even as they still contained individuals drawn to the worship of created things and engaged in sorcery, for they perpetually gravitate towards those inclined to idolatry, holding nothing so absurd from which they recoil.