At the Potter’s House

Transcript

GR 468
8/12/1984
At the Potter’s House
Jeremiah 18:1-23
Gil Rugh


This chapter is near the end of the section which encompasses chapters 11 through 20. Here Jeremiah unfolds some of his inner feelings, convictions and burdens. These chapters reveal what is going on in the mind of the prophet as he carries on his ministry to people who are disobedient, rebellious and so opposed to God’s Word that they devise plans to destroy this spokesman of God.

In chapter 18 Jeremiah draws a familiar analogy in the picture of the potter and the clay which reveals something of God’s dealings with the nations. As was often the case with the prophets, Jeremiah used pictures from his day as illustrations to help the people understand the message of God. We saw earlier in Jeremiah’s prophecy how he bought a linen girdle or belt and then buried it. Later he retrieved it and found it ruined. This was a picture to the nation Israel revealing what God said was going to happen to the nation.

In verses 1 and 2 of chapter 18, Jeremiah introduces the narrative: “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, ‘Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I shall announce My words to you.’” Then verse 3 indicates that Jeremiah followed God’s instructions: “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.”

The potter’s wheel was composed of two stones in the shape of wheels connected by a vertical axis. The potter would push the bottom stone with his feet and mold the clay on the top stone.

Verse 4 continues, “But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.”

In these verses we see something of the control of God in the small details of life. As Jeremiah was sent to watch the potter working at his wheel, he saw the vessel which the potter was constructing ruined. So he reformed the clay and remade the vessel into something else. God ordained this mishap to happen so he could give instructions to Jeremiah. God impressed upon Jeremiah the absolute sovereignty of the potter over the clay. When a vessel did not turn out properly, the potter was free to remake it as he desired.

In the analogy which will be drawn from this illustration, God will be represented by the potter. As the potter did with the clay, God will do what He wills with the nations. Even though God’s sovereignty is illustrated here, there is no arbitrariness in His actions because He is going to deal with the nations according to their deeds.

Verse 5 informs us that God is going to take what Jeremiah has seen and apply it to the situation with the nation Israel. Verse 6 says, “‘Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.’” God indicates that He is the potter and Israel is the clay. He can deal with Israel any way He chooses. The people of Israel saw themselves in a fixed position, but God indicated that they were on the wheel being made into a vessel. The vessel was not turning out as it was intended, so God was free to remake the vessel as it pleased Him.

The people of Israel thought they were irrevocably in the center of God’s blessing. They felt that their conduct was not a major issue and that no tragedy could befall them. They assumed that even though they were pursuing other gods and a godless lifestyle, God had fixed His relationship with them in an unchanging way. God tells them that that is not the case. They are on the potter’s wheel, and He is the potter. They are not turning out right, and God wants them to understand that He has the power to remake them from a dishonorable vessel into an honorable vessel.

This picture of God as the potter is used a number of times in both the Old and the New Testaments. It is used three times by Isaiah. His first use of this analogy is in Isaiah 29, “Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the Lord, and whose deeds are done in a dark place, and they say, ‘Who sees us?’ or ‘Who knows us?’ You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made should say to its maker, ‘He did not make me’; or what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’?” Isaiah 29:15-16. God is telling the people through Isaiah that they think they are hiding from Him, but they have things twisted around. He is the potter and they are the clay, so nothing can be hidden from Him. He is in total control of all that is happening.

We see the same thing going on today. Foolish men deny the existence of God and claim that man evolved from a great explosion. Just a few days ago I saw an advertisement on television about a science magazine. The commercial started out by showing that the world began as a little thing that exploded. Then out of this explosion came our marvelous universe with people on the earth. Such an approach is nothing more than the lumps of clay saying, “Is it not amazing how we happened to be here?” God says, “You have this all twisted. I am the potter and you are the clay, and I know everything about you.”

Isaiah wrote: “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—an earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?” Isaiah 45:9. This shows those who try to deny God and His power and authority over them.

Do not miss the point of the analogy. When you look at a piece of earthenware which a potter has made, you would not expect the piece of pottery to have any right to challenge the potter. No piece of pottery ever says, “Hey, I did not want to be this. What do you think you are doing anyway?” As we make application of this analogy to our own lives, what right does the clay have to question God or challenge Him? Can we demand a reason from God for His actions? Such thoughts would be ridiculous. God has absolute authority over us as the potter does over the clay. He reminds us that He is the potter and we are the clay which He will mold as He pleases.

Isaiah also wrote: “But now, O Lord, Thou art our Father, we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and all of us are the work of Thy hand.” Isaiah 64:8. This is an acknowledgment of what we really are. So rather than challenging God, trying to hide from Him or rejecting his sovereignty over us, the cry is for mercy. We are to bow down and look at Him for mercy as He deals with us according to His plan.

The same analogy is also used once in the New Testament in a crucial section that deals with God’s sovereignty. Romans 9 speaks about the electing work of God as verse 13 says, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” As questions are raised in verse 14 regarding the justice of God’s choice in this way, God responds in verse 15, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Verses 18 and 19 continue the argument: “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, ‘Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?’” In other words, if God is sovereign, controlling everything, then why does He blame me for what I do? I am only carrying out His will.

The answer is found in verses 20 and 21: “On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this’, will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use?” Romans 9:20-21.

In each of these examples where the analogy is drawn showing the potter and the clay, the emphasis is on the sovereign control of the potter over the clay. This does not mean that God acts arbitrarily in His dealings with men. Let us consider some passages that demonstrate that point.

The quality of the clay is a determining factor in what God does with it. Jeremiah 18:6 demonstrated that Israel is clay in God’s hands. God continues speaking of the quality of the clay: “At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it.” Jeremiah 18:7-8. The quality of the clay is the factor that determines whether a vessel is made for honor or for dishonor. God is speaking of molding Israel in these verses.

God may have announced that He would destroy a nation. But if that nation repents of its sin, casts itself on the mercy of God and asks for forgiveness and mercy, then God says, “I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it” v. 8. This indicates what God does with the clay is affected by the clay. In the analogy shown with the potter and the clay, the potter may be making something of clay and then discover that the clay contains imperfections that prevent it from becoming a fine thin vessel. Then the potter has to adjust what he does. The problem is in the clay; it is not suitable to be made into a delicate vessel. Thus it must be destroyed and remade into a coarse and rough vessel. So God indicates that if the nation will cast itself on His mercy, then He will repent of the destruction He had promised.

We often have questions when we read about God relenting or repenting. Does God change His mind? Scripture is clear that He does not. Numbers 23:19 will help us understand that: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” In this passage we are told that God does not repent. However, we read earlier in Jeremiah that God repented. The explanation is that God always functions consistently with His character; He always acts in righteousness. The factor that brings change is the changed character of the people God is dealing with. He promised destruction and judgment upon the wicked and those who are in rebellion against Him. When they cease their rebellion and submit to Him, He then deals with them consistent with His character. He has promised blessing, prosperity and salvation to those who believe in Him. So even though we speak of God repenting, He has not changed His character. Rather, the people whom He is dealing with have changed so that now He will not destroy the righteous because the people have changed from being wicked to being righteous.

That happens every time a person is brought to salvation in Jesus Christ. You may tell a person that he is under condemnation for his sin and destined to hell as the enemy of God, but if that person believes in Jesus Christ, we say that God has now changed His mind about sending him to hell. He is no longer God’s enemy because there has been a change in the person, not a change in God. The person is no longer under judgment or condemnation, but instead is a recipient of God’s salvation and blessing.

The issue is the same in God’s dealings with the nation Israel. A change is brought about in the clay, if you will. Behind all of this is the sovereign work of God, but we see the change that is brought about in the clay which enables God to function differently toward it.

The city of Nineveh is an example of this. That city was the capital of the Assyrian nation. Jonah went to that city and preached of coming destruction. “Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes. And he issued a proclamation and it said, ‘In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent, and withdraw His burning anger so that we shall not perish?’” Jonah 3:5-9.

What has happened in this situation? The people of Nineveh have changed from pursuing wickedness and rebelling against God to casting themselves upon the mercy of God, acknowledging their sinfulness and asking God to forgive them and be merciful to them. “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it” Jonah 3:10. God relented or repented. He does not repent as man does; He does not change His mind. However, the people have changed from being sinners under condemnation to believing in God and seeking His mercy and salvation. So He relents from the standpoint that He is no longer going to bring judgment on them because they have changed their attitudes about sin and are now the objects of His mercy.

The opposite is also true, a fact which is demonstrated in Jeremiah 18:9 and 10: “Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it.” In this situation God has promised to do something great for a nation, particularly relating to Israel. God has promised to bless them, prosper them and make them a nation above all the nations of the earth. God had entered covenant relationship with Israel as a result of His promises. That covenant promised prosperity and blessing from God if they would obey, but Israel forgot that. They thought the blessing and prosperity were unconditional, but that was not the case. It was conditioned upon faith and obedience to God. Therefore, the people have changed. So, God says, “You are on the potter’s wheel. The vessel is not turning out as it was intended, so I have the power to remake you—to bring destruction and judgment upon you.”

It is important to see in this section before we move on to its application that God is sovereign over the nation. God sees Himself as the sovereign ruler of the nations of the earth. Scripture indicates that the nations of the earth have demons ruling over them, such as the prince of Persia mentioned in Daniel 10:13. But God is the one who is shaping the destiny of the nations and who is using them for His purposes. He is even using the central rebellious act of fallen beings such as demons and human beings to accomplish His purposes. Even though Satan is the god of this world and superintends it through the activities of demons directing and controlling nations, yet that is all under the controlling hand of God. He sees that it all moves towards the accomplishment of His purposes and the realization of His goals.

Jeremiah 18:11 begins with a significant statement: “So now then.” That expression is often used in the Old Testament to draw an argument to its conclusion.

“So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, ‘thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you”’” v. 11. God is planning a disaster for Israel because of their rebellion against Him. But the last sentence of verse 11 is an amazing statement: “Oh turn back, each of you from his evil way, and reform your ways and your deeds.” Here God is crying out to this rebellious nation saying, “Oh turn back. I do not want to bring disaster upon you. The desire of my heart is to bless and prosper you.” God desires that they would change so He might deal with them in mercy and grace. If they persist in their sin, He must be consistent with His character and bring judgment and calamity upon them.

This does not mean that God will permanently abandon the nation Israel, because His overriding purposes for Israel ultimately will be realized. However, immediate judgment and calamity will be brought upon the nation. God knows what the people will say when they hear the message of warning as is indicated by verse 12: “But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’” The tragedy of sin is seen in this hardening effect. The people had persisted so long in their sin that they were content to continue in it. Jeremiah told them that they were on an evil, wicked road. It was as though they were saying to Jeremiah, “Let us tell you, we are going to stay on this evil, wicked road because we are quite content. In fact, we find ourselves doing quite well. Thank you!” God knew the hardened condition of their hearts.

In verses 13 through 17 God reveals the remarkable character of Israel’s sin. He says it is so shocking that people who see Israel’s response to God will find it hard to believe that a nation would respond in that way. Even as we study this passage today, we find it hard to believe that Israel would forgo all the blessings and goodness of God to suffer as they have through the millenniums of time since then because they were unwilling to submit to God and allow Him to pour out His overflowing blessings.

The statement begins in verse 13: “Therefore thus says the Lord, ‘Ask now among the nations, who ever heard the like of this? The virgin of Israel has done a most appalling thing.’” Israel has done something that is unheard of even among pagan nations that are faithful to their god. The nation that was to be pure and faithful to God has committed a most horrible offense—they have forsaken the God who was faithful to them.

God continues His indictment against them in verse 14: “Does the snow of Lebanon forsake the rock of the open country? Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever snatched away?” This pictures the constancy of nature. The snow of Lebanon remains true to Lebanon, to the rocks of the ground there. Nature has a consistency and constancy about it that is evident even in the cold, flowing water. This verse shows us that nature remains faithful and true in contrast to Israel’s unfaithfulness.

Israel’s sin is described in verse 15: “For My people have forgotten Me, they burn incense to worthless gods and they have stumbled from their ways, from the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths, not on a highway.” The gods to whom Israel has turned are worthless, a word which indicates emptiness, vanity or nothing. God is saying that His people have forgotten Him and are now burning incense to nothingness, emptiness and vanity. They have turned from the true and living God to nothing. Now they are offering their worship to this nothingness. Israel had proved their unfaithfulness to God.

Israel has turned away from God according to verse 15. One of the results of Israel’s turning from God is found in verse 16: “To make their land a desolation, an object of perpetual hissing; everyone who passes by it will be astonished and shake his head.” God says the people themselves are responsible for the judgment that will come upon them.

Sometimes people ask how a God of love can bring judgment upon people and send them to hell. But God says the judgment we experience is our own responsibility. When God brings judgment, He is acting consistently with His character according to our actions. In this verse God tells us that the people have made their land a desolation. He did not bring Israel to ruin, they brought the ruin to themselves by their own sinful conduct.

The picture in this verse shows other nations walking by and shaking their heads in amazement at Israel. It will be hard for them to believe that Israel would forsake the true and living God and turn to nothingness, thus suffering the loss of everything. The “perpetual hissing” mentioned in verse 16 refers to someone whistling in awe or unbelief as they see something shocking. Study the Scriptures and note the plans God had for the nation Israel. He desired to pour out all of His blessings on them, and then realized that they were willing to forsake all the blessings in order to worship nothingness. It makes you shake your head! How foolish and now sinful they really are. Israel was the nation that God had chosen as His own peculiar possession, His own special treasure. It was the nation to whom God had revealed Himself and unveiled His glory. It was the nation to whom God had sent His prophets and His spokesmen. Israel was the chosen nation of God, so their sinfulness becomes to us all the more appalling, all the less understandable. The rebellious character of this nation becomes more evident as you consider what God had promised them and what they forfeited.

God concludes the indictment of this section in verse 17: “Like an east wind I will scatter them before the enemy; I will show them My back and not My face in the day of their calamity.” God’s face indicates His favor. When He turns His back to them it means He removes His favor from them so that they will no longer be the objects of His blessing and mercy. This describes their day of calamity.

We saw earlier in verse 12 that God indicated what the people would say: “But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”

Verse 18 shows how they actually responded: “Then they said, ‘Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the law is not going to be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the sage, nor the divine word to the prophet! Come on and let us strike at him with our tongue and let us give no heed to any of his words.’”

How would you like to have been Jeremiah? He was in a no-win situation. God was constantly telling him to inform the people of the coming judgment. Yet Jeremiah knew that when he told the Israelites, they would hate him for it.

Jeremiah had relentlessly condemned the prophets, the wise men and the priests in Israel. The people said that they would continue to have prophets, wise men and priests, so they did not need Jeremiah’s prophecies and preaching. Their only interest was in ruining him. Not only did they pay no attention to him, but they planned to destroy him with their lips.

When you stop to think, it is easy to see that Satan is not original with new plans and ideas. He simply recycles the old ones. When someone gives a clear testimony for Jesus Christ today, people often talk about how he has gone off the deep end, what a nut he is, or some even less complimentary thing! Their tactic is to destroy the person with their tongues. They do not want to pay any attention to what he has to say and desire to ruin him if at all possible.

I collect old books. While on vacation I came across several old leather-bound books. In one I read the story of a true believer which was printed in 1804. In the front of the book the author gave his testimony of personal faith in Jesus Christ and how he faithfully taught salvation by grace through faith. This man spent two years in prison after having been accused of improper dealings with a lady. The book is a testimony of how he searched out all the details relating to his case after he got out of prison. Apparently, some people of his day were determined to ruin his reputation and the credibility of the gospel that he preached, so they convinced a certain woman to lie about him in court. After being released from prison, he was able to find out the details of the charges. He produced sworn testimony signed by officials in which the woman testified that she was pressured with threats into lying about him. They attempted to ruin this man and his message.

This is the same thing the people are going to do to Jeremiah. They are not going to give any heed to what he has to say, and they are going to do everything they can to discredit him and ruin him.

We are taken aback by Jeremiah’s response in verses 19 through 23. He prayed for judgment upon his enemies and asked God to do everything to these people which He had said He would do. He asked God to bring destruction and starvation to the nation, to make the land desolate, to make the women widows, to kill the young men with the sword and to let there be weeping and wailing throughout the land.

Has Jeremiah lost his compassion? Has he lost his love for the people? He has presented the Word of God to them clearly, but the people have adamantly resisted and opposed it. So now he echoes God’s refusal to forgive. If you look back at chapters 7, 14, 15 and 16, you will see how God reiterated His unwillingness to forgive Israel. Now Jeremiah is simply reflecting God’s mind in this matter.

The enemies of Jeremiah are the enemies of God, and the enemies of God are the enemies of Jeremiah. The reason they hated Jeremiah and wanted to destroy him was because they hated God and His word. They did not have anything against Jeremiah personally, but they did not like his presenting the Word of God to them. So their opposition to Jeremiah was not personal, but it was ultimately opposition against God. Their desire to ruin Jeremiah was brought about because Jeremiah stood faithfully telling them the Word of God. So, the One they really were opposed to was God.

We need to keep that in mind as we witness. It is easy to become timid if we present the Word of God to people and they storm out. We need to realize that this is nothing personal. Even though they say they hate us and are going to ruin us, the real issue is that they hate God. When we speak for him, that hatred manifests itself and focuses attention upon us as the spokesmen.

The natural man generally hates and resists God. If you tell him that Jesus Christ died on the cross for his sins and apart from faith in Him there is no hope, you become the focal point for his opposition to God. You can expect there will be resentment and persecution.

Jeremiah’s response is interesting. “Do give heed to me, O Lord, and listen to what my opponents are saying! Should good be repaid with evil? For they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before Thee to speak good on their behalf, so as to turn away Thy wrath from them. Therefore, give their children over to famine, and deliver them up to the power of the sword; and let their wives become childless and widowed. Let their men also be smitten to death, their young men struck down by the sword in battle. May an outcry be heard from their houses, when Thou suddenly bringest raiders upon them; for they have dug a pit to capture me and hidden snares for my feet. Yet Thou, O Lord, knowest all their deadly designs against me; do not forgive their iniquity or blot out their sin from Thy sight. But may they be overthrown before Thee; deal with them in the time of Thine anger!” vv. 19-23.

Jeremiah has now come to God’s position. The time of mercy has passed. Jeremiah realizes that these people are obstinate in their sin, and the only thing God can do is deal with them in judgment that they might be turned to believe in Him. Jeremiah asks God to no longer deal in mercy, because that approach is not doing any good. The people are not listening or paying heed. Apparently, Jeremiah is saying this in agreement with the mind of God.

We must be cautious that we do not become bitter, spiteful or hateful toward those who reject us. But eventually the time comes for judgment. We realize that God must intervene and bring the destruction that He has promised.

This chapter reveals the absolute sovereignty of God. He is in control of His creation. But the response of people determines whether God can bring blessing or if He must bring judgment. That is still true today. Unless a person believes in Jesus Christ, he must experience judgment, but when he does believe in Christ, there is no judgment.

This is also true in a secondary sense for our application as believers. We cannot enjoy the blessings of our salvation in our daily walk without obedience. We cannot experience the inner peace which Christ promises, that peace which passes understanding, if we are walking in rebellion and sin. That principle is true for everyone, but in this passage, it is directly speaking of unbelievers who resist God.

This chapter also shows us that calamity is promised as judgment on sin. But we must be careful, because calamity is not always judgment on sin. Israel is going to experience great calamity. But something else this chapter shows us is that Jeremiah’s life is also characterized by calamity. From the beginning of his life to the end, it is one big calamity—one big disaster. Jeremiah experiences one problem after another. Yet God is not dealing with sin in Jeremiah’s life. He is God’s spokesman, submissive to Him, yet his life is full of problems, difficulties, trials and suffering. If these things come into our lives, it is easy to conclude that God must be dealing with us because of sin. That may be the case. If God is disciplining us for sin, we will know about it. Usually when believers are in sin, they are holding their breath, waiting for judgment to come. But we must also realize that much suffering, difficulty, pain, heartache and hardship is simply a result of being a faithful servant of God in a wicked, sinful world.

Why did God not make the road easy for Jeremiah? Why did he not build a hedge around him to protect him so he could preach without suffering so much? It is because the suffering made Jeremiah more the man God wanted him to be. The suffering and difficulty kept him close to God.

In this chapter we see calamity coming in two different situations for two totally different reasons. We see calamity coming from God in judgment upon those who are sinful. But we also see calamity coming upon the man of God from those who oppose God. For that reason, Jeremiah’s calamity is a blessing and a testimony. We call Jeremiah the weeping prophet. We study the hardships he faced, but we praise God for his faithfulness.

We are called to proclaim a message of judgment because of sin and condemnation for sinners apart from Jesus Christ. As you proclaim that message, you can expect to experience resistance. Such a proclamation will bring hardship and heartache. But praise God that we are privileged to stand for Him whatever the cost. What more could we want? We represent a God who is sovereignly in control of all things to accomplish His purposes.