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The beneficial impact of the spiritual message of the
“The Potter And The Clay” is yet to be appreciated by
natural men.
The Bible is an
excellent key to unlock and uncover the precious message
of truth from the potter’s house. The Word of God takes
a high profile role in man’s search for the truth. Man’s
high regard toward God’s will serves as an essential
vehicle in bringing him to where God wants him to be.
In Jeremiah 18:2,
it is written, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house,
and there I will cause thee to hear my words. (KJV) This
important passage from the Scriptures entails an
exciting means of spiritual learning from our Creator
who shaped the first man out of the dust.
Jeremiah 18:3 gives
us an idea concerning Jeremiah’s willingness to learn
from God’s expressive and unique way of teaching His
children. Undeniably, spiritual wisdom is being offered
to an interested person who is willing to take heed to
the Word of God.
(I) God’s
Noteworthy Message To Men
Jeremiah 18:1-4
-A relevant message
-A message not to be ignored
-A message to be understood
It’s really a
blessing to visit a place where we could personally see
a skilled potter shaping a beautiful earthen vessel out
of formless clay. Its striking message will certainly
widen our spiritual understanding. Jeremiah’s remarkable
experience will surely come to life again as God’s
unique reminder to every man in the so-called
“Modernized World.”
Truly, God’s
noteworthy messages through the Scriptures are always
relevant at all times. For this reason, the spiritual
lesson we could learn from the potter’s house should not
be taken lightly or intentionally ignored, but heartily
embraced and carefully understood.
Our adversary, the
devil, keeps his sharp eyes on people whose lives he
aims to destroy through his deceitful and destructive
ways, but through this God-given lesson, we could become
more sensitive to the working of God and gain more
wisdom on how to subdue Satan’s crushing mallet.
(II) God: The
Potter
Jeremiah 18:5-6
-Mankind: The Clay
In Isaiah 64:8, it
is written, But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are
the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work
of thy hand. (KJV) God is our Creator and He has the
power to mould us according to His plan. We are nothing
but clay relying on the Potter’s wonderful working and
the more we submit to His moulding process, the more we
will come out pleasing before Him.
A careful study on
Jeremiah 18:4-6 leads us to realization and awareness on
how our Heavenly Father puts us on His wheels to shape
us as seems good to Him.
(III) Important
Things To Be Considered
Jeremiah 18:6
-The authority and blessed will of God
In verse six, the
LORD said, “O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as
this potter?” (KJV) By this emphatic question, God
reminded the Israelites concerning His authority, lest
they become unmindful of His blessed will for the nation
Israel and overlook His infinite power over His
creation. Then the LORD said, “Behold, as the clay is in
the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of
Israel.” (KJV)
-The required obedience of man
The importance of
total obedience and its God-glorifying results are
worthy to be pondered as the Lord continues to form
believers through His skilful, caring hands.
In Isaiah 45:9, it
is written, Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!
Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth.
Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What
makest thou? Or thy work, He hath no hands? (KJV)
Justly, as the clay has no power over the potter, so is
a believer on his Maker, which is the Lord.
Total obedience to
The Word of God and humble attitude toward His
life-changing process of shaping lives lead a believer
to Christ-likeness.
-The sensitive emotion of God
The potter’s
emotion during working hours plays a sensitive role in
making a beautiful and durable earthen vessel. Every
time a joyful potter puts clay on the potter’s wheels,
spinning and forming it according to his will, the
result is always superb and delightful beyond degree. On
the other hand if grief floods the potter’s soul, no
remarkable vessel is made by his grief-troubled hands.
The product always reveals the potter’s emotion.
In Ephesians 4:30,
it is written, And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (KJV)
It is so interesting to note that the Spirit of God is
not merely an active force as some ignorant people claim
but a God with a sensitive emotion.
We are the clay and
The Lord is our potter. We should be aware that giving
grief to the Lord puts us in a risky place where we
could possibly lose our God-given opportunity to display
His greatness and power through our lives.
-The moulding process of God
Taking notes on the
process of jar making is interesting and an effective
way of learning. Its spiritual significance helps every
believer to gain more knowledge and understanding
concerning God’s creative way of shaping the lives of
His precious children.
It is so amazing to
see a well-mixed mass of clay placed on the potter’s
wheels ready to be shaped according to the potter’s
will. The potter spins the wheels through his foot then
gently and skilfully moulds the formless clay.
The potter’s physical and
emotional composure cannot be ignored as he expectantly
waits the clay to rise. In just a few minutes, the
shapeless clay gradually rises up showing its promising
beauty as the potter’s amazing hands form it
aesthetically with care and incomparable interest.
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Photo By Jose B.
Cabajar |
To make a bigger vessel, the potter moulds the upper
part and the lower part separately and then joins them
meticulously. The part that catches our attention is the
progressive procedure in which the potter carefully taps
the vessel with his flat wooden tool to strengthen the
joining, to shape the vessel and make it firm and
beautiful. Some extra master’s touches are being made to
enhance the vessel’s distinction and peculiarity.
Every believer is
in the hands of God and being shaped according to His
perfect will. As the potter pats the clay for a purpose,
so is the Lord in shaping us through chastisement, not
to destroy us, but to teach, discipline and strengthen
us. It is also a wonderful manifestation of His great
love for His children.
In Hebrews 12:5-6,
it is written, And ye have forgotten the exhortation
which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son,
despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint
when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth
he chasteneth , and scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth. (KJV)
Furthermore, the
Bible explains the benefits of the Lord’s chastening. In
Hebrews 12:10, it is written, For they verily for a few
days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for
our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
(KJV) Truly, God is the Potter, we are the clay.
-The attitude of man toward a fiery test
How wonderful is
the message of God through “The Potter And The Clay.”
Knowing the truth that a newly formed jar is a very weak
vessel and cannot be used yet unless it passes through
the fire is a special knowledge to be considered and to
be treasured.
God permits fiery
trials to come across our paths of life because these
are great help in giving us an opportunity to be
strengthened and become more usable for the Master’s
use. We really need a good attitude toward the working
of God in our lives. Job is a classic example of that
kind of attitude when he said, “but he knoweth the way
that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth
as gold.” Job 23:10 (KJV)
During the process
of strengthening the earthen vessels through the fire,
some vessels become deformed because of the charring
heat. Like the deformed vessels, so are Christians that
are greatly affected by fiery trials of life because of
their negative attitude during trying moments.
In I Peter 1:6-7,
it is written, Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now
for a season, if need be, ye are in manifold
temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much
precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried
with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and
glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (KJV)
May the Word of God
be always in our hearts to help us when our faith is
tested beyond measure. In I Thessalonians 5:18, it is
written, In every thing give thanks: for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (KJV)
-The wonderful result
The result is so
amazing to the point that we could be led to sing “How
Great Thou Art.”
In the potter’s
place one could see and appreciate the striking beauty
and unquestionable durability of the earthen vessels.
The variation of the vessels’ sizes and designs add to
the credibility and authority of the potter. So true to
believers in Christ, as we are in the Master’s hands, we
go through a progressive process and time will come when
the greatness of our Maker will be displayed through our
lives in an awesome way.
But now, O LORD,
thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our
potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isaiah 64:8
(KJV)
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On the other side,
we could also see broken pieces of vessels set aside and
seem useless and trodden of men.
Surprisingly, we
learned from the owner that these broken pieces are not
counted useless, but still have a wonderful purpose.
What an encouragement for a believer who is considered a
failure and useless vessel in our society. As the saying
goes, “The best is yet to come.”
We are told that
these broken pieces are being sold to “the salt maker”
for a good price. The demand is high and the price is
right. It is unbelievable but true that the salt maker
could not produce a high-quality salt without the
earthen pieces that come from the destroyed jars.
The broken earthen
vessels are being used tremendously as flooring and an
excellent bed to produce high-quality salt. Think about
that, hopeless Christians!
No matter how
insignificant our lives may seem to be, still, our God
has always a way to use every blood-bought and
blood-washed sinners saved by His “Amazing Grace.”
To God be the glory
great things He has done.
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THE
POWER OF TRUTH
