This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house and there I will give you my message.”

So I went down to the potter’s house and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hands of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.” (Jeremiah 18:1-10)

This is probably the most significant of all Jeremiah’s long-term prophecies. It is unique in establishing the basic principles of God’s relationships with nations other than Israel. It is comparable with the message given to Solomon at the dedication of the Temple, recorded in 2 Chronicles 7:14, where God said, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” That is a promise often quoted in relation to Britain or the USA, but it is a promise specifically for the people of Israel.

This message, given to Jeremiah, makes promises of universal significance; promises applicable to all nations. It also gives us an insight into Jeremiah’s personal relationship with God and how he received his divine revelation. In one of his quiet times, God told him to go to the potter’s house.

The Potter at Work

Jeremiah was used to God using everyday events to convey a message to him, but there was no hint in this command indicating what he would find at the potter’s house, or what he should observe. So Jeremiah simply did as he was told and went and stood inside the potter’s workshop watching the man at work.

It is reasonable to suppose that Jeremiah was well acquainted with the man and that he would have asked him what he was making. The potter may have explained that he was endeavouring to make a beautiful vase for a rich man’s house, but this piece of clay would not run in his hands. That is not unusual: some pieces of clay simply do not run in the potter’s hands. Eventually he gave up the unequal struggle.

I’ve no doubt that Jeremiah fully expected to see the potter hurl that stubborn piece of clay across the floor into the dust. But instead, the potter took the clay and crushed it in his hands, working it back into a ball, soft and pliant. Then he put it back on the wheel and patiently began to reshape it into another pot. It would not be the original decorative design, but it would be functional, a useful pot that no doubt would bless a busy housewife in her kitchen.

This message to Jeremiah makes promises of universal significance.

Not Forsaken

Immediately, Jeremiah saw the significance and the word of the Lord came to him. As the clay was totally in the hands of the potter, so Israel was in the hands of God. The nation of Israel was stubborn and unyielding to the guiding hands of the Lord. But although they thoroughly deserved to be abandoned by God, he nevertheless did not discard them. Although Israel broke the covenant with God, he would never forsake his promises to them.

He had called Israel to be his servant, through whom he would reveal his nature and purposes to the world, but Israel was an unfaithful servant. They ran after other gods and rejected the teaching he had given to them.

Nevertheless, watching the potter at work convinced Jeremiah that even though God would allow Nebuchadnezzar to invade the land and take captives into exile, God would never abandon his people. Instead, he would watch over them in exile in Babylon, refining them, purifying them from idolatry and eventually bringing them back to the promised land, as a faithful remnant to whom he could send his Messiah.

It was at this point that Jeremiah perceived the amazing truth that this was more than just a revelation of God’s relationship with Israel; as the God of Creation who held the nations in his hands (as the potter held that ball of clay in his hands), God had sovereign power over all nations. Jeremiah perceived further that God would work out his purposes for each of the nations.

If a nation was doing evil in his sight, and that nation responded to his teaching, repenting of their wickedness, God would reconsider his intentions of bringing judgment upon them and would bless them.

This was more than just a revelation of God’s relationship with Israel; God had sovereign power over all nations and would work out his purposes for each of them.

God's Redemptive Power

This revelation of God’s purposes is of huge significance, not only for the Gentile nations, but for every individual human being. It establishes the basic principles of our relationships with God, the Creator of all life. We are all self-centred individuals alienated from God our Creator, until we come to see him as our loving Heavenly Father and come into a right relationship with him through Jesus our Saviour.

Just as the potter did not throw away the stubborn lump of clay, God does not throw us away. We all do wrong things; and sometimes we mess up our lives. But there is nothing that we can do that will put us beyond God’s redemptive power. If we have gone severely wrong, God may not be able to fulfil his original best intentions for our lives, but he will never throw us away. He re-makes us, as the potter re-made that ball of clay into a useful pot. God re-makes us into useful human beings reflecting his amazing redemptive power – giving us gifts we thought were impossible and giving us the great joy of being used in his service to glorify his name.

Surely that is worth a Hallelujah!

This article is part of a series on the life and ministry of the Prophet Jeremiah. Click here to read previous instalments.