Jeremiah 18

Everyone needs a good visual illustration from time to time.  Here is a potter who takes something he made, found a blemish in it, and just decides to make into something else that’s useful.  I suppose one could make this passage’s main focus to be on God’s “sovereignty” and proceed to speak in categories only theologians could understand, but I think God’s heart and the simpler message is in the emotional “O house of Israel” repeated twice for emphasis.

As a Father pleading for the reconciliation of his own child, so God is calling Israel back to a restored place of intimacy after their sin had marred what they once had.  Is God in control, of course, but I think one missed the whole heartfelt message of God if that is all that is brought out of this passage.  God is saying, I can even now in your corrupt state, bring you back, even remake you into something wonderful, in spite of your sin–come back to me and watch what I will do with you!

It is the repeated message of the Gospel all woven into scripture that God will make all things new, old things will be gone forever. And here Jeremiah restates the same good news as any preacher of the gospel should.  “If you come back to me, I will not punish you, but I will remake you.”

8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

Today we have the benefit of hearing the Gospel’s climax presented in Jesus Christ, whom demonstration victory over death and a promise of restoring to those who find themselves corrupted by sin.  Yet there are those today who reply in the same fashion of unbelief the Israelites did in verse 12:

¹² And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

People need to know they are not beyond hope when God is in the equation when people turn in trust to God and believe that He is able to make all things new.  As God simply took away the iniquity of David, so God will take your iniquity, O sinner! Simply turn to Jesus who took your iniquity in its fullness to the cross and forever leave it there, think not on it again, and turn and follow Jesus.