1 NOW gather thyself in troops, O daughter [ When daughter is used it means future. ] of troops: [ Means to press together, to bring a crowd together. ] he hath laid siege against us: they [ Rome and Israel. ] shall smite the judge of Israel [ Jesus Christ. ] with a rod upon the cheek. [ This is the shameful treatment that happened to Christ. ]

[ Micah is going to back up a little here. ] 2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, [ Ephratah(means fruitful, projecting that the baby born there, Christ will bear much fruit (John 15:1-8; John 12:24; Isa. 9:7)), an ancient city originally located on the outskirts of Bethlehem, was associated with the death of Rachel (see Gen 35:16-21) and the amazing prophecy that accompanied her burial. To this day, her tomb is still known and honored in this region. ] though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he [ Jesus Christ. ] come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. [ The prophecy that the Savior of the world would come out of Bethlehem. What is the significance of him being born in Bethlehem? Bethlehem is the city of David(Luke 2:4). Samuel anointed David to be king in Bethlehem(1 Sam 16:12-13). The Son of God is the new David, so it is important that he comes out of Bethlehem( Exek. 34:23-24; Jer. 30:8-9; Bruce R McConkie The Prommised Messiah Pg 194-195 ) Bethlehem means house of bread and Christ is the bread of life(this was the reason why Christ provide them with manna for 40 years to try to teach them to relie on him). ]

3 Therefore will he [ Christ. ] give them [ Israel. ] up, [ Up for what? To be scattered because of wickedness. To be punished, to be corrected. ] until the time that she [ Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. (Bruce R. McConkie - the Promised Messiah pg 461) ] which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant [ Judah. ] of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. [ When will they return? Not until some time after Mary gives birth to the son of God. Physically they are gathering now; spiritually it is only just starting to happen. ]

4 ¶ And he [ Christ. ] shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, [ Exek. 34 He is the true shephard that will feed Israel. ] in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: [ Gathered Israel will keep his commandments. ] for now shall he [ Christ. ] be great unto the ends of the earth. [ Referencing the second coming of Christ. ]

5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian [ The enemy of Israel. Think of this as the evil in the world in our day. ] shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight [ The number eight always points to a new beginning, purification, or the Atonement. It is found in association with temples, ordinances, or other holy themes. To help illustrate this, it helps if we first understand that the symbolism of eight is directly related to the symbolism of seven. In Genesis, we read: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished . . . And on the seventh day, God ended his work which he had made” (Gen. 2: 1-2). Seven, therefore, in the Hebrew tradition means finished, whole, or complete. What then becomes of the eighth day? The eighth day then becomes the first day of a new period. In other words, not the beginning, but a new beginning. By exploring a few scriptures, we see that this new beginnings represents purification the Atonement of Christ. For example, animals used for sacrifices stayed with the mother seven days, and then were slain on the eigth day. These animals were symbolic of Christ as an eternal sacrifice. Similarly, the priests of Aaron under Moses were to purge seven days, and on the eighth day they could enter the tabernacle, being purified, and make an atoning sacrifice. We learn in Ezekial that “upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord” (Ezekiel 43:26-27). ] principal men. [ Men who are in the highest authority in a nation. Interesting note: If you add 8 to seven you get 15 suggesting a reference to the 1st Presidency and the twelve apostles, their specific assignment is to help us today against Assyria and against the world, providing clear direction and guidance. ]

6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew [ What does dew do? It helps in production. This is a reference to covenant Israel. ] from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, [ Covenant Israel will give life to all who will listen and gather into the fold with them. ] that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

8 ¶ And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles [ This commenced in Acts 10 with Peter opening the preaching to the Gentiles. ] in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

9  Thine hand [ The gentile nations cannot stop the kingdom of God going forth. We will move among them with priesthood power, and gather Israel from all nations. 3 Ne. 21:12-21; Doctrines of Salvation Vol 2 pg249-250 ] shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses [ Symbolic of war and destruction. Their military might and power will come to an end. ] out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:

11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:

12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.

15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.