Jeremiah 18:1-4 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Have you ever been going about your day and suddenly the Holy Spirit begins to teach you some spiritual truth from what you see right before you? It seemed to be Jesus' method of preaching many times, to pull from the storehouse of everyday life when he wanted to illustrate some grand spiritual truth. So it was for David as he sat and shepherded his sheep; the Lord brought to his mind how there was a shepherd higher than him who was watching over his sheep, and for Jeremiah, the Holy Spirit took him on a class trip to the potter's house, not to teach him about pottery but about himself and the nation he lived in, and most importantly, God. Be watchful and attentive today; you never know when the world around you will reflect its creator, and when it does, the Holy Spirit can guide you into all truth and call into remembrance some truth from His word.
When he arrived at the potter’s house, he beheld a work on the wheel, not chaos. The work in the potter's hand was something that started long before Jeremiah had arrived. Sometime in the past, this work started in the heart of the potter. He had a plan, perhaps he had an order for a vase, a pitcher, or a plate. But I’d like to think that this vessel being formed was not just his own invention but was put in his heart and mind by the Lord himself since it would be such a special occasion, although unknown to the potter. Before he made it, he could see it and then he devised his work plan. He would need a certain material from a certain pit, and it would have to be conditioned to his liking to make a suitable vessel and so forth. If you haven’t caught on yet, this is precisely where you began, and where I began, not in the hand of the potter but in the heart of the potter. Jeremiah had already been told, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Remember as well the words of our Potter, Jesus Christ, concerning us long before we ever were even a thought in our mother's heart, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.” Paul believed that his purpose began in the heart of God long before he ever knew God, Gal 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace.” Long before you were in his will or under the guidance of his shaping hand, you were in his heart. It was his plan and purpose that brought him right to the slim pit you were in, reached down his hand of grace, and plucked you out! This was a plan for every man that would believe from the foundations of the earth. Imagine, before God spoke the light that's shining on you this morning into existence, he planned on saving you and countless millions more who will believe. We might be in his hand today, but we were in his heart first.
This work is said to be a vessel, a vessel is specifically a container. Perhaps it was made to hold water, maybe for drinking, or, considering the lesson being taught, for washing hands and feet. I suspect it was a vessel for service to be filled up and then emptied out in the service of others. That is precisely what type of vessels we are, we are made to be ministers. Remember our Apostle’s words “I, Paul, am made a minister.” God makes each of us servants, He plucks us up from the slim pits of sin, just a miserable mass of shapeless clay, and by His omniscient hand, He forms us into His purpose. There is a model He is following, a mold that we will eventually be shaped into, and that mold is the man Jesus Christ, the greatest servant who, to this day, ever lives to make intercession for us. He served in His birth, life, death, and resurrection, and still, He advocates and intercedes for us and will for eternity serve His people as their great high priest. He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily and poured out His strength for us, His life for us, His tears for us, His blood for us, and when He was done serving, there was not a single drop remaining; He had poured it all out unto our service. This is the shape He is making you into, so that He may fill you to overflowing and pour out of you in the service of others.
Then tragedy struck. The vessel was marred. Everything seemed to be going so well, and then everything folded in on itself. The vessel that had taken on such a promising form was back to being a mass of shapeless clay again. How many times has this happened throughout God’s history with mankind? Many. Think of the first world, a man and a woman and a beautiful creation. Then tragedy strikes, and they sin, and this beautiful creation is marred. Mankind turns to murder and maleficence. Think of Noah’s day, a world where men live hundreds of years, no rain, a world hard for us to imagine the grandness of, and then tragedy strikes. A flood washes the earth clean, and every breathing thing dies, all is lost. Think of the context of this very Scripture. Israel was redeemed from Egypt, brought into the promised land, and enjoyed the promises of God, and now they are about to be marred by Babylonian captivity. Think of the life of our Lord Jesus. He is perfect, righteous, holy, and going about to do good. He is the Messiah and proves it by his manner of life, his command of creation, and the power that he has over the hearts of man. Then tragedy strikes, and he is betrayed, arrested, condemned, beaten, crucified, and dies as a criminal. I’m sure many instances in our own lives come to mind as well when we seemed to be right where he wanted us, and things seemed to be taking on a shape that looked promising, and all of a sudden everything flies apart, and we are marred.
Yet in every situation mentioned above, these people, places, and things were marred, but this marring took place in the hand of the potter. As far apart as our lives could be slung, it cannot be so far gone that he cannot reform and reshape. Adam and Eve made as big a blunder as anyone ever could, and yet the Lord came down to where they were, made coats of skin, covered them, and forgave them. The world was lost, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and God built an ark, shut Noah in, and saved him and the human race. Israel backslid and went into judgment and to some extent are still there to this day, but we believe that one day every promise made to them will be fulfilled by God’s shaping hand. Jesus was betrayed, but he rose from the dead victorious over death, hell, and the grave, and what seemed to be a tragedy was actually God’s hand at work. When Christ arose, he arose glorious and victorious. So if you have been marred, take rest, you are marred in his hand and nothing is beyond his ability to reshape and reform.
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