“Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, ‘What makest thou?'” Isaiah 45:9
Dear Ones:
In our “modern” day we are almost totally ignorant of what a “potter” is. Most of us have rarely seen a potter using his skills to take a mass of clay, and make out of it, a bowl, cup, or dish. And yet, in the Bible, the Lord Jesus uses the illustration of a potter and his clay to communicate to us some very important truths, truths that can change our lives.
The first thing we note about the potter and the clay is that they are VERY distinctly different. The potter possesses knowledge, a capacity to design, an intent to realize a purpose, and the skill and will to accomplish his objective. The clay, on the other hand, is lifeless, purposeless, inert, and helpless without the potter. It is the potter which gives purpose, meaning, and worth to it.
In Isaiah 64:8, we read: “But NOW, O Lord, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we are ALL the work of Thy hand.” As soon as Isaiah uses the word, “Lord,” we are faced with power, sovereignty, wisdom, mercy. With the use of the word, “Father,” we are brought before the compassion, love, and goodness of God. This is our Potter, the One, who in His wisdom and sovereign love, has chosen to take the “clay of our lives,” and make it to BE what He has designed, and willed. It is for such a time such as this, that we were created. It is in the “NOW” that He begins His exquisite work of shaping us into the likeness of Christ with all the tender, loving care of a gracious Father. His skill is beyond description, and his objective is Divinely good. The threefold question then arises. First, “…shall the work say of Him that made it, ‘He made me not…He had no understanding?'” (Is. 29:16) Secondly, “Shall the clay say to Him that fashioneth it, ‘What makest Thou?'” (Is. 45:9) And lastly, “Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, ‘WHY hast Thou made me thus?'” (Rom. 9:20) At first glance, in light of these three questions, we might want to ask ourselves, “How is it that the “clay” can be so bold, and audacious, to demand a response from the Potter who is so far above the clay in every conceivable way? What is it about the clay that makes it so forward in its reasoning?
In Isaiah 45:9, we discover that the “clay” possess the capacity to “…strive with his Maker.” Why? The simple answer is, “sin.” First of all, the clay cannot see the goodness, grace, and love of God, because of its misconstrued, and twisted ideas of Him. He does not see the loving design of the Potter, nor His ultimate purpose. Secondly, the clay, because of the selfishness of its nature, does not want to yield to the wisdom its Maker, and Redeemer. It is at this point that the “clay” must come to grips with truly WHO God our Maker is, and WHAT our relationship with Him is to be. If the clay, by appealing to the Potter’s grace and mercy, will come and yield to His sovereign will, the Potter will accept him, and mold him or her to be a vessel of honor, with a revealed divine purpose and meaning to its existence. The Potter is debtor to no one. In His eternal goodness, He is wholeheartedly committed to taking the clay into His perfectly skilled, and loving hands, to mold it into a most beautiful, and useful vessel. Into that vessel, He will pour His very blessed, and eternal Life. That vessel, made from clay, will be used to pour out countless blessing upon others, and this for the glory of God.
Dear Father, give to us, as the clay we are, to yield our whole existence to Thee. To refuse to do so is folly, since Thou art our Maker and Redeemer. Open our eyes to see Thee, our gracious Father. Remove all hesitation from our hearts, and give us to prove the excellency of thy love and wisdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad