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We Are Clay and God is the Potter

For Honorable Use and Dishonorable Use

Treasure in Jars of Clay


"But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand."
--- Isaiah 64:8

"Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker— An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands'?"
--- Isaiah 45:9 NASB

"Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make."
--- Jeremiah 18:3-4

God is the Potter and He is in control.
God has plan and a purpose in what He was doing
God has Sovereign control over His creation
We (the clay) have no right to talk back to the Creator (the Potter).
As clay, we have no right to question His motives.
Nor do we have a right to grumble, blaming God for our circumstances.
God is over His creation and He has the right to control and manipulate the clay for His purposes. Our response is to submit to God and to be flexible and moldable.



The concept of the "potter and the clay" in the Bible, particularly in Jeremiah 18, is a powerful metaphor for God's sovereignty and His ability to shape and mold individuals and nations.
This imagery is relevant to end-times discussions because it highlights God's ultimate control over events of the seven year tribulation and His ability to reshape or destroy as He sees fit.

How the Potter and Clay Relate to End Times:
God's Sovereignty and Judgment:
The potter's ability to shape the clay into different vessels represents God's authority over His creation. He has the power to mold individuals and nations, choosing to either build or destroy them based on their obedience or disobedience.
This concept is relevant to end-times scenarios where God's judgment and the ultimate fate of individuals and nations are at stake.

God is the Creator of all things, and He has a divine plan and purpose for each of us. He will use the trials and tribulations of the end times to mold us into vessels fit for His purpose.
We don't have to understand all of His plan; we just have to trust and obey our Lord. He purchased us, and we belong to Him.


Hope and Renewal:
While the potter can destroy a vessel, he can also reshape and remodel it.
God is a God of hope and redemption. He alone has the ability to redeem and transform individuals and nations. Even in the midst of the coming adversity, there is hope for renewal and transformation. God will use the tribulation to restore and rescue all that will come to Him.

Personal Accountability:
The potter and clay metaphor emphasizes that we are responsible for our actions and choices. Just as the clay can be molded into different shapes, we have the ability to choose to follow God's path or reject it. This concept is relevant to end-times discussions because it emphasizes the importance of our choices and actions in light of God's judgment.

Testing and Refinement:
The end times can be viewed as a time of testing and refinement, where God molds us into vessels that can withstand the trials and tribulations.
He has told us in His word that as we enter the last days, we need endurance and we should pray for strength.

For an explanation of Praying for Strength: Click here for Praying for Strength
For an explanation of Needing Endurance: Click here for Need of Endurance

Transformation and Sanctification:
The potter shapes the clay into a vessel fit for its intended purpose. Similarly, God molds and shapes us through trials and tribulations to become vessels of honor, fit for His service. He molds us into vessels that reflect His glory.
Even in the midst of the tribulation, God is working for our good and His glory.
As we trust the Lord in the end times, He shapes our lives, refines us through trials, and ultimately molds us into His image.



God uses Everyone for His Purposes,
the Righteous and the Wicked.
He uses some for honorable purposes and some for dishonorable purposes.

But who are you, a mere man, to criticize and contradict and answer back to God? Will what is formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me thus?
Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and dishonorable use?
What if God, although fully intending to show [the awfulness of] His wrath and to make known His power and authority, has tolerated with much patience the vessels (objects) of [His] anger which are ripe for destruction?
--- Romans 9:20-22

God allows people to determine what kind of vessel they will be. Those who do not trust and obey God, have dishonored themselves and God molds them for His purposes.
For example, Pharaoh in Exodus was raised up for a purpose and was used of God for dishonorable purposes, while Moses was used for honorable purposes.

Concerning Pharaoh:

"For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."
--- Romans 9:17

In the last days, God will "allow" the Antichrist to reign over the earth but only for a short while and for His purposes.
Ultimately, the Antichrist, who is a type and shadow of the Exodus Pharaoh, is used by God to show God's power and to proclaim God's name in all the earth when Jesus triumphantly returns.

It will be a repeat of the Exodus. We call the end time exodus the rapture.



"Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
2 Timothy 2:20-21

In context, "for honorable use" and "for dishonorable use" refer to the different ways people can be used by God or the world. The passage uses the analogy of a large house with various vessels (containers) – some made of gold and silver (for honorable use), others of wood and clay (for dishonorable use).

The Apostle Paul is saying that individuals can be used for noble purposes or for less noble ones, just as vessels can be used for honorable or dishonorable purposes.
What constitutes "honorable use":
Living a life of purity and dedication to God's service. This involves personal sanctification and commitment to God's calling.
Being a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, and ready for every good work.
It also involves cleansing oneself from what is dishonorable and separating oneself from harmful influences and behaviors.

What constitutes "dishonorable use":
Living a life that is not aligned with God's will by engaging in sinful or harmful behaviors.
In essence, this 2 Timothy passage is a call to live a life that honors God and serves others. By choosing to live a pure and dedicated life, individuals can become vessels for honorable use, capable of serving God's purposes and making a positive impact on the world.

As the end times unfold, what kind of clay pot will we be?



Treasure in Jars of Clay
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."
--- 2 Corinthians 4:7

Christians are the jars of clay that hold the treasure which is the gospel.
The treasure in the jars of clay is the message of Jesus Christ, the light of the gospel, and the glory of God.

The clay jars symbolize the human body, which is fragile and will eventually break down. All the power of the gospel comes from God, not from humans. The Lord has been gracious to us to allow us, though broken and imperfect, to be containers of the light of Christ.

Interestingly, some also see this as a second reference to the jars containing the Dead Sea Scrolls which validate the Bible.






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