Jeremiah 19:1 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and of the priests….”
One of the things that struck me from yesterday’s reading was the fact that when the pot became marred while it was being formed, the potter didn’t abandon it, he remade it “as seemed best to Him.” In today’s reading, the pot is past the creation stage—its now rigid, hardened, easily breakable, easily broken.
Jeremiah 19:10 “Then break the jar while those who go with you are watching….”
Here’s the thing about vessels, they are all useful—a cup, a bowl, a bottle all have specific jobs to do. If a bowl is marred on the wheel, it can still be remade into a useful cup or bottle. But once it’s off the potter’s wheel, it becomes hardened and brittle. If it’s smashed, it becomes useless.
Jeremiah 19:11 “…and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired.’”
Lord, Thank You for the reminder that we must stay connected to You—attached to Your vine, firmly connected to Your potter’s wheel—to be useful to You, pliable for You. Once we are removed from our source, we become brittle and fragile, easily made useless. Help us never to be useless when it comes to Your kingdom work. Help us stay grounded in You. Amen.
Jeremiah 19:15 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and all the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.’ ”
Have a blessed day.