Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?’ says the LORD. ‘Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!’ Jeremiah 18:3-6
I have never molded a piece of pottery in my life, but judging by what I have seen, it is impressive that anyone can do so. There are so many elements involved: proper temperature, correct ratios of the various elements needed, right wheel speed, right amount of pressure against the vessel, neither working it too long or too short, etc. The potsherd collection in any potter’s workshop is a testament to the difficulty of molding clay into what you want it to be. Often, as the Lord showed Jeremiah in this illustration, the original intent of the clay must be abandoned, so it can avoid ruin and be reshaped for some other useful purpose.
Such is the situation with Israel at the time Jeremiah received this commission. God’s intended purpose for Israel was one of honor (Exodus 19:4-6; Deuteronomy 7:6; 26:18-19; Romans 9:21), but it had to be abandoned because of their hard hearts and wicked deeds (Jeremiah 18:7-11). However, He was not willing to just throw them away without working to reshape them into a useful vessel. The reshaping process is much more difficult than the original molding process, but it can be done. The analogy breaks down in that human potters working with material clay sometimes mess up the vessel themselves, but the vessel of God’s people only becomes marred when we become unpliable clay.
It is obvious from Jeremiah 18:7-10 that Israel was responsible for her own ruin. Yet, God was still willing to make a new, useful vessel of them, if they would simply become pliable again by softening their hearts. Repeatedly God offered to reshape them, but they refused, until they went into captivity (Jeremiah 18:12). Eventually, the remnant would be reshaped, their Messiah would come, the promised New Covenant would be established, and the fullness of the promises would be fulfilled (Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:16; 4:4ff). But first, the hardened clay had to be restored to its pliability. In Isaiah 64:8-9, we read the response of the righteous remnant as they pleaded with God to reshape them for the honorable purpose He intended. “But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. Do not be furious, O LORD, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look— we all are Your people!” (Isaiah 64:8-9).
This metaphor of the potter and the clay applies to us today as well as it did to Israel then. 2 Timothy 2:20 speaks to the phenomenon within the Lord’s house where some of the vessels are fit for honor while others are fit for dishonor. But then, in verse 21, we find that “…anyone who cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” As was the case with Israel, you and I must decide what kind of clay we will be in our Potter’s hands. Will we be pliable and therefore molded for honor, or will we be hardened and become unfit for His good purposes? The choice is entirely our own. If we yield, He will mold us into what we need to be.