Wednesday's Word: Tower Of The Flock/A Christmas Afterthought

 

"And you, O tower of the flock, the hill and stronghold of the Daughter of Zion,
unto you the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the Daughter of Jerusalem."
(Micah 4:8)

Image courtesy/Beth Ariel Congregation

Migdal Edar-The Birthplace of the Messiah

"Seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Jewish prophet Micah
foretold the birthplace of the Messiah.  The Tower of the Flock, (Migdal Edar
in Hebrew) was first mentioned in Genesis 35: 21, in connection with the
death of Jacob's wife, Rachel.  In ancient times, it was also a military
watchtower, to view the valley near what was later called Bethlehem.

From David and Solomon's day, until the time of Jesus' birth, it became
the functioning Tower of the Flock.   It was there where the sacrificial lambs
were prepared and the priests examined, cleaned, and wrapped (in
swaddling clothes) the newborn lambs.  These lambs were designated
for sacrifice, for the sins of the people, at the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Levitical shepherds knew the prophetic promise of the coming
Messiah and the importance of Migdal Edar.  They knew the lambs must
be without spot or blemish, and it was their job to deliver and watch over them.

  In Luke 2:11-12, the angel of the Lord said to the shepherds,
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is
Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the
Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

The priestly shepherds knew exactly where to go.

Adoration of the Shepherds
(1650)
Matthias Stom
(1600-1652)
Dutch painter

And so the shepherds came with haste, and found the "Lamb of God"
 Who was without blemish, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." 

  "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah"
by Alfred Edersheim
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan
1971 (3rd ed./1973) Book II Chapter VI pp. 186-187