The Potter’s House

“Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.” Jeremiah 18:2-4

God sent Jeremiah to the potter’s house because he wanted Jeremiah to give him an illustration of what He was planning to do with the people of Israel. As the potter worked with the clay, there was a flaw in the clay that ruined the vessel he intended to make. The potter did not throw away that particular lump of clay. Instead, he started over. God wanted Jeremiah to go to the people and preach to them that they were like the clay in His hands. He was free to exercise ownership and control over their lives. He had a vision for what He wanted them to become. He had a plan that would enable Him to make them into what He wanted them to be. He had a purpose that He wanted them to fulfill. He was patient in His approach, so that when they refused to become what He envisioned, He was willing to start over with a new vision and a new purpose because of the investment that He had made in them up to that point. Jeremiah’s message was intended specifically for Israel, but the principles certainly apply to God’s people today. We belong to God. He has a plan for our lives and a purpose for us to fulfill. We must be pliable in His hands and allow Him to work on us and make us into what He wants us to be.