Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
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The Questions
Isaiah 45:9-13
“Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.
Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’
Or does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to the one who says to his father,
‘What are you fathering?’
or to his mother,
‘What are you giving birth to?’”
11 This is what the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and its Maker, says:
“Ask me what is to happen to my sons,
and instruct me about the work of my hands.
12 I made the earth,
and created humans on it.
It was my hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded everything in them.
13 I have stirred him up in righteousness,
and will level all roads for him.
He will rebuild my city,
and set my exiles free,
not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord of Armies.
Original Intent
1) What is the significance of calling out “one clay pot among many”? (verse 9)
The clay pots here are intended to represent nations, just as they are in a similar visual given by the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 18:6-10). In Jeremiah’s case, the Lord was specifically referring to the nation of Israel, however in Isaiah’s passage there were two nations noted in Isaiah 45. In Isaiah’s time, there were numerous different nations, most of which were stronger and more powerful than Israel, this was particularly frustrating for Israel because she was held in captivity under Babylonian ruler, Cyrus the Great, and had been for decades. The “one pot among many” refers to Israel among many other nations, nations who had more power, nations of which Israel would be jealous of. This would easily cause Israel to question to God as they sat year after year in exile under foreign rule. Some of this angst is seen in the question, “Does clay say to the one forming it, ‘What are you making?’ Or does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?” (verse 9) Regardless of their exiling situation, the Lord still graciously called Israel “one clay pot among many.” He focused great attention care over that “one clay pot”.
2) What is the Lord’s “work of my (His) hands” He says to ask Him about? (verse 11)
The Lord’s question here in verse 11 is a hyperbole to emphasize the point that no one has the authority to question or instruct the Lord God in what He is making or doing in the nations, in history, or in the heart of a human soul. It is similar in style to Job’s many questions of the Lord following his significant losses of family, wealth, and health. Finally, after Job has ranted on and on and complained, the Lord answered Him with the same hyperbole, “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know!” (Job 38:3-5) The Lord has no obligation to answer questions of why and what purpose and how, we are only called to trust Him as the Almighty Wise Potter. (verse 12)What is different about Isaiah’s prophecy in comparison to Job’s is the Lord does declare what He will do for Israel, the one clay pot among many. His glory will be made known as He uses a foreign ruler, Cyrus the Great, to set His people Israel free to return to their land. Cyrus would “rebuild… and set exiles free.” (verse 13)
3) What does this passage reveal about the authority of the Lord over His work?The Lord who created the earth and filled it (verse 12), and holds authority over every aspect of creation (verse 12, Colossians 1:17), did not need to bribe or coerce even a foreign ruler to free Israel from exile. (verse 13) He simply said it would be, and so it was. His sovereign authority knows no limit. All the Lord does is good and results in blessing and His glory being made known, so more people may be drawn near to Him by experiencing Him. Earlier in Isaiah 29, the Lord declares that regardless of dire circumstances for Israel, one day they would understand, “For when he sees his children, the work of My hands within his nation, they will honor My name, they will honor the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who are confused will gain understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction.” One day, it would be made clear how God used Israel’s exile for His glory. One day Israel would see how God brought about redemption for all of mankind through His chosen people. One day.
Everyday Application
1) What is the significance of calling out “one clay pot among many”? (verse 9)
From the beginning of creation, God intended His glory to be made known and enjoyed in deep intimacy between the people He had created and Himself. This theme became ever more prominent the farther forward into the timeline of history we move. Abraham was called away from his homeland and worship of false gods, Isaac was the promised seed through whom would come the Great Deliverer, and Jacob was called into God’s plan before he was even born to continue building God’s nation. And on it goes from Jacob’s descendants, the Hebrews, being called out of slavery in Egypt, then made into the nation Israel, then given a land, and called God’s own people and possession to declare Him to the nations around them. One clay pot among many. Only the author gets to decide how He will use the clay pot to declare His goodness to the world, not the other way around with the pot dictating instruction to the Potter. In the New Testament, the one clay pot among many takes on a new, fuller form as the chosen ones become the Church, the Bride of Christ. We are still called to make God and His glory known to all people and all nations, but it is by His Spirit, His direction, not ours. In our own lives, we submit to His hands and His teaching and His leading as He guides us and makes our hearts new. He is the Potter, we are the clay pot!
2) What is the Lord’s “work of my (His) hands” He says to ask Him about? (verse 11)
While God certainly doesn’t need our help to rule, and He doesn’t need to consult us before acting, He is gracious in revealing His work to us and His purposes. We may still wrestle with why and we may grieve and feel anger towards Him when circumstances don’t fall into place as we would have planned, and hear this, that is okay to wrestle with! The Lord was exceptionally patient with Job as he walked through his grievous pain of deep loss. The Lord never once abandoned Job or mocked him for his honest wrestling. How the Lord did respond is important for each of us to note and take comfort in. He responded by reminding Job, and Israel through Isaiah’s prophecy, that He alone was God, and all authority was held by Him. There is nothing God “missed” or “overlooked” or “made a mistake” in His actions. The psalmist reminds us the Lord “never abandons the work of His hands.” (Psalm 138:8) Whether it’s on the national level, the coming return of Christ, His glory worked out through the tension of your relationship, or His comfort being made known to you as you walk through your own loss, He will never abandon the work of His hands! After the Lord responded to Job for 3 long chapters, Job, in humility answers with genuine understanding and peace, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2) Trust His hand, Sister!
3) What does this passage reveal about the authority of the Lord over His work?
God is not afraid of our questions and wrestling, He allows it, more so, welcomes us when we come to Him with why. What He wants us to be absolutely certain of though, as we wrestle and weep and grievously ache, is that He is to be trusted. His authority and power are not working against us. If that were so, Christ would not have humbled Himself to die for us, in our place, though He Himself deserved no death, no punishment, and no painful separation from God the Father. He is working for our good and His glory, all the time, but because we are finite, we simply do not always understand. But we do always have a choice of trusting His heart. The more we study Scripture, and seek His face, the more we realize how good He is, how much He is for us, and how deeply He loves us. Just as there was a prophesied One Day for Israel, so there is for us as well. One day, every tear will be wiped away. One day, we will finally understand the deep goodness of our God. (Revelation 21:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) One day, redemption will cover every loss, every wound, and every sadness no matter how deep. One Day.
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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