In today’s Daily Devotional, we journey into the profound depths of Jeremiah’s words, exploring the pivotal chapters 17 and 18. These chapters encapsulate fundamental questions that echo through the corridors of time: Are we inherently good or steeped in evil? Where does our trust lie – in the Divine or in the frailty of humanity? Discover if God has placed some conditions of service around your life in Jeremiah 16.
Jeremiah 17:9
In Jeremiah 17, the stark duality of life is painted before us. We’re confronted with the contrast between placing trust in mortal beings and anchoring our faith in the eternal. “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord,” declares the prophet (17:5). Conversely, he pronounces blessing upon those who entrust their hearts to the Divine (17:7). Yet, amidst this dichotomy, Jeremiah unveils a harsh truth: the human heart, with its inherent deceitfulness and sickness (17:9). Nonetheless, God, in His omniscience, scrutinizes our innermost being, rewarding each according to their deeds (17:10).
Jeremiah 18 | The Potter and The Clay
Chapter 18 unveils a vivid metaphor – the potter and the clay. As Jeremiah witnesses the potter molding a vessel, the divine revelation strikes: just as the potter reshapes flawed clay, so too does God mold His people (18:4-6). Here lies the promise of renewal, of God’s persistent work in our lives. Yet, tragically, despite God’s plea for repentance and transformation, the people remain obstinate, clinging to their own ways (18:11-12).
As we delve deeper into these chapters, let us not merely skim the surface but embrace the profound truths they unveil. Let us heed the call to trust in the Divine, to allow His hands to shape and guide us. For in embracing His will, we find redemption and renewal, transcending the stubbornness of our hearts.
Jeremiah 17 and 18 have a total of fifty verses. Are you basically good, or basically evil? Do you trust in the Lord or in man? Please read or listen to Jeremiah 17 and 18.
Jeremiah 17 and 18 Commentary by Allen J. Huth
Due to the length of today’s reading, I will only use my journal from 2016. I wrote, “The simple contrast. ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord’ (17:5). ‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord’ (17:7). Life boils down to this: Trust in man or trust in the Lord. Cursed or blessed. Our choice. Our heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Our natural sinful condition, according to verse 9. And God searches our wicked hearts and tests our minds for reward according to our deeds. Is it fair that God knows our hearts are desperately wicked and tests us anyway?”
I continued, “But God can heal and save. And He does. Jeremiah’s heart is being turned by God. At first, he defended his people. He wanted to pray for them. Now he agrees with God. They are guilty and deserve destruction, referring to 17:16-18.” I continued to write, “Honor the Sabbath. They didn’t, nor do we. There are consequences to disobedience, then and now, according to 17:27.”
I wrote more, “Object lessons: the potter and the clay. God is our maker, so He has the right to shape us the way He wants. Our problem is God calls us to return to Him, ‘“amend your ways and your deeds.” But they say, “That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart”’ (18:11-12). No one listened to Jeremiah. Few listen to God’s messages today.”
Digging Deeper
In Jeremiah 17, God gives us the very clear contrast of life. “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord” (17:5). The contrast is, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord” (17:7). Yet, He tells us the condition we are born into, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (17:9). Yet, He says, “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds” (17:10).
Are Humans Inherently Good or Evil?
Jeremiah 17:9 is one of those verses I refer to often, my heart is desperately wicked; therefore, I need something between my heart and my day and that is the Word of God. I want to put the Word of God between my heart and my day every day. I hope you do too.
Chapter 18 is that great story about the potter and the clay. The Lord takes Jeremiah down to a potter who is shaping a pot:
And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.
Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand O house of Israel” (18:4-6).
Jeremiah 17:9 is one of those verses I refer to often, my heart is desperately wicked; therefore, I need something between my heart and my day and that is the Word of God. I want to put the Word of God between my heart and my day every day. I hope you do too.
Chapter 18 is that great story about the potter and the clay. The Lord takes Jeremiah down to a potter who is shaping a pot:
And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.
Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand O house of Israel” (18:4-6).
Prayer
Lord, we are like them. We are clay. We are in Your hands. You are the potter. Please mold us and shape us so we can be pleasing in Your sight. Though our hearts are desperately wicked, Lord, help us. Forgive us when we follow our own plans in the stubbornness of our own evil hearts. May these chapters remind us to resubmit ourselves to You. So let it be written, so let it be done. Amen.
