5:1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of israel with a rod upon the cheek.
[1] {Now} The "word of the Lord that came to Micah" # Mic
1:1 having described the future kingdom # Mic 4:1-8 andglanced at the Babylonian captivities # Mic 4:9-10 goes forward into the last days to refer to the great battle (see
"Armageddon," # Re 16:14 ¯ See Note "Re 19:17" whichimmediately precedes the setting up of the Messianic kingdom
(see "Kingdom (O.T.)," # Ge 1:26 ¯ See Note "Zec 12:8" also,
"Kingdom (N.T.), # Lu 1:31-33 1Co 15:28
# Mic 5:1,2 forms a parenthesis in which the "word of the Lord" goes back from the time of the great battle (yet future) to the birth and rejection of the King, Messiah- Christ # Mt 27:24,25,37 This is followed by the statement that He will "give them up until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth" (v. 3). There is a twofold "travail" of Israel: (1) that which brings forth the "man child" (Christ) # Re 12:1,2 and (2) that which, in the last days, brings forth a believing "remnant" out of the still dispersed and unbelieving nation # Mic 5:3 Jer 30:6-14 Mic 4:10 Both aspects are combined in Isa. 66. In verse 7 we have the "man-child" (Christ) of # Re 12:1,2 In verses 8-24 the remnant, established in kingdom blessing. The meaning of Mic. 5.3 is that, from the rejection of Christ at His first coming Jehovah will give Israel up till the believing remnant appears; then He stands and feeds in His proper strength as Jehovah (v.4); He is the defence of His people as in # Mic 4:3,11-13 and afterward the remnant go as missionaries to Israel and to all the world. # Mic 5:7,8 Zec 8:23
5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting. [1] {everlasting} Cf. # Isa 7:13,14 9:6,7 The "child" was born in Bethlehem, but the "Son" was "from everlasting."
5:3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time [that] she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
5:4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
5:5 And this [man] shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
5:6 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.
5:7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
[2] {remnant} The ministry of the Jewish remnant # Isa 1:9 ¯ See Note "Ro 11:5" has a twofold aspect, "a dew from the Lord"; "a lion among the beasts." Turning to the Lord in the great tribulation # Ps 2:5 ¯ See Note "Re 7:14" the remnant takes up the beautiful gospel of the kingdom. ¯ See Note "Re 14:6" and proclaims it under awful persecution "unto all nations, for a witness." # Mt 24:14 The result is # Re 7:4-
14 This is the "dew" aspect, and is followed by the "day of the Lord" # Isa 2:10-22 Re 19:11-12 in the morning of which the kingdom is set up in power. Again there is a world-wide preaching to Jew and Gentile, but now it is the word that the King is on His holy hill of Zion (Psa. 2.), and the unrepentant will be broken with His rod of iron. # Ps 2:6-9 The preaching is given in # Ps 2:10-12 This is the "lion" aspect of the remnant's testimony. # Re 2:26-28 The full kingdom-age of blessing follows the "rod of iron" aspect.
5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among 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.
5:9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.
5:10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:
5:11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:
5:12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no [more] soothsayers:
5:13 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.
5:14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.
5:15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
