picture copied from mymerrychristmas.com

“And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem.” Micah 4:8 

This little known verse from Micah has become one of my favorite Christmas verses. It fills me with wonder and gratitude. Why? Because I think this little prophecy sheds light on where Jesus was born, who rejoiced at his birth, and why Mary and the shepherds were so amazed.
The tower of the flock, sometimes called "Migdal Edar" was located near, or possibly in Bethlehem. It was a watch-tower where shepherds were able to keep track of sheep. It was possibly even a birthing place for the sheep which would later be offered as sacrifices in nearby Jerusalem. It was important that these sacrificial lambs were born in a ceremonially clean place and that they were protected from injury. Could this be the place of Jesus' birth?
But what about the stable? Wasn't Jesus born in a stable because there was no room in the inn? Didn't the kindly innkeeper make room for Mary and Joseph in the stable behind his Motel 6? The word for inn used in the Christmas narrative is the same word used for guest room. It is more likely that there was no room in the family guest quarters, due to the fact that all of the extended family had descended upon Bethlehem for the Roman census. So Joseph and Mary had to find the next best place, or perhaps the best place of all. Was it a family member who helped Mary find a place to give birth to Jesus?
Where does the stable fit into the narrative? You will not find the word stable in the biblical account of Jesus' birth, so why do we celebrate his birth in a lowly cattle stall? Well, perhaps some well-meaning readers assumed that a stable was involved since a manger was mentioned. If a feeding trough was present, surely a stable was involved, right? Perhaps not, or perhaps so. The manger mentioned in the Christmas story could have been a feeding trough, carefully padded with straw or cloth, where newborn lambs were placed, or it could have been a birthing stall, where ewes birthed their precious lambs. This is likely the setting where Mary birthed our Savior, our sacrificial lamb, the Messiah.
Have you ever found it strange that Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes? What are swaddling clothes? Why wasn't Jesus clothed in baby clothes or the ancient Jewish equivalent? Why wouldn't Joseph or Mary have given up their own cloak or other warm garment? Some scholars believe that swaddling clothes were the strips of cloth that shepherds used to immobilize and protect clumsy little newborn sheep so that they couldn't injure themselves, so that they would remain without blemish, spotless and perfect for temple sacrifice. These lambs were, no doubt, treated with the utmost care by shepherds who knew the little furry creatures would unwittingly give their lives to atone for human sin. Could it be that our Savior was wrapped in swaddling clothes because He was to be our sacrificial lamb?
Let's go back to that verse. “And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem.” It is certain that the shepherds near Jerusalem and Bethlehem knew of the tower of the flock. After all, they were shepherds, and this was an important place for them. I imagine they also knew this verse well. They may not have understood the full prophetic meaning of this prophecy, but as shepherds, they would have taken note when this prophecy was read in the synagogue. I'm sure they would have wondered about the significance of the tower they knew so well. Fast forward to the night Jesus was born.

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.'” 

What a glorious announcement! What a majestic way to hear about Jesus' birth! But were the shepherds really the unlikely recipients of this news that we have always believed they were, or were they the most likely to hear this amazing news? I think they were the most likely to first hear of Jesus' birth. Notice the last part of the angel's pronouncement, “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” The symbolism would be unavoidable for the shepherds as they would have heard the words 'swaddling clothes' and 'manger,' and they would immediately know that Christ was born in the birthing place of the sacrificial lambs. There would be no searching every cattle stall in Bethlehem until they found Jesus; the address was immediately known to them.
And oh how those shepherds rejoiced! They couldn't help but tell Joseph and Mary just how amazing the angel's proclamation was, and they would not have forgotten to mention the symbolism that was so closely tied to their own profession. I'm sure they also quickly realized just who the Messiah was to be. They were no doubt faced with their own sin and their own need of a final perfect sacrifice. What a mess of emotions they must have been as they realized all of these things. What a marvel it was to Mary as she “treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” What a wonder it was to all who crossed paths with the shepherds that night! What an amazing and wondrous night that was!
I am no Bible scholar. I haven't been able to verify everything I've said here, but I find that this version of the nativity is both more likely and more amazing than the typical stable scene. Read the account of Jesus' birth in Luke 2 for yourself today (this has always been one of my all-time-favorite Bible passages) and allow yourself to replace the stable with the tower of the flock in your mind. Perhaps you will be filled with wonder and gratitude as I have.
For more about Migdal Edar visit patheos.com or bibletruth.org or simply do and internet search using the words 'tower of the flock' or 'Migdal Edar.'