For Di Potter House

Di wheel dey turn. Wet clay dey rise between di potter fingers, round and smooth. And then, sudden sudden, di pot shake, bend, and fall inside itself. Wetin di potter go do now?

Jeremiah don be prophet for Jerusalem for years. Again and again, e don warn di people of Judah make dem turn from idols come back to Di Lord. Again and again, dem no listen. Then one day God give am one unusual instruction. No vision dis time. No message to shout for di temple courts. Only dis one. Get up and go down to di potter house, and na there I go make you hear my words. So Jeremiah go.

Di workshop dey smell of wet earth and smoke. Shelves carry rows of jars and bowls wey dey dry, and one kiln dey hot somewhere near. Di potter sit for im wheel, dey work di clay with im hands. Jeremiah dey watch. And as e dey watch, di pot wey di potter dey make spoil for im hand. Maybe lump dey inside di clay, or one side don too thin. But di potter no throw di clay away. E press am back into one lump, wet am, and start again. E mould am into another pot, as e good for im eye.

Then di word of Di Lord come to Jeremiah. O house of Israel, I no fit do una as dis potter don do? See. As clay dey for di potter hand, na so una dey for my hand. Di people of Judah don dey behave like say na dem dey control dia own shape. Like say dem fit make demselves anything wey dem like. But dem be clay, and God na di potter.

And then God talk something wey surprise. If any time I announce say one nation go dey uprooted and pulled down, and dat nation turn from im evil, then I go change my mind, and I no go bring di disaster wey I don plan. And if I announce say I go build up and plant one nation, but e do evil and no gree listen to me, then I go change my mind about di good wey I don plan for am. Wetin e mean be say, dis clay fit answer back. How one nation answer God matter for true.

So God give Jeremiah message for di people of Judah and Jerusalem. See, I dey mould disaster against una, and I dey make plan against una. Turn back now, every one of una, from una evil ways. Make una ways and una actions good. Na warning. But na still open door. Di clay still dey on top di wheel. E never late.

And dia answer dey break heart. E no go work. We go follow our own plans. Each one of us go do anything wey our stubborn, evil heart want. God don offer to mould dem again. Dem choose to remain as dem be.

For di Hebrew text, di potter dey work for di two stones. Many scholars believe say dis one mean wheel wey dem make with two round stones wey one upright stick join together. Di potter dey turn di stone for down with im feet, and dat one dey turn di one for top, where di clay dey sit. One old Jewish book wey dem write some hundred years later, Ecclesiasticus, wey dem still dey call Sirach, show di same picture: di potter wey sit for im work, dey turn di wheel with im feet, and im whole mind dey on top how to finish im pots.

Di potter house dey for Jeremiah chapter eighteen, verse one reach twelve. Di people talk say, e no go work. But one potter for im wheel dey tell different story. Clay wey spoil fit dey moulded again, if e remain for di potter hand. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Any part of your life dey where you don talk say, e no go work, and wetin e go mean to allow God mould am again?