Jeremiah 18 English Standard Version

The Potter and the Clay

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 

11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’

12 “But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’

There is a lesson to be learned here but I shall not teach it. May the Word of the Lord do what it does best, speak for Him.

Having said this, I will return to my reading.

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

Beautiful quote isn’t it? I have seen it used many times and used it myself without context.

Do we look at all 17 verses that preceded this great quote? They are about wickedness.

Then in verses 16 and 17 there is this preamble to verse 18.

“Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

We have to do that before we can stand before God and reason with Him. What follows verse 18?  Let us not forget that either.

Verse 19 says “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;”

Sounds great, we want to be willing and obedient. But verse 20 says “but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

If we had been able to cleanse ourselves and stop doing evil in order to stand before God and reason with Him, wouldn’t the risk of rebellion and punishment be removed?

When we finish reading this chapter we will discover what God will do to restore the unfaithful.

It is God that restores, it is God who redeems, it is God who saves.

We are just wet clay in the hands of the potter, we haven’t been made ready for the fire until we have been molded into vessels fitted for proper use.

Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Are we ready for that baptism? Listen to our Lord before answering.

Mark 10:38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”