Jeremiah 18

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Jeremiah 18:1-23 (KJV)

 1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 

3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 

4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make [it].

5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay [is] in the potter's hand, so [are] ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 

God spoke to Jeremiah.

God told Jeremiah to go to the potter house.

Jeremiah listened to God.

Jeremiah obeyed God.

Jeremiah respected God.  When God speaks he tells us what to do and what he tells us, we can do.  The entire Word of God is directions from God for man.  It is amazing what God can do through us if we will learn to do the always simple things He instructs us to do.    After arriving at the potter's house, Jeremiah paid attention to what the potter was doing.  He saw the potter work with the clay, and the first vessel we made did not turn out the way he wanted it to.  The potter did not give up, he worked with the clay again and he was pleased with what he did the second time.  God told Jeremiah the potter's final outcome responded to his hands, but His people are in His hand but refuse to allow him to shape them (us).  God is greater than the potter.  He has the entire world in His hand and He knows every ounce of what He is working with.  Lord help me to love others the way you love me.  Help me not to give up on the things you have placed in my life to make good.

7 [At what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy [it]; 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. 9 And [at what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant [it]; 10. If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. 

God says if my people will change and come back to me, He would quickly turn from His plan to destroy them.  But if they continue to disobey My Word I will quickly do what I said I will do to destroy them.

 Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. 

God told Jeremiah to go again and describe His plan for His people who continue to sin.  He said I have thought my plan out and I do not want to carry it out, please come back to me and let me be God.

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. 

The people told Jeremiah, that they will do what they thought was right and they will not listen to what God told Jeremiah.

13 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing. 14 Will [a man] leave the snow of Lebanon [which cometh] from the rock of the field? [or] shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? 

Ask this question to those who do not know me.  Is snow always on the top of the mountain of Lebanon? Or do the waters that flow from the mountains ever run dry?  My people have no idea what will happen to them for refusing to hear My Word.

15 Because my people hath forgotten me, 

they have burned incense to vanity, 

and they have caused them to stumble in their ways the ancient paths, to walk in paths,  a way not cast up; 

When we forget God we offer prayers in vain,  and when we offer empty prayers we stumble at what we think we know about God, and we travel on roads that only get us further into darkness and the road we travel is confusing and no one can tell where they are.

16 To make their land desolate, [and] a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. 

Because of the chaos they have brought on themselves, they will lose the land God has given them.  Others will look and say what happened to that beautiful land of God's people?  

17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity. 

The enemy will look at you running all over the place:  God said the only part of Him that will be visible will be his back and not his face on the day of disaster.

18 Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words. 

The people of God said let us kill the influence of Jeremiah.  Let us make known the lying and deceiving leaders.  We will not take heed to what God is saying to Jeremiah.

19 Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. 

Jeremiah cries to God about what he heard the people say against him.

20 Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, [and] to turn away thy wrath from them. 

These people want to hurt me for doing what You told me to do.  I only said what I heard you say.

21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their [blood] by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and [be] widows; and let their men be put to death; [let] their young men [be] slain by the sword in battle. 

Lord, what they want to do to me, let evil fall on their families.  Destroy the strength of the homes, the fathers, and the sons.  Jeremiah gave God details of what he wanted to do to people for wanting to plot against him for doing them good by warning them from a life of destruction.

22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.

These people want me destroyed; instead, destroy them for what they want to do to me.

 23 Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay [me]: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal [thus] with them in the time of thine anger. 

Jeremiah is thinking of how they have done him.  Jeremiah wanted those who meant him to harm to be destroyed.