July 18, 2021
What does it say?
Jeremiah saw the potter smash his clay pot and start over because his work was not forming what he had intended. God could rightfully do the same with Judah.
What does it mean?
The relationship of the clay to the potter is one of total submission. Jeremiah saw that the potter had every right to smash and reshape the lump since the clay did not mold to the potter’s intentions. After all, it was his clay and his design. Likewise, the Lord was justified in building up or reshaping His creation, specifically the house of Israel, as He determined. Of course, it would pain the potter to destroy the work that he had started. God was also grieved that His daughter Israel had become so hopelessly wicked that He needed to crush the nation and rebuild from the exiled remnant.
How should I respond?
Would a lump of clay question the potter’s design (Isaiah 29:16)? Just as a potter forms clay into a beautiful and useful vessel, God’s specific plan for you unfolds through obedience to His Word. Turning away from His commands shapes your life into something other than God’s perfect design, something harmful to you. Because He loves you, the Lord will always try to bring you back to Him through discipline and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He may even allow you to suffer the natural consequences of sinful choices. Are you submitting daily to God’s will for your life? How will you be a vessel that brings Him honor and glory today?