The Lord continues to give Jeremiah practical demonstrations of what he wants him to convey to the people of Israel and Judah. In many ways seeing is still believing.
Jeremiah 18: The Potter and the Clay
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
2 "Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words."
3 So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel.
4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me:
6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it,
8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.
9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it,
10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.
11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 'Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.'
12 "But they say, 'That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.'
13 "Therefore thus says the LORD: Ask among the nations, Who has heard the like of this? The virgin Israel has done a very horrible thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave the crags of Sirion? Do the mountain waters run dry, the cold flowing streams?
15 But my people have forgotten me; they make offerings to false gods; they made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient roads, and to walk into side roads, not the highway,
16 making their land a horror, a thing to be hissed at forever. Everyone who passes by it is horrified and shakes his head.
17 Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity."
18 Then they said, "Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words."
19 Hear me, O LORD, and listen to the voice of my adversaries.
20 Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.
21 Therefore deliver up their children to famine; give them over to the power of the sword; let their wives become childless and widowed. May their men meet death by pestilence, their youths be struck down by the sword in battle.
22 May a cry be heard from their houses, when you bring the plunderer suddenly upon them! For they have dug a pit to take me and laid snares for my feet.
23 Yet you, O LORD, know all their plotting to kill me. Forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger.
Jeremiah 19: The Broken Flask
1 Thus says the LORD, "Go, buy a potter's earthenware flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests,
2 and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you.
3 You shall say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.
4 Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents,
5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind---
6 therefore, behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.
7 And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth.
8 And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds.
9 And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbour in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.'
10 "Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you,
11 and shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel, so that it can never be mended. Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury.
12 Thus will I do to this place, declares the LORD, and to its inhabitants, making this city like Topheth.
13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah---all the houses on whose roofs offerings have been offered to all the host of heaven, and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods---shall be defiled like the place of Topheth.'"
14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the LORD's house and said to all the people:
15 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words."
Things to think about…
1. We sometimes forget that God is the Master Potter and we are the clay, Jer 18:1-18. It is absurd to think that we can turn around to God and say “Why did you make me like this” as Paul quoted in Romans 9 when referring to this and similar passages. Or “why is the world the way it is”. I think we think we need to be God for a season to ‘fix things’. Herein lies the need for faith and trust in the Lord’s purposes. If you could change one thing in your world, what would it be? My challenge to you is to see this thing has been formed by God for a greater purpose than you could ever have imagined – ask Him what it is.
2. We asked last week whether Jeremiah’s prayer towards his fellow countrymen was vengeful. Is he still being vindictive here in Jer 18:19-23. Remember what the Lord has promised to do to the people. They will be judged in 4 ways. Is Jeremiah praying an upright prayer here by simply quoting back to God what He will do to the people in judgement anyway, or is he being bitter because they are hard to his message. The prophet was feeling heat from the people, but he was simply telling them the Lord’s words. Shooting the messenger is never the answer. God’s word does not change. Blessing follows obedience.
3. In Jer 19,Jeremiah visits the potter again and buys a jug. After inviting the elders and priests out for a walk into the valley of Hinnom he breaks the vessel in their sight. He says that Jerusalem will also be broken so that it cannot be mended. All the houses where idol worship and sacrifices have taken place will be destroyed. This would happen in a few short years when they would be surrounded by Babylon and taken captive. The temple would be destroyed. We see the same with various messages to the churches in Rev 2. The encouragement is to never leave our first love of Christ. These words are obviously not very encouraging to the hearers of Jeremiah and we are about to see him set in the stocks in the next chapter. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Jeremiah is trying to love his countrymen. It is not being well received. Sometimes the message we give in our generation benefits the generations following us, as our generation does not have the ears to hear.
Vision Point for cell groups – Cell groups on break over the school holidays
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer Points
1. People in the church and community who have Covid.
2. That we see Christ even as Covid goes through the community.
3. Praise, hope and Joy through this new year.
4. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
5. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. CBC Leadership team – maintaining church and grounds as well as the weekly running of ministries. Thankyou.
2. Wonderful worship on Sunday – thankyou, Zac, Gina as well as Bec and Doug – technical team.
3. Joy in our service, great times in the cafe.
4. Word of God being blessed at CBC.
Announcements
1. All ministries on break until the end of January
2. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
