Jeremiah 18:2
"Go down at once to the potter's house, and there I will reveal My message to you."
Go down
The phrase "Go down" in Jeremiah 18:2 is significant in its directive nature. The Hebrew root for "go down" is "יָרַד" (yarad), which often implies a physical descent but can also suggest a spiritual or moral journey. In the context of Jeremiah, this command is not just about a physical movement to a lower geographical location but also a call to humility and obedience. The prophet is being instructed to leave his current position and enter a place where God will reveal His message. This descent can symbolize the need for humility before receiving divine revelation, reminding us that understanding God's will often requires us to lower ourselves, both physically and spiritually.

to the potter’s house
The "potter’s house" is a place of creation and transformation. In ancient Israel, pottery was a common and essential craft, and the potter's house would have been a familiar setting. The Hebrew word for potter is "יֹצֵר" (yotser), which is related to the word for "creator" or "former." This connection highlights the potter as a metaphor for God, the ultimate Creator who shapes and molds His people. The potter’s house is a place where raw materials are transformed into something useful and beautiful, symbolizing God's work in shaping the destiny of nations and individuals. This imagery invites us to consider how God is actively involved in shaping our lives, often through processes that require patience and trust.

and there
The word "there" indicates a specific location where God intends to reveal His message to Jeremiah. It emphasizes the importance of being in the right place to receive divine instruction. This suggests that God’s revelations are often tied to specific contexts and that obedience to His guidance is crucial for understanding His will. The specificity of "there" reminds us that God’s plans are precise and intentional, and our willingness to follow His directions can lead us to places of profound insight and transformation.

I will give you My message
The promise "I will give you My message" underscores the personal and direct communication from God to Jeremiah. The Hebrew word for "message" is "דָּבָר" (dabar), which can mean word, matter, or thing. This term is rich with meaning, indicating not just spoken words but also the power and authority behind them. God's message is not merely informational but transformational, carrying the weight of divine authority and purpose. This assurance of receiving God’s message highlights the intimate relationship between God and His prophets, and by extension, His people. It serves as a reminder that God desires to communicate with us, providing guidance, correction, and encouragement as we navigate our lives.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the people of Judah. Known for his perseverance and faithfulness amidst opposition.

2. The Potter's House
A physical location where a potter works with clay, symbolizing God's sovereign authority and creative power over His people.

3. God's Message
The divine revelation that God intends to communicate to Jeremiah, using the potter's work as a metaphor for His relationship with Israel.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty
Just as the potter has control over the clay, God has authority over our lives. We must trust His plan and submit to His shaping.

Divine Revelation
God often uses everyday situations and objects to communicate profound truths. We should be attentive to His voice in our daily lives.

Transformation and Purpose
Like clay in the potter's hands, we are being molded for a specific purpose. Embrace the process of transformation, even when it is uncomfortable.

Obedience and Action
Jeremiah's immediate response to God's command to go to the potter's house is a model of obedience. We should be ready to act when God speaks.

Repentance and Renewal
The potter's ability to reshape the clay signifies God's willingness to renew and restore us when we repent and turn back to Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of the potter and clay help you understand God's role in your life?

2. In what ways can you be more attentive to God's messages in your everyday surroundings?

3. Reflect on a time when you felt God was reshaping you. How did you respond, and what was the outcome?

4. How can the concept of God's sovereignty bring comfort in times of uncertainty or difficulty?

5. What steps can you take to ensure you are a vessel of honor, as described in 2 Timothy 2:20-21?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 64:8
This verse also uses the imagery of God as the potter and His people as clay, emphasizing God's sovereignty and our need for submission to His will.

Romans 9:21
Paul references the potter and clay analogy to discuss God's sovereign choice and authority over creation, reinforcing the theme of divine sovereignty.

2 Timothy 2:20-21
Paul uses the metaphor of vessels to describe how believers should strive to be honorable and useful for God's purposes, connecting to the idea of being molded by the divine potter.
A Shattered Life RestoredJeremiah 18:1-10
A Visit to the Potter's HouseH. J. Boris.Jeremiah 18:1-10
Man in the Hands of GodHomilistJeremiah 18:1-10
On the Potter's WheelF. B. Meyer, B. A.Jeremiah 18:1-10
PotteryE. A. Stuart, M. A.Jeremiah 18:1-10
Restored ManhoodJ. D. Jones, M. A.Jeremiah 18:1-10
The Answer is Yes -- and NoJ. Parker, D. D.Jeremiah 18:1-10
The Blessed Parable of the Potter and the ClayS. Conway Jeremiah 18:1-10
The Clay in the Potter's HandD. Young Jeremiah 18:1-10
The Divine PotterJ. Parker, D. D.Jeremiah 18:1-10
The Potter and His ClayF. James.Jeremiah 18:1-10
The Potter and the ClayDean Plumptre.Jeremiah 18:1-10
The Potter and the ClayA.F. Muir Jeremiah 18:1-10
The Potter and the DayJeremiah 18:1-10
The Potter and the DayA. Macleod, D. D.Jeremiah 18:1-10
The Potter's WheelLeighton Parks.Jeremiah 18:1-10
The Relation of the Will to Character and DestinyR. W. Moss.Jeremiah 18:1-10
The Teaching of the PotterD. J. Hamer.Jeremiah 18:1-10
People
Jeremiah
Places
Jerusalem, Lebanon, Sirion
Topics
Announce, Arise, Cause, Ears, Hast, Message, Potter's, Rise
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 18:2

     5478   property, houses

Jeremiah 18:1-10

     5212   arts and crafts

Jeremiah 18:1-12

     6639   election, to salvation

Jeremiah 18:2-4

     5272   craftsmen
     5445   potters and pottery

Library
The Sins of Communities Noted and Punished.
"Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation." This is predicated of the judgments of God on those who had shed the blood of his saints. The Savior declares that all the righteous blood which had been shed on the earth from that of Abel down to the gospel day, should come on that generation! But is not this unreasonable and contrary to the Scriptures? "Far be wickedness from God and iniquity from the Almighty. For the work of man shall be render unto him, and cause every
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

The Hebrew Sages and their Proverbs
[Sidenote: Role of the sages in Israel's life] In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Jer. xviii. 18; Ezek. vii. 26) three distinct classes of religious teachers were recognized by the people: the prophets, the priests, and the wise men or sages. From their lips and pens have come practically all the writings of the Old Testament. Of these three classes the wise men or sages are far less prominent or well known. They wrote no history of Israel, they preached no public sermons, nor do they appear
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

The Sick Person Ought Now to Send for Some Godly and Religious Pastor.
In any wise remember, if conveniently it may be, to send for some godly and religious pastor, not only to pray for thee at thy death--for God in such a case hath promised to hear the prayers of the righteous prophets, and elders of the church (Gen. xx. 7; Jer. xviii. 20; xv. 1; 1 Sam. xii. 19, 23; James v. 14, 15, 16)--but also upon thy unfeigned repentance to declare to thee the absolution of thy sins. For as Christ hath given him a calling to baptize thee unto repentance for the remission of thy
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Hindrances to Mourning
What shall we do to get our heart into this mourning frame? Do two things. Take heed of those things which will stop these channels of mourning; put yourselves upon the use of all means that will help forward holy mourning. Take heed of those things which will stop the current of tears. There are nine hindrances of mourning. 1 The love of sin. The love of sin is like a stone in the pipe which hinders the current of water. The love of sin makes sin taste sweet and this sweetness in sin bewitches the
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Ninth Commandment
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' Exod 20: 16. THE tongue which at first was made to be an organ of God's praise, is now become an instrument of unrighteousness. This commandment binds the tongue to its good behaviour. God has set two natural fences to keep in the tongue, the teeth and lips; and this commandment is a third fence set about it, that it should not break forth into evil. It has a prohibitory and a mandatory part: the first is set down in plain words, the other
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord;
COMPRISING I. HIS CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND REASON OF HIS PRACTICE; II. DIFFERENCES ABOUT WATER BAPTISM NO BAR TO COMMUNION; AND III. PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES AND TRUE[1] ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Reader, these are extraordinary productions that will well repay an attentive perusal. It is the confession of faith of a Christian who had suffered nearly twelve years' imprisonment, under persecution for conscience sake. Shut up with his Bible, you have here the result of a prayerful study of those holy
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Jeremiah, a Lesson for the Disappointed.
"Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord."--Jeremiah i. 8. The Prophets were ever ungratefully treated by the Israelites, they were resisted, their warnings neglected, their good services forgotten. But there was this difference between the earlier and the later Prophets; the earlier lived and died in honour among their people,--in outward honour; though hated and thwarted by the wicked, they were exalted to high places, and ruled in the congregation.
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

Of the Decrees of God.
Eph. i. 11.--"Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."--Job xxiii. 13. "He is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth." Having spoken something before of God, in his nature and being and properties, we come, in the next place, to consider his glorious majesty, as he stands in some nearer relation to his creatures, the work of his hands. For we must conceive the first rise of all things in the world to be in this self-being, the first conception
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Degrees of Sin
Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous? Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. He that delivered me unto thee, has the greater sin.' John 19: 11. The Stoic philosophers held that all sins were equal; but this Scripture clearly holds forth that there is a gradual difference in sin; some are greater than others; some are mighty sins,' and crying sins.' Amos 5: 12; Gen 18: 21. Every sin has a voice to speak, but some
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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