The Potter
and the Clay
Background text from the OT: God shows
Jeremiah the potter at work -- Jeremiah 18:1-10
Background text from the NT: Vessels of
honor -- Romans 9:19-24
Characteristics of the potter
He is absolute -- Read
Isaiah 64:8
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we
are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of
thy hand.
He can shape it
any way he sees fit
He can start over
He can squash it
and throw it out
He knows what he's doing
He's a pro, he
does this for a living
He has a purpose and a plan
He's creating
something, not just anything
Characteristics of the clay
It may either be moldable
or not
Too dry: it can't
withstand pressure
Too wet: it won't
hold its shape
Different clay compositions
for different purposes
Fine clay like
kaolin for dishes
Heavy clay for
furnaces
It cannot object -- Read
Isaiah 45:9
Woe unto him that striveth with his
Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the
earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What
makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?
People, on the
other hand, have Free Will.
It's not finished till it's
finished
Characteristics of the finished
work
Has been selected, shaped,
fired and finished -- Read 2 Tim. 2:19-21
Nevertheless the foundation of God
standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that
are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ
depart from iniquity. 20But in a
great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver,
but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some
to dishonour. 21If a man therefore
purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared
unto every good work
Bears the stamp of the
maker
Brings honor to the maker
-- Read Revelation 4:11
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things,
and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Copyright 1999 Leon V. Smith. All rights
reserved.
