When Pottery Rebels

Jeremiah 18:1-12

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said,  “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.”  So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel.  But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.

Then the Lord gave me this message:  “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.  If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed,  but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned.  And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom,  but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.

“Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’”

But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.”

Today, we hear Jeremiah warning God’s people by using the image of a potter’s wheel.  God has tried to shape them into a people to live out his promises and purposes, but the people, the clay, have been unwilling to be molded. I do not have experience using a potter’s wheel, but I am all too familiar with other kinds of projects going awry despite my best intentions.  When that happens, one of the options is to just throw away the materials and start over.  The core of God’s message here is that God does NOT want to do that. 

The most alarming part of this passage is the people’s response; “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.”  This expresses one of two things.  Either the people don’t know who God really is or they are so entrenched in their activities in the moment that they do not care what the consequences are.  Whatever the reason, the warning is ignored,  the people are conquered and their lives as they knew them are destroyed by exile.

If you’re reading this devotional, chances are that at the very least, you are the kind of person that is open to hearing and obeying God.  Most of us hear the insolent response of God’s people above and think to ourselves, “that would never be me.”  But is that really true?  Are there never any moments when you resist being molded by the Great Potter’s hand?   I invite you today to spend a few moments today thinking about the places where you are feeling pressure and you are resisting.  It could even be a cherished belief that you are feeling challenged to rethink and the idea of letting go seems like too much right now.  Perhaps it is a practice you have that you know is not helpful, but you rebel against doing something different.  The Potter wants to continue to shape you into something useful and beautiful.  Do you trust the Potter’s hand? 

Prayer:  You are the Potter God and we are the clay.  Mold us and make us as you will. Amen

Prayer Focus:  Spend some time expressing gratitude to God.  Actually list the things you are grateful for to God. 

Song:  The Potter’s Hand by Darlene Zschech (with lyrics)