Jerodmac's Thoughts on Stuff

Clay Pots - Weak and Humble, but Full of the Power of God

Here is the introduction to a study that we are working on for CMA. Please read, comment and give suggestions. I could really use some input.

“We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives” 2 Corinthians 4:7 (MSG)

Clay is an amazing naturally found substance. Used by artisans and craftsmen all throughout history, clay has been formed into just about everything from household items to sacred works of art. The Bible mentions clay and vessels made of clay quite often. From the mixture of dust and spittle in John 9:6 to the Potter’s clay in Jeremiah 18:1, clay and pottery was a part of everyday life in ancient times. It is certain that the Apostle Paul would have been familiar with many clay pottery items from small cup like drinking pots, to larger cistern sized pots. Clay decorative items as well as clay households such as lamps and containers would have been commonplace around the Apostle. He would have certainly understood the availability, utility and fragile nature of clay pots.

When Paul describes our lives as clay pots, he is using a metaphor packed with meaning.
•Clay pots are humble. Unlike goblets of silver or pitchers of brass, clay pots are inexpensive and not very fancy. Paul is no doubt alluding to the fact that the contents of the vessel are much more important than the vessel itself. Clay pots are usually simple and readily available. Because of their functionality, decoration wasn’t very important. In the Old Testament, when a clay pot was ceremonially defiled it had to be destroyed (Leviticus 6:28; 11:33) illustrating that they were easy to replace.
•The use of clay reflects back to the material God used to create Adam in Genesis 2:7 (the Hebrew ‘adamah’ can be translated as dust or clay) where man is only dust until God breathes life into him. Recalling this image, Paul speaks of our helplessness and worthlessness without the Spirit (Heb. ‘ruach’ or breath) of God.
•Clay pots are also weak and easy to break. In the middle of a discussion on the struggles of being the Lord’s servant, it seems important that he compares himself to a weak, breakable clay pot. Clay pots shatter when dropped; they break into shards and can no longer be used. Even when tempered by fire and made to be as strong as possible, clay pots are at best still considered fragile. Paul speaks of his own life as being “pressed from all sides”, “persecuted”, and “struck down”, all tough wear and tear on a fragile clay pot.

As a whole, I believe Paul wants us to identify with the humble, temporal, and fragile clay pot. We are only humans, weak and unsightly when compared to the glory of God. We are imperfect; We struggle through many hardships in life, yet there is more to the metaphor of the clay pot.

•Clay pots have to be made by the hand of a potter. Clay, in it’s natural form, isn’t shaped to perform tasks. It takes the foresight, time and artistry of the hands of the potter to create a functional vessel. A potter pays special attention as he molds and forms the clay into the desired shape. Every clay pot reveals the plan and design of it’s potter. Our lives are exactly the same. Our very existence speaks of the plan and foresight of The Potter, Almighty God. Our lives reflect his leading and the intervention of His grace. He has brought us through experiences and wrote the story of our life to shape us for his purpose. As the potter creates a clay pot to carry water from a well, so does God create our lives to be used to literally carry the life-changing power of God.
•Clay pots are extremely useful. In the times of the Apostle Paul, clay pottery was used for a multitude of purposes. Water and commodities containers of all sizes as well as clay oil lamps were all necessary to daily life. Paul probably hints at the functionality of clay pots, when he uses this imagery. While it is the contents of our lives, the power of God, that is important, it is exciting to think that Jesus wants to use us to shine his light in darkness. God’s plan is to use his creation, his people, to carry his Message and move in his power.

And this is the powerful thought of 2 Corinthians 4:7: We are, as humans, weak and humble, yet God desires to use us, and use our lives as containers and dispensers of his grace and power. We in ourselves are not super powerful, but the Holy Spirit working inside of us is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. We in ourselves are weak and breakable, but the power of God working in us can withstand any attack. We in ourselves are humble and unadorned, and yet God chooses us to carry the beautiful and precious message of his love to the world.