Back to the Potter's House

So many of us know about Jeremiah's first visit the the Potter's house in Jeremiah 18. It's a picture of God's ability to restart and renew our lives. Although in context the image spelled disaster for the nation and after that, they would be renewed. But Jeremiah 19 also contains a visit to the potter's house. This time Jeremiah is a customer and he shares a very strong message with those he brings along. 

Jeremiah 19:1–2 (ESV) Thus says the LORD, “Go, buy a potter’s earthenware flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests, 2 and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you.

The location of this moment is important. The Valley of the Son of Hinnom was the trash heap of ancient Israel. This will become the place Jesus refers to as Gehenna in the New Testament. It contained trash residing in a smoldering fire that never went out.  

Matthew 18:9 (ESV) And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

After again declaring God's judgment to come upon them Jeremiah is commanded to destroy the potter's vessel and toss it in the trash heap. 

Jeremiah 19:10–12 (ESV) “Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, 11 and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel, so that it can never be mended. Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury. 12 Thus will I do to this place, declares the LORD, and to its inhabitants, making this city like Topheth.

Jeremiah does all this in the presence of Israel's elders and important priests. He did this while false prophets were "prophesying" only positive messages to this rebellious nation. I don't think we can ever fully grasp how much strength it took Jeremiah to stand alone in his day and declare the OPPOSITE message that all the other "preachers" were preaching. 

But we don't read their book anymore, do we? 

Not only does Jeremiah preach this message at the Valley of Hinnom, what he does next takes even more guts. 

Jeremiah 19:14–15 (ESV) Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the LORD’s house and said to all the people: 15 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words.”

He goes to the Temple and announces this same message again so that all can hear it! 

We should take note of what happens in Jeremiah in this passage. God told him to go and preach on location to the leaders at Topheth. God does NOT tell him to go to the court and preach. But Jeremiah does it. If there's something we should learn from this day in his life it is this: do what God tells you to do and you'll find strength to do even more in even greater ways. It's one thing to preach privately to a few people. It's another thing to preach in the court. 

I wonder what step of faith and obedience you need to take in a smaller way that will bring courage and willingness to your heart to obey God by faith in a larger way?