Jeremiah 18:1-23
A new lesson awaits Jeremiah in the house of the potter. The first vessel which he sees made is a picture of the people. Like the girdle in Jeremiah 13:1-27, this vessel has also been spoilt and is clearly good for nothing (v. 4; Jeremiah 13:7). Yes, Israel, and indeed the whole of humanity is found represented here. The divine Workman has been unable to do anything with the first man, whom He made out of clay. "They are together become unprofitable . . ." (Romans 3:12; Romans 3:23). Sin has ruined and corrupted the whole of the human race. But on the potter’s wheel the work is begun again: a new vessel is fashioned "as seemed good to the potter to make it". This vessel, without any defects, takes our thoughts on to the second Man, in whom God has found His pleasure. In accordance with God’s counsels, Christ came to take the place of the fallen race of Adam. But from henceforth He is no longer alone. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17). By God’s grace, the redeemed can in turn be "a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21; read also Ephesians 2:10).
The dialogue in vv. 11, 12 confirms the desperate condition of the people and justifies their rejection, just as the marred vessel of the potter was rejected.