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The background is that God, after the captivity, was going to
bring them back to Jerusalem. To do that he was going to use
a man named “Cyrus”. Just like they didn’t understand how a
Holy God could use sinful Babylon, they couldn’t understand
how a Holy God could take a sinful man like Cyrus and bring
them back to the land. They were happy that they were going
back but they didn’t like God’s method. “Do it another way.”
They had a controversy with God. They had an argument with
the Lord, not about the end but about the means to the end. “I
want to be conformed to Christ but do I have to go through
bankruptcy?” “I want to be conformed to Christ but does that
mean I have to get cancer?” “Does that mean that my children
must go in a wrong direction?” “Does that mean divorce will
come into my life?” “I like the end but I don’t like the means.”

Israel reacts to God’s work. The story of the potter is God
reacting to their reaction. With that as background, Jeremiah
18:1&2, “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord
saying, ‘Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I
shall announce My words to you.’” God tells the prophet, “Go
to the potter’s house.” At the potter’s house they would hear
the word of God. That’s a strange place to hear the word of
God. I go to church to hear the word of God. I go to Bible
study to hear the word of God. I have a quiet time to hear the
word of God but I don’t go to a potter’s house to hear the word
of God.

When he was to go to the potter’s house, he was to keep his
mouth shut and say nothing; just look. So, Jeremiah went to the
potter’s house. Jeremiah 18:3&4, “Then I went down to the
potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the
wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled
in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as
it pleased the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came
to me saying, ‘Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this
potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Behold, like the clay in the
potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.’” God