THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
The discourse revisits the somber prophecies, culminating in a description of the remarkable acts of Christ. It appears to connect to the earlier message, illustrating the events that would ensue due to divine anger. He declared, “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). He further explains that your cavalry will be eliminated, along with the glory of your chariots; your cities will face destruction and you will be stripped of your very defenses, as the Babylonians set the cities ablaze along with their inhabitants.
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The outcomes of your cleverness—sorceries and false prophecies, as well as the very sites of deception— the temples along with the idols—will be utterly annihilated, and the groves shall be leveled.
What will ensue after this? This glorious judgment and method of punishment will not go unnoticed by the neighboring nations. They will understand their subjugation to these tragedies stemmed from their failure to heed God, due to their rebellion. Wisdom conveys a similar message to those with unruly minds: "Forasmuch as... For I also will laugh at your destruction, but I will rejoice when destruction comes to you, and when rebellion comes... rebellion shall come at once, and destruction shall come like a storm” (Proverbs 1:24, 26-27); for the results of straying from God are wrath, anger, turmoil, grief, and affliction. Thus, we ought to willingly and without hesitation heed God’s call to goodness and engage in actions that please Him, as procrastination and sluggishness in performing good deeds will bring considerable harm and subject us to great suffering.
Observe how God repurposes the very consequences of sins for the benefit of humanity. He rescues Israel from detestable idolatry, altars, shrines, sacrifices, and the adoration of human-made creations. Hence, there is purpose in enduring His correction, provided it is “in judgment, and not in wrath,” as stated by the prophet (Jeremiah 10:24). If anyone asserts that this applied to the Jews who acted arrogantly towards Christ, they would not be mistaken. There is no doubt their cities experienced devastation, and that the entire generation capable of bearing arms was annihilated by the Romans. Additionally, it is likely they bore the burden of ancestral idolatry, despite having contemporaries who still sought to worship created things and clung to sorcery, as they consistently gravitate towards those inclined to idolatry, cherishing even the most absurd practices without disdain.