Bible Pathways - August 18, 2005

August 18

In Today's Reading:

Jeremiah's prayer; signs of Judah's captivity; Sabbath regulations; lesson from the potter; God's absolute power over the nations

The LORD said, Verily (Truly) . . . I will cause the enemy to entreat (treat) you well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction (Jeremiah 15:11). But, when the Israelites rejected God and His Word as their way of life, they forfeited the privilege of His protection and suffered tragic spiritual and physical loss.

To understand the Israelites' problems and their final outcome, Jeremiah was sent to the potter's house to see an illustration of what God was about to do. Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought (was making) a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred (ruined) in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it (18:2-4). Then the Lord said: O house of Israel. . . . as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand. . . . If it (Israel) do evil in My sight, that it obey not My voice, then I will repent of (grieve over) the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them (18:6,10).

When the vessel (God's chosen people) was marred in the hand of the potter, it was the hardness within the clay itself and not the failure of the potter that made the vessel worthless. Israel had rejected the will of God and was marred (hardened) by its sin. Consequently, the vessel Israel, was to be broken and taken into captivity by Babylon, a nation used as an instrument of God to execute His judgment. After 70 years of captivity (see 25:11), God would make the clay into another vessel, which would be the small group of Jews who willingly returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and worship Him.

We are like earthen vessels and God has a special plan for each of us to be a vessel for His use, even though we too are distorted by sin. When we yield ourselves to the Master Potter, with loving hands He will mold us again into another vessel, one better prepared to contain and express the Presence of Christ Himself. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Corinthians 5:17).

Christ Revealed:

Through Jeremiah's words to God: Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart (Jeremiah 15:16). Jesus said: The words (truths) that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63). As the One who searches the heart of man and rewards him accordingly (Jeremiah 17:10; compare Psalm 139:23-24; Revelation 2:23). I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God . . . and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works (20:12).

Word Studies:

15:1 be toward = be favorable to; 15:6 repenting = grieving over and giving you another chance; 17:10 try the reins = test the heart; 18:11 frame = prepare; 18:15 in a way not cast up = on paths of sin, not ways of righteousness.

Prayer Needs:

Pray for The International Shortwave Radio Broadcast sponsored by Sara Hummelgard · Staff: Barbara Jean Jackson · Government Official: Rep. Louis Gohmert (TX) · Country: Latvia (3 million) eastern coast of Baltic Sea in northeastern Europe · Major languages: Latvian and Russian · Religious freedom · 20% Protestant; 20% Roman Catholic; 15% Russian Orthodox; 1% Jewish · Prayer Suggestion: Pray in faith, without doubting (James 1:6).

Optional Reading: II Peter 3

Memory Verse for the Week: II Thessalonians 1:9