PODCAST
We’re Marred By Sin
July 2nd, 2018
Jeremiah 18:1-12
Making pottery was a common trade in ancient Israel. The Lord’s invitation to visit the potter’s house provided Jeremiah autobiographical insights into YHWH activity and Israel’s response.
A pottery artist once told me that the nature or quality of the clay is the ultimate determiner of what can be molded and created at the potter’s wheel. The artist will have an idea of an intended outcome; yet, sometimes after repeated attempts to shape the clay into the desired product, the “stubbornness” of the clay forces the artist to resign the original idea and to rework an alternative goal for the clay.
Jeremiah’s mission was to inform Israel of their callousness, like the stubborn clay. Although the LORD wanted Israel to reform and return to covenant relationship, only the ensuing judgment could avail to make them pliable to the potter’s touch. Jeremiah’s hope for God’s people must wait until the day of a new covenant (see 31:31-34). However, the call to turn away from evil and modify behavior remains.
Author: William Coker Jr.
