Jeremiah 12 v. 5 "If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?"
Jeremiah questions God's judgements -
v. 1 "Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?"
Lord's response to Jeremiah - v. 5 "how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?"
i.e. Babylonian captivity was coming
Swelling of Jordan synonamous with time of real testing
Hebrews 9 v. 27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"
v. 28 "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
How wilt thou do?
Note its a:-
(a) Practical Question 2 Samuel 14 v. 14 "For we must needs die, and are as water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again;"
Death is universal, unpredictable, individual, unavoidable
Amos 4 v. 12 "Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel."
(b) Personal Question - "how wilt Thou do?"
Romans 14 v. 10 - 12 "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
(c) Pre-eminent Question i.e. a matter of life and death
"What shall it profit a man?"
J. Wesley - "Our people die well."
Balaam - Numbers 23 v. 10 "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!"
(d) Profitable Question - Deuteronomy 32 v. 29 "O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!"
(e) Peaceful Question as far as Christian is concerned
Hebrews 9 v. 28 "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
Note the:-
(1) Redemption Here - "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many."
(2) Restriction Here - "And unto them that look for him."
(3) Revelation Here - "Shall he appear the second time without sin."
(4) Reunion Here - "Unto salvation"
John 14 v. 1 - 3 "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
1 Corinthians 15 v. 55 - 57 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory. The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
