Jeremiah 18:1-17: God's Shaping Hand
ONE OF MY sons just got braces. He is not happy about it. For the next three years his mouth is going to be full of metal and rubber bands that push and pull his teeth and jaw back into shape. Three years seems like a long time, but moving flesh and bone is difficult. Braces are inconvenient and painful, but they will improve my son's mouth and health for the rest of his life.
God is interested in shaping us, not just our teeth, but our whole being. It's a big task. Shaping souls is difficult, takes time, and requires divine power and skills. Unlike gums, teeth and bone, souls don't always yield to the shaping pressures of the divine hand. If they do, it takes a lifetime of God's pressures to conform to the end goal, the image of Christ. Jeremiah didn't know about braces, nor did he know the name of Jesus Christ, but he did know that God is in the business of shaping our lives.
Warming Up to God
Recall one or two major events that have been a significant shaping influence in your life. How did they affect you for good or for ill?
Read Jeremiah 18:1-17. »
Discovering the Word
- What did Jeremiah see and hear at the potter's house (vv. 1-10)?
- God makes it clear that his pronouncements and promises are conditional. How do you think God might respond to someone who objects that this makes him untrustworthy?
- Jeremiah draws an analogy between human nations and clay in the potter's hand. How does the difference between humans and clay make this an analogy of hope?
- In order to be reshaped by the potter, the clay has to be soft. How well is Judah going to do under God's hand (vv. 11-15)?
- A primary cause of Judah's coming judgment was a determined forgetfulness (v. 15). How might forgetfulness be an expression of disobedience and unfaithfulness?
Applying the Word
- Being reshaped by the divine potter isn't always a pleasant experience. Describe one or two times when you have been aware of God's shaping hand in your life.
- God is the one who shapes us. What can we do to make sure that our hearts are responsive to him?
Responding in Prayer
Picture yourself as clay. Ask God to make you soft and moldable. Pray that your trust in the Potter will grow stronger.
For Further Study
Images of God by Dale Larsen & Sandy Larsen