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What Does the Bible Say About..The Potter's House?

Tell me more about the potter's house.

Answer

The only reference I know in scripture to a potter's house is Jeremiah 18:1-10.

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 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. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

The whole point of the passage is that God had set up the nation of Judah, but if they did not obey Him then He could bring them down, as He later did. On the other hand, if they listened to God and obeyed Him, then God would preserve them. It was spoken specifically to the nation of Judah, but the principle applies generally. God sets up nations and brings down nations based on their obedience to Him.

I find it interesting that there are religious groups that call themselves "the Potter's House" without really understanding what it means. Are they putting themselves in God's place, saying they can set up and bring down nations? Are they saying they can create or destroy, like God? Usually not. Yet that is the basic meaning of the potter's house in scripture.