The Master Potter
The biblical imagery of the potter is one that has
endeared itself to many. The potter is the ultimate hands-on
artisan, working with pliable clay upon a rotating platform to give
tangible expression to a unique (and often one-of-a-kind) design
that flows from his mind. In like manner, our heavenly Father, the
Master Potter, has in mind a spiritual design for each of his own.
No child of God is in a better or safer place than the one who has
submitted to the Potter for the imposition of that wise design.
The text of Isaiah 64:8 expresses the proper attitude
toward the Potter: “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are
the clay, and thou art our potter; and we all are the work of thy
hand.” The context has Isaiah pleading for a fresh manifestation
of God’s presence—a presence that would cause the mountains to flow
down and the surrounding nations to tremble (64:1-2). What he was
requesting had historical precedent (64:3). The church at this dark
hour should never forget that, while Pentecost was a one-time event,
Pentecost-like demonstrations of Holy Ghost power are a real
possibility for “him [them] that waiteth for him” (64:4).
The problem with Israel was that they were a
collective lump of clay laden with defects: unclean, filthy rags for
righteousness, fading leaves, blown away by iniquity, prayerless and
apathetic (64:6-7). The remedy was finding a new joy in
righteousness and the doing of it, and a calling to mind of the ways
of the Lord (64:5). The prophet spoke as a proxy for God’s people.
He was aware they were in a world of hurt (64:10-11), but made his
appeal for a turnaround on the basis of relationship: “Behold,
see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people” (64:9). His use of
“we” teaches us that leaders who desire deliverance must
first identify with and own the defects. Seldom if ever will a
sin-ridden Laodicean church experience a spiritual
awakening unless it first begins with repentance in the heart of its
pastor!
In 1982, while living in Iowa, I had the opportunity
to visit with a real-life potter named Carl Christiansen. He showed
me his kiln where he had recently fired some pieces. His shop
contained both motorized and foot-driven platforms. He demonstrated
both, and then called attention to a few finished vessels. He was
especially proud of his “drip-free” pitchers, which he claimed were
capable of the perfect pour.
At the end of my visit, he pointed to the blanket of
clay dust that covered the concrete floor, and said: “Preacher, the
amazing thing about this dust is that I could, at any time, sweep it
up, mix it with a little water, slap it on the wheel, and mold a new
vessel.” His words were indelibly etched in my mind! For in my
spiritual walk since that hour, I have become that
trodden-under-foot clay dust that lacked water. But I’ve learned
that a cleansing from sin and fresh dose of living water puts me
back on the wheel, in the Potter’s hands, and ready to be used
again!
It is clear to me that is exactly what the
prophet Isaiah envisioned for Israel and for which he petitioned his
God. Paraphrase: “Lord, we’re mired in a spiritual mess…and I’m part
of that mess. Let your mountain-melting presence descend upon us and
purge our defects! Restore the loving and doing of righteousness.
Reacquaint us with your ways. We desire to reassume our place on
your pottery wheel, and to be fashioned according to your good
pleasure! Oh God, please make it so!” Has your walk with God turned
into a blanket of clay dust? Do you desire to hear the Potter’s
wheel turn once again? Then I would encourage you to take the
heart-felt essence of Isaiah’s petition to the throne of grace as
your own…and then buckle your seatbelt!
The prophet Jeremiah embraced the Potter analogy as
well. The Lord sent him to a potter’s house to observe his work and
receive an instructive word (18:1-3). Jeremiah saw a clay vessel
marred in the hands of the potter, who then took the same lump and
began to “make it again another vessel” (18:4). The Lord
applied the episode to himself as the Potter and to Israel as the
clay (18:5-6). In 18:6-10, he explained that the presence or absence
of evil would be the criteria for the disposition of a vessel. There
were no arbitrary outcomes. The clay itself would determine its
future based on its reaction to God’s Word. Thus a nation God had
scheduled for destruction, if it turned from evil, would be able to
dodge the bullet. Contrariwise, a nation scheduled for building and
planting, if it opted for evil, would forfeit the good that God
intended.
In 19:11, Jeremiah adds: “Even so will I break
this people [Israel] and this city [Jerusalem], as one breaketh a potter’s
vessel that cannot be made whole again.” The implication is
that, up to a point, a flawed vessel can indeed be made whole again.
The point of no return is reached after (1) the vessel is fired and
the intense heat exposes its flaws, or (2) the potter deems the lump
to be of such poor quality that it is unfit for firing. It is
obvious that vessels that fail in the
fire have no future on the wheel.
In Revelation 2:27, Jesus gave this promise to those
at Thyatira who overcame the depths of satanic opposition: “And
he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter
shall they be broken to shivers.” The word potter is the
Greek keramikos (Eng. “ceramic”), an adjective that modifies
vessels. Literally, “the belonging-to-a-potter vessels.” Vessels
belonging to a potter are subject to any number of reworks up until
the time they reach the aforementioned points of no return. The derivation of
“ceramic” from the root suggests a post-firing scenario. The blessed
element in the Thyatiran promise is that a ruling over the enemies
of Christ assumes that one is reigning with Christ!
Brethren, take courage in
the Potter. Wait patiently for him. Trust his wise design. If you
happen to find yourself sprawled out on the floor as clay dust, take
the appropriate steps to realign yourself with the Potter and get
back on his wheel! Submission to the will of the Master Potter is
the wisest move a saint can make!
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