The Potter
I love this analogy. I’m not alone. This is one of the more talked about analogies within the book of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah goes and watches a potter. He is amazed at how the potter turns the clay around on a wheel and shapes it. Often, the clay doesn’t work out the way the potter desires. So the potter mashes it all back together and starts over. It seemed good for the potter to go about this process.
God tells Jeremiah that we are really no different in His eyes. If we are out doing evil and God starts shaping us for destruction but we repent, God will understand that the destruction is no longer serving its purpose. So God will mash up the destruction that He has planned and replace it with good. On the other hand, if God is planning good for us and suddenly we begin to do evil in His eyes, then God will mash up His plans for good and reshape destruction.
We do this all the time as people. Parents base the rewards of their children upon the current fruit of the child’s efforts. Employers base the evaluations of the employees upon the current fruit of the employee. Why should God really be any different? If God is planning something we don’t deserve (whether for good or for bad) then why should He not change His plans so that we get what we deserve?
Our Own Plans
However, we as human beings have no desire to be in the position of the clay. We want to be the potter. We want to be the one in charge. We want to be the one handing out the reward of punishment, not the one being rewarded or punished. Isn’t this the dream of every human? Do we not strive for our independence so that we can live our own lives and make our own decisions?
Thus, God raised up a complaint against Israel. They have abandoned Him. They are no longer interested in following His ways. They are not even interested in repenting and acknowledge that they haven’t followed His ways. In truth, they completely don’t even care about their relationship with God. God accuses the Hebrew people of abandoning Him. They have abandoned the ancient pathways that God established and they now wander aimlessly among the byways of the world.
Again Jeremiah is Attacked
When Jeremiah brought this message to the people, they began to attack him. This time, they don’t attack him physically but rather verbally. They try to plot against him and discredit his name. They are convinced that the Law and wisdom are on their side, and these things will not depart from them. Thus, they believe if they slander Jeremiah his messages will be discredited.
I find a brash arrogance here. At the same time, I wonder how much arrogance I have within me as well. How often do I act brazenly assuming that I have the Law and God’s words on my side? I wonder how many times I am no different than the people who came to slander Jeremiah. I assume that I am right, but I am ignoring the people that God has sent my way to tell me that I am wrong.
A Change in Jeremiah
Then something interesting happens within Jeremiah. Now it seems as though Jeremiah is at a point of listening to God’s thrice repeated declaration to pray no longer for these people. Jeremiah joins in the chorus against the Hebrew people.
First, notice that Jeremiah asks the Lord to hear his plea. Then, Jeremiah confesses how short-sighted he was to stand before God and plead for them. Then, Jeremiah unleashes a barrage of ill-will against them. Instead of asking for God to overlook their sins, Jeremiah asks God to remember their iniquity. Jeremiah asks God to be intentional about making their houses places of lament. Jeremiah asks God to refrain from blotting out the sins of the people. Jeremiah tells God that he is okay with the idea of them being overthrown. Jeremiah agrees with God. It is time to deal with them in terms of wrath.
This is a hard end of the chapter. It is painful within me to hear when a leader of the people finally washes his hands of the people. I compare stories like this to Jesus on the cross when Jesus says, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
But on the other hand, have we not heard God say three times to Jeremiah to stop praying for these people? Has God not giving a directive to Jeremiah to stop being concerned about them? Is Jeremiah doing anything wrong by following God’s directive? I don’t think so!
I think we are actually seeing Christ in Jeremiah here in this chapter. We are not seeing the Christ who asked for forgiveness for the people as He hung on the cross. Rather, I think here we are seeing the triumphant Christ returning once more to earth to judge the nations. There had been plenty of time for mercy. Time and time again God had given the Hebrew people opportunity to repent. They didn’t. So the time of judgment has come. Jeremiah – like the Lord to come once again – says, “Enough.”
What a hard – but revealing – end to this chapter.
<><
No comments:
Post a Comment