...A Modernized Retelling of Jeremiah 18:1-17 (ESV)
Prelude
Not first thing in the morning, but in the morning, I read from the Bible. I have 3 choices from my NKJV Study Bible in ‘Titus”, to an ESV Bible in “Psalms”, or my phone Kindle with an ESV Bible in “Jeremiah”. I was outside already, so chose “Jeremiah” at the beginning of chapter 18, ‘The Potter & The Clay’ and I felt like God was speaking to me, even beyond the coincidental fact of my name. So, with prayers, I wrote a modern retelling with some artistic liberty. I hope you enjoy.
2024's The Potter & The Clay
As you do on a typical day in 2024, Jeremiah was hanging out with Adonai (God, YHWH) at His pottery studio. It was a quiet, unassuming place where the smell of wet clay filled the air.
The potter–an older, kind-hearted man–working diligently at His wheel, shaping a lump of clay into something beautiful…
The mold (template, pottery pattern) He was using–His own image.
But the clay was stubborn and had become harden from the harshness of the worldly elements. An outsider or newbie could assume a potter could do no more, but He is the best potter in the universe and was not done. So Jeremiah, grabbed some popcorn and watched. As God added water to cleanse the stubborn clay, He began to remove what the world added, not of the original mold. Even with the typical potter’s calloused hands, He was ever so gentle with reshaping it.
God asked, in His teacher’s voice, “For any nation, community, or individual, can I not do the same as I have done as a potter?” Jeremiah was about to speak, but God answered His own rhetorical question. “Spoiler alert, the answer is ‘Yes!’ I can do the same for any nation, community, or individual. For I am the Creator of the Universe.”
He continued, “If anyone or any community is heading down an evil and destructive path, they have two (2) choices before them. The metaphorical ‘fork-in-the-road’ as it were. The correct choice, be reclaimable clay. Allowing Me to cleanse them with My water so that they can absorb My Word. The incorrect choice, be non-reclaimable clay. Which cannot be used for My purpose because it rejects My cleansing and cannot absorb My Word and may have to be destroyed.”
God’s volume decreased, “Behold, to those of non-reclaimable clay, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.”
God stopped the wheel and removed His hands.
He looked at it the non-reclaimable clay somberly, “But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.’”
And a single tear fell from His eye and when it hit the clay, it crumbled.
God turns to Jeremiah and says in a somber voice, “My people have forgotten me.” His voice turns passionate and authoritative, not angry. “They ask for signs, and I give them signs! From all different perspectives.”
He continues, “The telescopic, the universe. There are so many things going on out there that man can’t even agree on the probability of it all happening *randomly*. Then, going to the other end of the visual spectrum, the microscopic, down to even smaller than your cells. I signed My name, YHWH, in your sulfuric bridges within your DNA. The Laminin, which provides support for your cells, is My Son’s symbol, the Cross, because His yoke is easy, meaning He lightens your burden.”
His tone turns a bit sarcastic stating, “Let alone all the signs–from mundane to the extreme–I show them in their own sensory spectrum on daily basis. With every breath you take, you say My name (breathe in ‘YH’; breathe out ‘WH’.) Deception runs deep My son, do not be fooled.”
There is a pause and a stillness in the room. God’s voice becomes stern, like a father about to discipline, “Yet, they still do not see Me staring at them in their beautiful faces.” The voice turns to anger, “Instead they put anything and everything above Me as idols, that do nothing but make them look foolish. They talk in back rooms and take shortcuts for things that are not of Me. Them and their possessions will be an object of horror and lasting scorn; all who pass by them will be appalled and will shake their heads. Like a scorching, violent windstorm, I will scatter them before their enemies. I will show them My back and not My face in the day of their disaster.”
He turns silent, looking at the non-reclaimable clay and weeps.
Jeremiah thought the message was clear to those who have ears to hear and eyes to see: just as God as the potter has the power to reshape the clay, He has the power to shape the course of history and individual lives, even in current events with unexpecting peoples or communities. There’s always an opportunity for change and redemption at any level, but it requires humbleness, openness, and willingness to adjust to a better path.
In the end, the potter’s studio is a plain reminder that even in moments of imperfection, there’s hope for transformation. God invites everyone to be like the reclaimable clay—moldable, responsive, and ready to embrace a more promising direction.
Thank you and God Bless,
Sunday, June 21, 2024
Volume 15 Issue 12 (74)
