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NASB | Jeremiah 18:6 "Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Jeremiah 18:6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" says the LORD. "Look carefully, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. |
Bible Question: Why is Jeremiah known as the weeping prophet? |
Bible Answer: Jeremiah has been called “the weeping prophet” because he shed many tears over the sins of his people. My thoughts are that the above verse is key in understanding Jeremiah's message to his people. Another passage in Jeremiah sets forth the important message in the book: In chapter 2, verses 12 and 13, the revealed word points out that God’s people had committed two sins. One, they had forsaken God, “the fountain of living waters.” and Two, they had hewn out for themselves “cisterns - broken cisterns - that cannot hold water.” God is like a fountain of living water, or a spring that continuously brings forth an abundant supply of pure water. In other words, He is a constant source of blessings. However, a cistern has no water supply of its own, but is only a storage place for water that is from another source. A broken cistern would hold no water at all. One of Jeremiah's main concerns was that the people of Judah were trusting in idols. These idols were not living, and therefore could offer no blessings. The people trusted in their own wisdom and strength. They did not understand that the only wisdom and strength to be found came from God. They also felt secure in their alliances with heathen nations to protect them. But these nations had no power that God did not give to them. So then all the things that the people of Judah trusted in were empty, just like broken cisterns. Judah had rejected the true God who alone could bless them. In God’s place they trusted in other things which could bring nothing! To expound on the above verse, then, I would like to point out how a potter throws his clay on a wheel. As the potter works, if he comes across a flaw, it is necessary to remove the flaw and start over, after reforming the lump of clay. This is how God likes to deal with us, breaking us down so He will have a fresh base with which to work But, if the potter finds an awful flaw as he is working, when the clay is too hardened for the potter to reform into a lump that he can work freshly with, as in the hardened hearts of our ancestors in the wilderness, the only thing left to do is throw the clay out into the field where it is broken into shards, and left to be trampled by men. This is in stark contrast with the pavement that we, as reformed clay vessels will be walking on when we reach heaven, which is called streets paved in gold |