THE
POTTER
By
Shelby G. Floyd
One of the earliest inventions and crafts, known in the history of man, is that of the potter’s wheel:
“Another important invention was the potter’s wheel. Earlier, men had fashioned pots by molding or
coiling clay by hand, but with the potter’s wheel, men could turn out a
symmetrical product in a much shorter time…Although none of these ancient
wooden potter’s wheels have survived, examples made of clay and stone have been
excavated. The oldest, found at
In a hymn book we have a song titled, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” which includes these beautiful words,
“Have Thine Own Way Lord!
Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.”
By a figure of speech, the words of this song, compares God to the potter, and his people to the clay. If we yield to his will, like a potter he can mold us and make us a vessel of honor; but if we refuse his word, we can mar like clay in his hands, and fit ourselves as vessels of destruction and wrath.
The figure of speech of the potter and clay as applied to God and his people is found several times in both the Old and New Testaments. But the application of this figure of speech is nowhere made plainer than in the book Jeremiah, where we read of Jeremiah being sent, by divine direction, down to the potter’s house to observe an object lesson.
Jeremiah and the Potter’s House
By divine instruction God sent his prophet Jeremiah down to the potter’s house to watch a man at work with the potter’s wheel and his clay:
Jeremiah 18:1-6
The word which came to
Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Arise, and go down to
the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Then I went down to
the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
And the vessel that he
made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another
vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Then the word of the
LORD came to me, saying,
O house of Israel,
cannot I do with you as this potter? saith
the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand,
O house of
KJV
When Jeremiah came to the potter’s house, he saw the potter working a lump of clay on the potter’s wheel. While he was watching the man work, the clay marred in his hand, and so he had to make it another vessel as seemed good to the potter. The potter was a skilled craftsman, and the clay did not mar because of some mistake or fault on his part, but the clay marred because of the condition of the clay. Therefore, the potter had to make it another vessel according to the condition of the clay.
The
application was obvious to Jeremiah.
This very principal is further explained to Jeremiah by God:
Jeremiah 18:7-10
At what instant I
shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to
pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced,
turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a
kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not
my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit
them.
KJV
Because
Jeremiah 19:1, 10-11
Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and
take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests; Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go
with thee, And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people
and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel,
that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.
KJV
It
is sad to think that
Lamentations 4:1-2
How is
the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold
changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in
the top of every street. The precious sons of
KJV
The
prophet Isaiah joined Jeremiah in comparing God to the potter and the children
of
God’s Will and Man’s Will
God either makes his people vessels of wrath, or vessels of honor, according to his will; but he does not do this in violation of the nature of man. Man also has a choice in the matter; if man yields his will to God’s will, God will make him a vessel of honor. If man resists God’s will, he will make him a vessel of wrath and destruction. If God fits us as vessels of wrath and destruction, we have no right to reply against God, for he only molds and makes us according to the way we yield ourselves to him. Therefore, God’s treatment of both men and nations is perfectly just.
The Justice of God
In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul uses the same figure speech of the potter and the clay to describe God’s just treatment of both the Jews and the Gentiles:
Romans 9:19-24
Thou wilt say then
unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath
resisted his will?
Nay but, O man, who
art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing
formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made
me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one
vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew
his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the
vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches
of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
KJV
Paul
here is reasoning from specific examples in the history of God’s dealings with
men and nations. A man or a nation can
either make themselves vessels of wrath or vessels of honor and glory. For instance, Pharaoh refused to make himself
a vessel of honor, and even though God was long-suffering with him, he prepared
himself to be a vessel of wrath. Since
he chose to be a vessel of that character, God used him to display his wrath
against such characters. Therefore,
Pharaoh could not find fault with God for punishing him, since he alone was
responsible for the consequences of his acts.
In the same way, for hundreds of years God had been long-suffering with
the nation of
On the other hand, those of both the Jews in Gentiles who accepted Jesus Christ as the divine Son of God, and obeyed his gospel, prepared themselves to be vessels of honor and glory that God had prepared for them. Whether we are vessels of wrath or vessels of honor depends upon our choice of human character. If the clay mars in the hand of the potter, it is not the potter’s fault, but rather the character and quality of the clay. If God proposes to make us vessels of honor, and we refuse to be vessels of honor, and therefore mar in his hands, then he can do with us as he sees fit, because we are in his hand as the clay is in the hand of the Potter.
Just as we are clay in the hand of God and he molds and makes us according to his will and according to our will, so our children are as clay in our hands, and we must mold them and make them vessels of honor according to the will of God. Paul said,
Ephesians 6:1-4
Children, obey your
parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and
mother," which is the first commandment with promise: "that it may be
well with you and you may live long on the earth." And you, fathers, do not provoke your children
to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
NKJV
Thus, in molding the character of a child, both the will of the child and the will of the parent are involved.
The following verse by an unknown author illustrates very well our subject at hand.
The Potter’s Wheel
I took a piece of potter’s clay
And gently fashioned it one day,
And as my fingers pressed it still,
It moved and yielded to my will.
I came again when days were past;
The bit of clay was hard at last;
The form I gave it still it bore,
But I could change that form no more.
I took a piece of living clay
And gently formed day by day;
And molded with my power and art,
A young child’s soft and yielding heart.
I came again when days were gone;
It was a man I looked upon.
He still that first impression wore,
And I could change it never more.
--Author unknown
May each of us consider ourselves as clay in the hand of God, and so live and conduct ourselves that God might mold us and make us a vessel of honor and glory instead of a vessel of wrath and destruction.
One of the favorite figures of speech, of both the Old and New Testaments, is that of the potter and the clay. In this metaphor, God is compared to the potter, and his people to the clay. God can mold us and make us either into vessels of honor and glory, or unto vessels of wrath and destruction. God does not do this arbitrarily in violation of the nature of man, but in conjunction with man’s freewill and choice. Therefore, our purpose is to illustrate that a person, by the choice of his willpower, can either be a vessel of honor or a vessel of wrath.
In writing to the young preacher Timothy Paul said,
2 Timothy 2:19-22
Nevertheless, God's
solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord
knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of
the Lord must turn away from wickedness."
In a large house there
are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are
for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the
latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the
Master and prepared to do any good work.
Flee the evil desires
of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who
call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
NIV
In this same statement, the apostle Paul compares all the members of the church to a large house in which there are many vessels, some of gold and silver, vessels unto honor, some of wood and earth, vessels to dishonor. But, Paul affirms that a man does not need to be a vessel of dishonor: for he says, a man may purge himself from vessels of dishonor and make himself a vessel unto honor, sanctified and proper for the master’s use, and prepared for every good work.
How does a man purge himself, and make himself a vessel of honor? He does this by refusing to compromise with evil, and by conforming to the Master’s will. A man may purge himself from the vessels of dishonor also by fleeing youthful lust, and following after righteousness, faith, charity, etc. Whether a man turns out to be a vessel of honor, or of wrath, depends upon whether he purges himself from the corrupting influences of sin and evil. Paul emphasizes the importance of good influence: “be not deceived: evil communications corrupts good manners.” (1 Corinthians 15:33.) A man then may become a vessel of honor and glory by purging himself from the corrupting influences of sin. He does this by being, “not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2.) A person may keep himself from becoming a vessel of dishonor by purging himself from the works of the flesh, and by bearing the fruit of the spirit. (Cf. Galatians 5: 19-23.)
Persons who have
given themselves over to be the servants of God are often compared to an
earthen vessel. For instance, the
apostle Paul compared the preachers of the gospel to earthen vessels, and he
likened the gospel to a treasure hidden in earthen vessels, that “the excellency of the power may be of God,
and not of us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7.) A man then who gives himself over to the
preaching of the glorious gospel of Christ can become a vessel of honor,
because he has within his heart and soul the treasure of the gospel. God himself stated to the gospel preacher,
Ananias, that he had selected Paul to be the chosen vessel, “but the Lord said unto him, go thy way: for
he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and Kings,
and the children of Israel: for I will show him how great things he must suffer
for my namesake.” (Acts 9: 15-16.)
God chose Paul to be his vessel, but Paul became that chosen vessel when he gave himself over and submitted to God’s purpose and will. Therefore, Paul purged himself from the vessels of dishonor and made himself a vessel of honor and glory. Paul did this like the clay that is molded in the hands of the potter. Paul became a vessel of honor and glory because he allowed God to mold and shape his life according to his will. He did not rebel and resist, he did not mar in the hands of the potter.
Every member of
the
1 Thessalonians 4:3-7
It is God's will that
you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of
you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this
matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will
punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For
God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
NIV
Vessels of Wrath Will Be Broken In the Day of Judgment
A broken vessel,
in the hand of God, always signifies destruction and desolation. For instance, Jeremiah compared
“Thus say of the Lord, go and get a potter’s earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;… then shalt thou break the bottle in the site of the men that go with thee, and shalt say unto them, thus say of the Lord of hosts; even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potters vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them and toasted, till there being no place to bury.” (Jeremiah 19: 1, 10-11.)
In the day of judgment then, will we be a broken vessel in the hand of God, signifying our destruction and desolation, or will we be a vessel sanctified and meet for the master’s use and prepared for eternal honor and glory? It all depends on how well we use our life upon the earth. *
*Shelby G. Floyd wrote
this essay May 25; June 1, and 15, 1975 in The
Informer, Garfield Heights Church of Christ,