“So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 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. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “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.” (Jeremiah 18:3–6, ESV)
Many outside the church do not understand the power of God and that He works to accomplish His purposes in the world, that He is sovereign over all. Years ago, I was ordained as a deacon in our local church. I was examined in front of the entire congregation where the pastor asked me several questions. One was to explain the sovereignty of God. While going through the training for becoming a deacon, we were taught this answer to the question.
The sovereignty of God is that He does what He wants to do, the way He wants to, and when He wants to. Perhaps it was a simple answer, but it was true.
Here, the Lord gives Jeremiah an object lesson to show how His sovereignty was at work in Israel. He has the prophet go to watch a potter. While the potter is working on a piece of clay, the work is spoiled. At that the potter takes the lump of clay and kneads it back to a lump and starts all over again. He does this to make the lump into what he desires, something of perfection.
The metaphor refers to the Lord God as the master potter. While there is universal application to this metaphor, here it concerns Jerusalem and Judah as the clay. The implication is that the Israelites had become spoiled due to their apostasy and idolatry. Thus, the sovereign Lord had the power and authority to take the nation down so that He could reshape it into the vessel He desired. This would happen in the Babylonian conquest because they refused to heed the warnings that He gave them through the prophet.
There are many applications of this universal principle of God’s sovereignty. He is the master potter and He shapes everything in accordance with His desired outcome. Here it was for the nation of Israel, specifically the southern kingdom of Judah. Yet universally, He raises up and brings down kings and kingdoms according to His purposes. Of course, we know that His ways are higher than ours are and that they are always good. He is the master potter and He alone has the master plan.
This principle also can be applied to the church. He is sovereign over all who are called by His name. He moves in the church and local churches according to His divine purposes. Often churches try to make the Lord yield to their purposes rather than they identifying His will and joining Him in His will. Taking this approach is like beating one’s head against a brick wall, the wall will not give only the forehead. Churches need to realize that He is the potter and they are the clay. Thus, He determines what the churches are to be and how they are to accomplish their mission in the various mission fields in which they are established. It is for this reason that I am not a proponent of following manmade church models or the model of other churches.
Last the principle applies also to individuals. The Lord our God is the one who is shaping every believer into the image of Jesus. This thought is captured by an old Hymn, “Have Thine own way, Lord.” The first stanza goes like this.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
What is the universal response for nations, churches, and individuals to the Lord’s sovereignty? Nations, churches, and believers must yield to the Potter’s hands. To resist is futile, and will lead to needless struggle, failure, and disaster. We must have in our hearts a desire to become that beautiful vessel that the Lord desires. This means that we must be continuously yielding to His perfect will.
Renewing the Heart 