Introduction: In the Bible we see many cases of people who, because they did not recognize the power and sovereignty of God, had very bad results, such as the pharaoh according to the book of Exodus, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, King Herod himself, etc. But when we set ourselves up for God, he does wonderful things. Let’s read this interesting study
The potter knows very well what he does.
But those people who decided to trust and hope in God and followed his advice achieved great achievements and victories. It is not about getting what we want, but about achieving what God wants; It is not about satisfying our desires, but about achieving God’s purposes for our lives.
Let us remember that for Jesus to do the will of the heavenly Father was his priority, although sometimes doing so implied pain, that is why the Lord before going to the cross said: “If possible, take this cup from me, but do not do it as I want, but like you”.
1) Created by the hand of God, Genesis 2:7.
“Then Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.”
When the Lord creates the earth, He decides to govern it through man, and as this verse tells us, “The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground.” The term “formed” translates from the Hebrew word “yatsar” which is a technical pottery term.
“Yatsar” has several meanings, for example: to put into a mould, to be formed, to be molded, to give a desired shape. So when God decides to create man he took from the dust of the earth (here the word “dust” indicates: earth, clay, clods) to make man according to his purpose
God’s purpose was for the human being to be his ambassador on earth, to exercise administration over his creation on this planet, his representative on earth, that is why man was created in the image and likeness of God. He was one who bore or bore the glory, power, authority, and image of God Himself.
Unfortunately sin and bad decisions affected that purpose and then the privileges and initial conditions were lost. But in the perfect time God sent his Son Jesus Christ to redeem us and restore what had been damaged.
That is why when the apostle Paul writes to the Galatians, he tells them: “My little children, for whom I labor again until Christ is formed in you” Galatians 4:19. Then the image and likeness that we had at the beginning and that was damaged by sin, Christ has come to restore it in us.
This restoration or formation of Christ in us implies our surrender to his will, because throughout the Bible we see that if man does not dispose himself for God, it will be difficult for the divine plans in the life of the human being to be fulfilled. It is then necessary to place our will in the hands of the One who created us.
Precisely the apostle Paul is a sign of God’s mercy, because being a persecutor of the church, Christ called him to preach the grace that he persecuted, and that is why Jesus said: “This is my chosen instrument” (Acts 9:15).
The word “instrument” here is translated from the Greek term “skeuos” which also means: vessel, glass, container, pottery, body. Words that remind us that each of God’s children is a vessel (created with the dust of the earth) in which the Lord places his treasures and creates us for various purposes.
Just as the vessels created by man serve different purposes, so the vessels created by God serve different plans or purposes. The success of the vessel is to accept its design and walk in the plan for which it was created, that is, to fulfill the office for which it was planned.
two) God is our owner, he is the Lord and sovereign King. Romans 9:20-26.
“Beforeoh man, who are you, that you quarrel with God? Will the earthen vessel say to the one who formed it: Why have you made me like this? Or does not the potter have power over the clay, to make from the same mass a vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” Romans 9:20-21.
This passage teaches us about the sovereignty and power of God over men. Initially he mentions the example of the potter and the clay, where the potter has all the sovereignty and power to make the clay pot as he wants, and the clay pot will never argue with the potter saying: Why have you made me like this?
The divine potter has all the power and government to make from the same mass a vessel for honor and another for dishonor. In the context it speaks of the Pharaoh who oppressed Israel and did not let them go to worship God. Again and again the Lord sent Moses, but Pharaoh hardened his heart and little by little he became a vessel for wrath.
Verses 22 and 23 of Romans 9 tell us about vessels for wrath and vessels for mercy. Man has free will, that is, free will, the human being defines with his decisions to be a vessel of wrath or to be a vessel of mercy.
(I invite you to read: Put your trust in God.).
(I invite you to read: Put your trust in God.).
God knows everything, even your thoughts tomorrow without intervening in your thought process. God knew that Pharaoh would harden his heart and that only with the ten plagues would he let Israel out of Egypt.
Pharaoh hardened his heart before God and more and more, so that the Lord’s judgment came on him and on his empire. He became a vessel of wrath, and the power of God came upon Egypt and this empire was practically destroyed.
The grace of God has reached us in Christ Jesus, and those of us who were God’s people came to be the Lord’s people, a special lineage, a royal priesthood, children of the living God.
This is a moment to say: “Thank you Lord Jesus for having brought me to the knowledge of your truth and reaching me with your grace and mercy”.
(I invite you to read: Serving God is a great honor and privilege.).
(I invite you to read: Serving God is a great honor and privilege.).
3) Attitudes that we must have before divine formation (Jeremiah 18:1-6):
“The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah, saying: Get up and go to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear my words. And I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was working at the wheel. And the clay pot that he made spoiled in his hand; and he returned and made it another vessel, as he thought best to make it.
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, can I not do with you like this potter? says Jehovah. Behold, as clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”
Through this figure, God speaks to Jeremiah so that he announces the message of the Lord to Israel, and reminds them that he is like the potter with the clay, and that he has all of Israel in his hands. God will do his good will in them and fulfill his purpose with Israel.
In order for the entire clay process to go well and to end up with a good vessel, it is necessary that there be humility and meekness of heart, because pride, arrogance and selfishness are like stones and garbage that dirty and affect the clay. That is why Jesus said: “learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart”.
That is why then we must take into account the correct attitudes before the formative work of God in our life:
a) Trust in the good will of the divine potter (Our life is in the hands of God and he is good, and everything he does is for our good; some things may be and have been difficult to understand, but the Lord does everything for our salvation and blessing).
b) Trust in the potter’s protection (Nothing gets out of the hands of God, the Lord protects his purposes. The potter takes the clay in his hands, without a doubt, the best hands, the most powerful, the hand of God protects his people and nothing and no one can touching without the permission of the Lord).
c) Wait with joy the times of the potter (It’s usually hard to wait, and this is because we want things in our time, struggle with anxiety, are afraid, or have selfish motives, but the best things are those that happen in God’s perfect timing.)
d) Allows the potter to give the shape he wants to his vessel
(not all are psalmists, not all are preachers, not all pastors go to pastor mega churches, not all are prophets, etc, but we must all let God make us the instrument he wants).
and) Trust in the potter’s perfect wisdom and transforming power (with his tools the potter shapes the vessel, and removes the roughness and materials that spoil the vessel).
In the potter’s workshop we find various tools: knives to cut, scrapers, punches, brushes, different types of sandpaper, etc, and of course the wheel and the oven.
All of them with specific purposes, for example scraping the rough parts of the vessel, sanding the rough edges, removing the stones that get in the way, cutting certain sections of clay; The vessel is shaped on the wheel and the potter’s hands are the main tool.
Perhaps some moments of training are painful, but necessary, since the goal of the potter is that the vessel be well, not half, or with bad materials that later spoil the content that they are going to deposit in it.
After removing the inappropriate materials from the clay and shaping the vessel, the potter must take it to the oven where the temperature will give the vessel the necessary hardness to comply with its design.
(I invite you to read: Sermons written to preach).
(I invite you to read: Sermons written to preach).
F) Trust in the restorative power of the potterGod has the power to repair what has been damaged and restore what has been lost (that is why He took the vessel that had been spoiled and made it anew).
From Eden, from the antediluvian generations until we enter the eternal kingdom, the most valuable thing for God is that heart that does his will. He was not surprised by the tower of Babel, nor the great Babylon, nor the majestic temple of Herod, he is captivated by the hearts that surrender to his will. God is not surprised by a great mountain of gold, but by a heart willing to do his will.
Conclusion: There is nothing impossible for God, there is nothing difficult for the Lord. But if there is one thing we must do, it is surrender our will to him. Ask him and allow him to do his will in us, that’s why even in the most difficult moment of his life, Jesus said: “My Father, let him not be as I want, but as you”.
We invite you to read:
We invite you to read:
Written by Pastor Gonzalo Sanabria.