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Jeremiah 18:1
Verse
Context
Sermons
K.P. Yohannan
Keith Daniel
J. Glyn Owen
T. Austin-Sparks
George Warnock
Shane Idleman
Chuck SmithSummary
Commentary
- Keil-Delitzsch
- John Gill
- Matthew Henry
- Tyndale
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
The Emblem of the Clay and the Potter and the Complaint of the Prophet against his Adversaries. - The figure of the potter who remodels a misshapen vessel (Jer 18:2-4). The interpretation of this (Jer 18:5-10), and its application to degenerate Israel (Jer 18:11-17). The reception of the discourse by the people, and Jeremiah's cry to the Lord (Jer 18:18-23).
John Gill Bible Commentary
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying. The word of prophecy, as the Targum: this is a distinct prophecy from the former, though it may be connected with it; it referring to the destruction threatened in the latter part of the preceding chapter. The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying. The word of prophecy, as the Targum: this is a distinct prophecy from the former, though it may be connected with it; it referring to the destruction threatened in the latter part of the preceding chapter. Jeremiah 18:2 jer 18:2 jer 18:2 jer 18:2Arise, and go down to the potter's house,.... Which, no doubt, was well known to the prophet; but where it was is not certain. Some think Jeremiah was in the temple, and this house was beneath it, and therefore he is bid to go down to it; but of this there is no certainty, nor even probability: it is most likely that this house was without the city, perhaps near the potter's field, Mat 27:10; and which lying low, he is ordered to go down to it: and there I will cause thee to hear my words; there the Lord would tell him what he had further to say to him, and what he should say to the people; and where by lively representations, by sensible objects before him, he would cause him to understand more clearly what he said and designed to do: as God sometimes represented things to the minds of the prophets in dreams and visions, setting before them mental objects, and raising in their minds ideas of things; so sometimes he represented things to them by real visible objects, and, by similes taken from thence, conveyed unto them a clear and distinct knowledge of his mind and will, and they to the people; which was the case here.
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
The prophet is here sent to the potter's house (he knew where to find it), not to preach a sermon as before to the gates of Jerusalem, but to prepare a sermon, or rather to receive it ready prepared. Those needed not to study their sermons that had them, as he had this, by immediate inspiration. "Go to the potter's house, and observe how he manages his work, and there I will cause thee, by silent whispers, to hear my words. There thou shalt receive a message, to be delivered to the people." Note, Those that would know God's mind must observe his appointments, and attend where they may hear his words. The prophet was never disobedient to the heavenly vision, and therefore went to the potter's house (Jer 18:3) and took notice how he wrought his work upon the wheels, just as he pleased, with a great deal of ease, and in a little time. And (Jer 18:4) when a lump of clay that he designed to form into one shape either proved too stiff, or had a stone in it, or some way or other came to be marred in his hand, he presently turned it into another shape; if it will not serve for a vessel of honour, it will serve for a vessel of dishonour, just as seems good to the potter. It is probable that Jeremiah knew well enough how the potter wrought his work, and how easily he threw it into what form he pleased; but he must go and observe it now, that, having the idea of it fresh in his mind, he might the more readily and distinctly apprehend that truth which God designed thereby to represent to him, and might the more intelligently explain it to the people. God used similitudes by his servants the prophets (Hos 12:10), and it was requisite that they should themselves understand the similitudes they used. Ministers will make a good use of their converse with the business and affairs of this life if they learn thereby to speak more plainly and familiarly to people about the things of God, and to expound scripture comparisons. For they ought to make all their knowledge some way or other serviceable to their profession. Now let us see what the message is which Jeremiah receives, and is entrusted with the delivery of, at the potter's house. While he looks carefully upon the potter's work, God darts into his mind these two great truths, which he must preach to the house of Israel: - I. That God has both an incontestable authority and an irresistible ability to form and fashion kingdoms and nations as he pleases, so as to serve his own purposes: "Cannot I do with you as this potter, saith the Lord? Jer 18:6. Have not I as absolute a power over you in respect both of might and of right?" Nay, God has a clearer title to a dominion over us than the potter has over the clay; for the potter only gives it its form, whereas we have both matter and form from God. As the clay is in the potter's hand to be moulded and shaped as he pleases, so are you in my hand. This intimates, 1. That God has an incontestable sovereignty over us, is not debtor to us, may dispose of us as he thinks fit, and is not accountable to us, and that it would be as absurd for us to dispute this as for the clay to quarrel with the potter. 2. That it is a very easy thing with God to make what use he pleases of us and what changes he pleases with us, and that we cannot resist him. One turn of the hand, one turn of the wheel, quite alters the shape of the clay, makes it a vessel, unmakes it, new-makes it. Thus are our times in God's hand, and not in our own, and it is in vain for us to strive with him. It is spoken here of nations; the most politic, the most potent, are what God is pleased to make them, and no other. See this explained by Job (Job 12:23), He increaseth the nations and destroyeth them; he enlargeth the nations and straiteneth them again. See Psa 107:33 etc., and compare Job 34:29. All nations before God are as the drop of the bucket, soon wiped away, or the small dust of the balance, soon blown away (Isa 40:15), and therefore, no doubt, as easily managed as the clay by the potter. 3. That God will not be a loser by any in his glory, at long run, but, if he be not glorified by them, he will be glorified upon them. If the potter's vessel be marred for one use, it shall serve for another; those that will not be monuments of mercy shall be monuments of justice. The Lord has made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil, Pro 16:4. God formed us out of the clay (Job 33:6), nay, and we are still as clay in his hands (Isa 64:8); and has not he the same power over us that the potter has over the clay? (Rom 9:21), and are not we bound to submit, as the clay to the potter's wisdom and will? Isa 29:15, Isa 29:16; Isa 45:9. II. That, in the exercise of this authority and ability, he always goes by fixed rules of equity and goodness. He dispenses favours indeed in a way of sovereignty, but never punishes by arbitrary power. High is his right hand, yet he rules not with a high hand, but, as it follows there, Justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne, Psa 89:13, Psa 89:14. God asserts his despotic power, and tells us what he might do, but at the same time assures us that he will act as a righteous and merciful Judge. 1. When God is coming against us in ways of judgment we may be sure that it is for our sins, which shall appear by this, that national repentance will stop the progress of the judgments (Jer 18:7, Jer 18:8): If God speak concerning a nation to pluck up its fences that secure it, and so lay it open, its fruit-trees that adorn and enrich it, and so leave it desolate - to pull down its fortifications, that the enemy may have liberty to enter in, its habitations, that the inhabitants may be under a necessity of going out, and so destroy it as either a vineyard or a city is destroyed - in this case, if that nation take the alarm, repent of their sins and reform their lives, turn every one from his evil way and return to God, God will graciously accept them, will not proceed in his controversy, will return in mercy to them, and, though he cannot change his mind, he will change his way, so that it may be said, He repents him of the evil he said he would do to them. Thus often in the time of the Judges, when the oppressed people were penitent people, still God raised them up saviours; and, when they turned to God, their affairs immediately took a new turn. It was Nineveh's case, and we wish it had oftener been Jerusalem's; see Ch2 7:14. It is an undoubted truth that a sincere conversion from the evil of sin will be an effectual prevention of the evil of punishment; and God can as easily raise up a penitent people from their ruins as the potter can make anew the vessel of clay when it was marred in his hand. 2. When God is coming towards us in ways of mercy, if any stop be given to the progress of that mercy, it is nothing but sin that gives it (Jer 18:9, Jer 18:10): If God speak concerning a nation to build and to plant it, to advance and establish all the true interests of it, it is his husbandly and his building (Co1 3:9), and, if he speak in favour of it, it is done, it is increased, it is enriched, it is enlarged, its trade flourishes, its government is settled in good hands, and all its affairs prosper and its enterprises succeed. but if this nation, which God is thus loading with benefits, do evil in his sight and obey not his voice, - if it lose its virtue, and become debauched and profane, - if religion grow into contempt, and vice to get to be fashionable, and so be kept in countenance and reputation, and there be a general decay of serious godliness among them, - then God will turn his hand against them, will pluck up what he was planting, and pull down what he was building (Jer 45:4); the good work that was in the doing shall stand still and be let fall, and what favours were further designed shall be withheld; and this is called his repenting of the good wherewith he said he would benefit them, as he changed his purpose concerning Eli's house (Sa1 2:30) and hurried Israel back into the wilderness when he had brought them within sight of Canaan. Note, Sin is the great mischief-maker between God and a people; it forfeits the benefit of his promises and spoils the success of their prayers. It defeats his kind intentions concerning them (Hos 7:1) and baffles their pleasing expectations from him. It ruins their comforts, prolongs their grievances, brings them into straits, and retards their deliverances, Isa 59:1, Isa 59:2.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
18:1-11 The Lord had Jeremiah take part in an object lesson. What Jeremiah observed at the potter’s shop became a picture of what the Lord was about to do with Judah. 18:1-4 Jeremiah watched as the potter formed an earthen jar, then crushed it and started over.
Jeremiah 18:1
The Potter and the Clay
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:2“Go down at once to the potter’s house, and there I will reveal My message to you.”
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Road to Reality - Seek Only God's Approval - Part 2
By K.P. Yohannan3.1K26:03HumilityPSA 103:14JER 18:1In this sermon, Brother KP Johannon discusses the parable of the prodigal son from Luke 15. He highlights the contrasting characters of the older son, who is righteous and obedient, and the younger son, who is rebellious and wasteful. Despite the younger son's failures and sins, the father welcomes him back with open arms and throws a grand celebration. The sermon emphasizes the importance of accepting God's forgiveness and seeking His approval above all else.
Full Surrender
By Keith Daniel2.6K1:23:34ISA 64:8JER 18:1MAT 11:28ROM 8:282CO 12:7
This sermon is about the importance of surrendering to God, highlighting the struggle to let go of our troubles and the unknown hindrances that hold us back. It emphasizes the need to ask Jesus to reveal and search our hearts so we can fully surrender and experience God's compassion and love.
In the Hands of the Potter
By J. Glyn Owen2.0K52:20ObedienceJER 18:1In this sermon, the preacher discusses the work of the Potter and how it relates to the Church of Jesus Christ and individual believers. The sermon focuses on two main aspects: the vision given to the prophet and the application of that vision to the people of Israel and to all believers. The preacher emphasizes that we should not rely on our own understanding when applying the vision, but rather seek guidance from the Lord. The sermon uses the analogy of the Potter shaping clay on a wheel to illustrate how God works in our lives, combining the pressure of His hands with the revolving of the wheel to mold us into vessels for His purpose.
The Cup and the Fire - Part 4
By T. Austin-Sparks1.6K52:30Christian LifeJER 18:1In this sermon, the speaker discusses the concept of God's creation and the impact of sin on the world. The sermon begins by describing the chaotic state of the world before God began to shape and mold it. Despite the brokenness and imperfections caused by sin, the speaker emphasizes that God does not give up on his creation. The sermon concludes by highlighting the message that God's love and wisdom triumph over all difficulties and that there is hope for redemption and restoration. The speaker also references biblical passages such as Genesis and the consequences of Adam and Eve's sin.
Wynne Prison - Part 4
By George Warnock1821:08:21Christian LifeEXO 31:18JER 18:1ZEC 4:6HEB 3:15In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the power of God's spirit in bringing victory over enemies. He encourages the congregation to listen to God's voice and not harden their hearts. The preacher and Brother George believe that God chooses the outcast and transforms them into His likeness. The sermon also highlights the importance of acknowledging and confessing sin in order to overcome it, with the promise that God will help believers become overcomers.
Can a Nation Be Saved
By Shane Idleman1456:16RevivalSpiritual Awakening2CH 7:14JER 18:1Shane Idleman addresses the pressing question of whether a nation can be saved, emphasizing that while a nation itself cannot be saved, the individuals within it can experience spiritual revival. He highlights the importance of God's sovereignty as a source of peace amidst societal turmoil and calls for a return to biblical principles and prayer as the means to revive the church and the nation. Idleman stresses the need for humility, genuine repentance, and a passionate pursuit of God, urging believers to seek Him earnestly and to turn away from wickedness. He warns against complacency and the dangers of a lukewarm faith, encouraging the church to be a powerful force for truth and love in a world that desperately needs it.
Jeremiah 18
By Chuck Smith0Sovereignty Of GodYielding to GodJER 18:1Chuck Smith explores the metaphor of the potter and the clay in Jeremiah 18, emphasizing God's absolute sovereignty and the necessity for humans to yield to His will. He illustrates how the potter represents God's authority and interest in our lives, while the wheel symbolizes the transitory circumstances we face. The clay, pliable in the potter's hands, signifies our potential to become vessels of beauty and purpose when we submit to God's shaping. Smith encourages listeners to recognize their worthlessness without God and to embrace His transformative power through quiet submission. Ultimately, he reminds us that rebellion against the potter leads to a life devoid of purpose and utility.
The Potter Works Only With Soft Clay!
By K.P. Yohannan0Heart ConditionHumilityJER 18:1K.P. Yohannan emphasizes that just as a potter works only with soft clay, God desires our hearts to be tender and pliable for His transformative work. He illustrates how God uses life experiences to soften our hearts, drawing parallels with biblical figures like Jacob and Moses, who underwent significant trials to become vessels for God's purpose. The preacher warns against the dangers of pride and hardened hearts, urging believers to diligently guard their hearts and remain humble. He encourages a response of repentance and submission to God's shaping, reminding us that our true value is determined by the condition of our hearts rather than our outward achievements. Ultimately, God’s goal is to mold us into the likeness of Christ, not for our fame but for His glory.
"He Wrought His Work on the Wheels"
By T. Austin-Sparks0Divine PurposeThe Work of the Holy SpiritJER 18:1T. Austin-Sparks emphasizes that God, as the potter, is actively shaping believers into vessels for His eternal purpose, highlighting the distinction between Israel's earthly calling and the Church's heavenly mission. He explains that the Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in this formation, revealing Christ and conforming believers to His image through various experiences. Sparks warns against the tendency to focus solely on temporal matters, reminding us that God's work transcends our understanding and is ultimately aimed at eternity. He encourages believers to embrace their relationships within the Church, recognizing that they are part of a divine design that fosters unity and mutual support. The sermon concludes with the reminder that the true formation of the Church is realized in heaven, urging believers to maintain spiritual fellowship and unity.
"A vessel... Meet for the Master's Use"
By T. Austin-Sparks0Being a Vessel for GodDivine Sovereignty1CH 4:23ISA 64:8JER 18:1T. Austin-Sparks emphasizes the metaphor of God as the potter and humanity as the clay, illustrating how each individual is shaped for a divine purpose. He discusses the sovereignty of God in choosing vessels for honor and dishonor, highlighting that our willingness to yield to God's shaping determines our usefulness. The sermon reflects on the tragic history of the potter's field, symbolizing the cost of betrayal and the fulfillment of prophecy through Christ. Sparks encourages believers to recognize their identity as vessels containing the treasure of God, urging them to separate from dishonor to be fit for the Master's use. Ultimately, he calls for a deeper understanding of God's mind and purpose in our lives.
The Potter
By K.P. Yohannan0Heart TransformationGod's SovereigntyJER 18:1K.P. Yohannan shares a profound message about God as the potter and His people as the clay, emphasizing that just as a potter uses soft clay to create beautiful vessels, God seeks soft and pliable hearts to mold for His purposes. He contrasts human measures of worth, such as education and ability, with God's focus on the condition of the heart, as highlighted in 1 Samuel 16:7. The sermon illustrates that God often works through a process of 'pouring and pounding' to soften our hearts, using examples from the lives of Jacob and Moses to show that spiritual growth can take time and perseverance.
Jeremiah 18:1
By Chuck Smith0God's SovereigntyTransformationJER 18:1Chuck Smith emphasizes the metaphor of God as the potter and believers as the clay, illustrating God's absolute power and interest in shaping our lives. He discusses how God molds us through trials and circumstances, urging us to remain pliable and receptive to His will. The sermon highlights the importance of yielding to God's design, as our potential is realized through His skilled hands. Smith reassures that even when we are marred, God can create us anew, transforming our worthlessness into vessels of beauty and value. Ultimately, he calls for submission to the potter's touch to understand His purpose for us.
The Law of Surrender
By A.W. Tozer0TransformationSurrenderJER 18:1ROM 12:1A.W. Tozer emphasizes the necessity of surrendering oneself wholly to God, likening it to a patient yielding to a surgeon for effective treatment. He illustrates this concept through the metaphor of the potter and the clay, where the clay must be soft and yielding for the potter to create something beautiful and useful. Tozer argues that without surrender, God cannot work in our lives, and we risk becoming either useless or merely ornamental. The sermon calls for believers to present themselves as living sacrifices, allowing God to shape them into vessels that are both useful and beautiful. Ultimately, Tozer urges the congregation to embrace the law of surrender to experience God's transformative power.
- Keil-Delitzsch
- John Gill
- Matthew Henry
- Tyndale
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
The Emblem of the Clay and the Potter and the Complaint of the Prophet against his Adversaries. - The figure of the potter who remodels a misshapen vessel (Jer 18:2-4). The interpretation of this (Jer 18:5-10), and its application to degenerate Israel (Jer 18:11-17). The reception of the discourse by the people, and Jeremiah's cry to the Lord (Jer 18:18-23).
John Gill Bible Commentary
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying. The word of prophecy, as the Targum: this is a distinct prophecy from the former, though it may be connected with it; it referring to the destruction threatened in the latter part of the preceding chapter. The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying. The word of prophecy, as the Targum: this is a distinct prophecy from the former, though it may be connected with it; it referring to the destruction threatened in the latter part of the preceding chapter. Jeremiah 18:2 jer 18:2 jer 18:2 jer 18:2Arise, and go down to the potter's house,.... Which, no doubt, was well known to the prophet; but where it was is not certain. Some think Jeremiah was in the temple, and this house was beneath it, and therefore he is bid to go down to it; but of this there is no certainty, nor even probability: it is most likely that this house was without the city, perhaps near the potter's field, Mat 27:10; and which lying low, he is ordered to go down to it: and there I will cause thee to hear my words; there the Lord would tell him what he had further to say to him, and what he should say to the people; and where by lively representations, by sensible objects before him, he would cause him to understand more clearly what he said and designed to do: as God sometimes represented things to the minds of the prophets in dreams and visions, setting before them mental objects, and raising in their minds ideas of things; so sometimes he represented things to them by real visible objects, and, by similes taken from thence, conveyed unto them a clear and distinct knowledge of his mind and will, and they to the people; which was the case here.
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
The prophet is here sent to the potter's house (he knew where to find it), not to preach a sermon as before to the gates of Jerusalem, but to prepare a sermon, or rather to receive it ready prepared. Those needed not to study their sermons that had them, as he had this, by immediate inspiration. "Go to the potter's house, and observe how he manages his work, and there I will cause thee, by silent whispers, to hear my words. There thou shalt receive a message, to be delivered to the people." Note, Those that would know God's mind must observe his appointments, and attend where they may hear his words. The prophet was never disobedient to the heavenly vision, and therefore went to the potter's house (Jer 18:3) and took notice how he wrought his work upon the wheels, just as he pleased, with a great deal of ease, and in a little time. And (Jer 18:4) when a lump of clay that he designed to form into one shape either proved too stiff, or had a stone in it, or some way or other came to be marred in his hand, he presently turned it into another shape; if it will not serve for a vessel of honour, it will serve for a vessel of dishonour, just as seems good to the potter. It is probable that Jeremiah knew well enough how the potter wrought his work, and how easily he threw it into what form he pleased; but he must go and observe it now, that, having the idea of it fresh in his mind, he might the more readily and distinctly apprehend that truth which God designed thereby to represent to him, and might the more intelligently explain it to the people. God used similitudes by his servants the prophets (Hos 12:10), and it was requisite that they should themselves understand the similitudes they used. Ministers will make a good use of their converse with the business and affairs of this life if they learn thereby to speak more plainly and familiarly to people about the things of God, and to expound scripture comparisons. For they ought to make all their knowledge some way or other serviceable to their profession. Now let us see what the message is which Jeremiah receives, and is entrusted with the delivery of, at the potter's house. While he looks carefully upon the potter's work, God darts into his mind these two great truths, which he must preach to the house of Israel: - I. That God has both an incontestable authority and an irresistible ability to form and fashion kingdoms and nations as he pleases, so as to serve his own purposes: "Cannot I do with you as this potter, saith the Lord? Jer 18:6. Have not I as absolute a power over you in respect both of might and of right?" Nay, God has a clearer title to a dominion over us than the potter has over the clay; for the potter only gives it its form, whereas we have both matter and form from God. As the clay is in the potter's hand to be moulded and shaped as he pleases, so are you in my hand. This intimates, 1. That God has an incontestable sovereignty over us, is not debtor to us, may dispose of us as he thinks fit, and is not accountable to us, and that it would be as absurd for us to dispute this as for the clay to quarrel with the potter. 2. That it is a very easy thing with God to make what use he pleases of us and what changes he pleases with us, and that we cannot resist him. One turn of the hand, one turn of the wheel, quite alters the shape of the clay, makes it a vessel, unmakes it, new-makes it. Thus are our times in God's hand, and not in our own, and it is in vain for us to strive with him. It is spoken here of nations; the most politic, the most potent, are what God is pleased to make them, and no other. See this explained by Job (Job 12:23), He increaseth the nations and destroyeth them; he enlargeth the nations and straiteneth them again. See Psa 107:33 etc., and compare Job 34:29. All nations before God are as the drop of the bucket, soon wiped away, or the small dust of the balance, soon blown away (Isa 40:15), and therefore, no doubt, as easily managed as the clay by the potter. 3. That God will not be a loser by any in his glory, at long run, but, if he be not glorified by them, he will be glorified upon them. If the potter's vessel be marred for one use, it shall serve for another; those that will not be monuments of mercy shall be monuments of justice. The Lord has made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil, Pro 16:4. God formed us out of the clay (Job 33:6), nay, and we are still as clay in his hands (Isa 64:8); and has not he the same power over us that the potter has over the clay? (Rom 9:21), and are not we bound to submit, as the clay to the potter's wisdom and will? Isa 29:15, Isa 29:16; Isa 45:9. II. That, in the exercise of this authority and ability, he always goes by fixed rules of equity and goodness. He dispenses favours indeed in a way of sovereignty, but never punishes by arbitrary power. High is his right hand, yet he rules not with a high hand, but, as it follows there, Justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne, Psa 89:13, Psa 89:14. God asserts his despotic power, and tells us what he might do, but at the same time assures us that he will act as a righteous and merciful Judge. 1. When God is coming against us in ways of judgment we may be sure that it is for our sins, which shall appear by this, that national repentance will stop the progress of the judgments (Jer 18:7, Jer 18:8): If God speak concerning a nation to pluck up its fences that secure it, and so lay it open, its fruit-trees that adorn and enrich it, and so leave it desolate - to pull down its fortifications, that the enemy may have liberty to enter in, its habitations, that the inhabitants may be under a necessity of going out, and so destroy it as either a vineyard or a city is destroyed - in this case, if that nation take the alarm, repent of their sins and reform their lives, turn every one from his evil way and return to God, God will graciously accept them, will not proceed in his controversy, will return in mercy to them, and, though he cannot change his mind, he will change his way, so that it may be said, He repents him of the evil he said he would do to them. Thus often in the time of the Judges, when the oppressed people were penitent people, still God raised them up saviours; and, when they turned to God, their affairs immediately took a new turn. It was Nineveh's case, and we wish it had oftener been Jerusalem's; see Ch2 7:14. It is an undoubted truth that a sincere conversion from the evil of sin will be an effectual prevention of the evil of punishment; and God can as easily raise up a penitent people from their ruins as the potter can make anew the vessel of clay when it was marred in his hand. 2. When God is coming towards us in ways of mercy, if any stop be given to the progress of that mercy, it is nothing but sin that gives it (Jer 18:9, Jer 18:10): If God speak concerning a nation to build and to plant it, to advance and establish all the true interests of it, it is his husbandly and his building (Co1 3:9), and, if he speak in favour of it, it is done, it is increased, it is enriched, it is enlarged, its trade flourishes, its government is settled in good hands, and all its affairs prosper and its enterprises succeed. but if this nation, which God is thus loading with benefits, do evil in his sight and obey not his voice, - if it lose its virtue, and become debauched and profane, - if religion grow into contempt, and vice to get to be fashionable, and so be kept in countenance and reputation, and there be a general decay of serious godliness among them, - then God will turn his hand against them, will pluck up what he was planting, and pull down what he was building (Jer 45:4); the good work that was in the doing shall stand still and be let fall, and what favours were further designed shall be withheld; and this is called his repenting of the good wherewith he said he would benefit them, as he changed his purpose concerning Eli's house (Sa1 2:30) and hurried Israel back into the wilderness when he had brought them within sight of Canaan. Note, Sin is the great mischief-maker between God and a people; it forfeits the benefit of his promises and spoils the success of their prayers. It defeats his kind intentions concerning them (Hos 7:1) and baffles their pleasing expectations from him. It ruins their comforts, prolongs their grievances, brings them into straits, and retards their deliverances, Isa 59:1, Isa 59:2.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
18:1-11 The Lord had Jeremiah take part in an object lesson. What Jeremiah observed at the potter’s shop became a picture of what the Lord was about to do with Judah. 18:1-4 Jeremiah watched as the potter formed an earthen jar, then crushed it and started over.