(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Jeremiah 18:1-23) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6 “Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot it, to tear it down, or to destroy it; 8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; 10 if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will relent of the good with which I said that I would bless it. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am forming a disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Now turn back, each of you from his evil way, and correct your ways and your deeds!”’ 12 But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will persist in the stubbornness of his evil heart.’
13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
‘Just ask among the nations,
Who ever heard anything like this?
The virgin of Israel
Has done a most appalling thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone?
Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?
15 For My people have forgotten Me,
They burn incense to worthless gods.
And they have stumbled in their ways,
In the ancient roads,
To walk on paths,
Not on a highway,
16 To make their land a desolation,
An object of perpetual hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And shake his head.
17 Like an east wind I will scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will show them My back and not My face
In the day of their disaster.’”
18 Then they said, “Come and let’s devise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the Law is not going to be lost by the priest, nor advice by the wise, nor the divine word by the prophet! Come, and let’s strike at him with our tongue, and let’s pay no attention to any of his words.”
19 Give Your attention to me, Lord,
And listen to what my opponents are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
For they have dug a pit for me.
Remember how I stood before You
To speak good in their behalf,
So as to turn Your wrath away from them.
21 Therefore, give their children over to famine
And turn them over to the power of the sword;
And let their wives become childless and widowed.
Let their men also be slaughtered to death,
Their young men struck and killed by the sword in battle.
22 May a cry be heard from their houses
When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
For they have dug a pit to capture me
And hidden snares for my feet.
23 But You, Lord, know
All their deadly schemes against me;
Do not forgive their wrongdoing
Or wipe out their sin from Your sight.
But may they be overthrown before You;
Deal with them in the time of Your anger!
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6 “Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot it, to tear it down, or to destroy it; 8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; 10 if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will relent of the good with which I said that I would bless it. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am forming a disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Now turn back, each of you from his evil way, and correct your ways and your deeds!”’ 12 But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will persist in the stubbornness of his evil heart.’
13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
‘Just ask among the nations,
Who ever heard anything like this?
The virgin of Israel
Has done a most appalling thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone?
Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?
15 For My people have forgotten Me,
They burn incense to worthless gods.
And they have stumbled in their ways,
In the ancient roads,
To walk on paths,
Not on a highway,
16 To make their land a desolation,
An object of perpetual hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished
And shake his head.
17 Like an east wind I will scatter them
Before the enemy;
I will show them My back and not My face
In the day of their disaster.’”
18 Then they said, “Come and let’s devise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the Law is not going to be lost by the priest, nor advice by the wise, nor the divine word by the prophet! Come, and let’s strike at him with our tongue, and let’s pay no attention to any of his words.”
19 Give Your attention to me, Lord,
And listen to what my opponents are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
For they have dug a pit for me.
Remember how I stood before You
To speak good in their behalf,
So as to turn Your wrath away from them.
21 Therefore, give their children over to famine
And turn them over to the power of the sword;
And let their wives become childless and widowed.
Let their men also be slaughtered to death,
Their young men struck and killed by the sword in battle.
22 May a cry be heard from their houses
When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
For they have dug a pit to capture me
And hidden snares for my feet.
23 But You, Lord, know
All their deadly schemes against me;
Do not forgive their wrongdoing
Or wipe out their sin from Your sight.
But may they be overthrown before You;
Deal with them in the time of Your anger!
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
God sometimes gives us visual aids for us to understand things better, like the example of the potter and the clay. While this example is more about how God, as Creator, has the right and the ability to judge, guide and change people, I thought of an analogy which is about our response throughout the process (not about how we "appear" but how we trust Him and behave towards Him)...
When our kids were toddlers, they needed our help entirely in order to be ready to go anywhere, to be fully dressed and looking presentable. There was washing up, brushing and fixing the hair, as well as dressing them. If at any time they would have decided to be difficult or run away from us, this task would have taken a much longer time. If they would have decided to play in a mudpuddle, they would have been even less presentable, things would have become more difficult, and it would have required even more time. They might have even missed out on having a fun adventure.
In order for God to mold and shape us into something beautiful, we must put ourselves in His hands and allow Him to guide us in life. Disagreeing with God and His word is the same as being difficult and running away from our heavenly Father; and we know He will discipline us because He loves His children and wants the best for us. Being obedient to God's will allows Him to mature us and equip us into being useful vessels of service, in order to be a blessing to Him and others. In return, God will bless and reward us.
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