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Who is a potter? A person who uses clay to make pottery is considered a potter. In the Biblical sense, God the father, Yahweh is our potter and we as humans are the clay.
God as Potter
The concept of God being the potter who shapes us as clay is a recurring theme in the Bible that is illustrated in several scriptures in the Bible. This concept is introduced in the book of Genesis 2:7 which contains the description of God forming Adam from the dust of the ground. While in this instance God’s nature as the potter of humanity is not explicitly stated, it establishes God as the creator and shaper of humanity.
One of the most detailed illustrations that makes explicit God’s nature as potter is found in Jeremiah 18. Israel had gone astray yet again and God instructed the prophet Jeremiah to visit a pottery house to observe a potter at work. While there God spoke to Jeremiah. As Jeremiah watched the potter making a pot, which is then ruined, the Lord then uses this as an analogy for His relationship with Israel, stating:
“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.”
Jeremiah 18 illustrates the state of the relationship between Israel and God, describing it as one that was broken because of Israel’s failure to remain faithful to the covenant. It also points to God’s sovereignty as potter, having the right to do with the clay – Israel – as He chooses just as a potter would when the vessel being made is not to his liking. God did in fact break Israel as a Potter would break clay.
In the book of Lamentations God responded to Israel’s rebellion with Judgement. Jeremiah describes Israel as being reduced to mere “pots of clay” in Lamentations 4:2.
There are several other references to God as potter throughout the Bible, for example:
In Job 10:9, Job reminds God that, “Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like clay.”
Proverbs 16:9 implies that God is in control of human affairs, similar to a potter’s control over clay.
The prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 45:9, rebukes those who argue with their Maker and in Isaiah 64:8, the prophet declares, “But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.”
Reference to God as potter also carries over into the New Testament reminding us that although we have obtained mercy and grace through Jesus Christ, God remains sovereign as the Potter who forms us, breaks and reshapes us as He pleases.
In Romans 9:20-21, Paul uses the potter and clay analogy to address questions about God’s sovereignty and justice. He asks, “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Or shall the potter say to the clay, ‘What are you doing?'”
Similarly, in Ephesians 2:10, we are reminded “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” Again in 2 Timothy 2:20-21 we are described as vessels of gold, silver, wood, and clay and if we purify ourselves we can be used by God as vessels of honor. It is implied in verse 21 that the determination of the kind of vessel we become hinges on our decisions. This was illustrated in the book of Jeremiah, Lamentations, Isaiah and other books of the Old Testament that detail the story of Israel. Whenever the children of Israel chose to walk in rebellion it caused brokenness. They became captives and endured great oppression. However, God as potter is less about us and more about Him.
The Sovereignty of God as Potter
While our actions can lead to brokenness, the bigger lesson to be learnt is that God is sovereign. The story of Job is an apt illustration of this. Unlike Israel, Job was considered an upright man who pleased God. He is described as “a man of complete integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job1:1). Yet he was broken, God removed the hedge of protection around Job and allowed Satan to take his family, his wealth and even his health. It might seem contradictory because in Deuteronomy 28: 1- 14, God promises protection, health and wealth when we walk in obedience to Him. Job from the account outlined would have been in good standing and deserved all of these promises, but like clay he was broken. On the surface it might seem unfair. Even Job didn’t think he deserved it, and his friends were convinced that he had done something wrong for God to allow such evil to befall him. We are sometimes guilty of this too, assuming that blessing is always a reward for obedience and suffering is always a punishment for sin. This approach to our relationship with God reduces God to being a mere dispensary of blessings and punishment based solely on human actions. God is so much more than that. Sometimes it takes undeserved brokenness to remind us of who God is as Sovereign Lord, Master, Potter and Savior. God does as He pleases!
In Job chapters 38 – 41, God reminded Job and His friends of the potter’s authority over the clay! Job in response humbled himself and repented. Job’s story reminds us of the importance of acknowledging the creator, Yahweh as sovereign Lord and master with ultimate authority over our lives. While God doesn’t wield evil as weapon against us, which is explained in scriptures such as 1 John 1:5 and James 1:13, Job’s story and other scriptures such as Isaiah 45:7 and Amos 3:6 make it clear that God is sovereign over evil and uses it for His purposes. This I would say is part of the mystery of God that as humans we can’t unravel. However, we can take comfort in the fact that the Sovereign God is full of mercy, grace and love. He takes no pleasure in casting away the clay if it is not to His liking. God takes His time to remold and reshape the broken vessel.
The Potter’s Love
We should also embrace the love and strength of God that is wrapped up in this analogy of God as potter. Although God allowed Israel to be broken at the hands of their enemies, they were not utterly destroyed. God reminded them in Jeremiah 29:11 -13 of His love and that He was with them waiting on them to return to Him:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
In Job’s case having lost everything because God removed the hedge of protection and gave Satan permission to try Job, God restored Job. God not only returned Job’s possessions, but He also gave him twice as much as he had before.
Brokenness can be a pathway to redemption.
Clay and Light Ministry 