Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote
him?
&c.] No; the Lord does smite his people by afflictive
dispensations of his providence; he smites them in their persons,
and families, and estates; see ( Isaiah 57:17
) as he smote Israel, by suffering them to be carried captive,
and as the Jews are now smitten by him in their present state;
yet not as he smote Pharaoh, with his ten plagues, and him and
his host at the Red Sea; or as he smote Sennacherib and his army,
by an angel, in one night; or as Amalek was smitten, and its
memory perished; or as he will smite mystical Babylon, which will
be utterly destroyed; all which have been smiters of God's
Israel, who, though smitten of God, yet not utterly destroyed;
the Jews returned from captivity, and, though now they are
scattered abroad, yet continue a people, and will be saved. God
deals differently with his own people, his mystical and spiritual
Israel, than with their enemies that smite them: he afflicts
them, but does not destroy them, as he does their enemies; he has
no fury in him towards his people, but he stirs up all his wrath
against his enemies: [or], is he slain according to the
slaughter of them that are slain
by him?
or, "of his slain" F23; the Lord's slain, or Israel's
slain, which are slain by the Lord for Israel's sake; though
Israel is slain, yet not in such numbers, to such a degree, or
with such an utter slaughter, as their enemies; though the people
of God may come under slaying providences, yet not such as wicked
men; they are "chastened, but not killed"; and, though killed
with the sword, or other instruments of death, in great numbers,
both by Rome Pagan and Papal, yet not according to the slaughter
as will be made of antichrist and his followers, ( Revelation
19:15-21 ) .