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A BROKEN CLAY JAR (JEREMIAH 19:1-11)

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is “A broken clay jar”. A jar of clay is shaped and moulded by a potter before being baked and refined in fire until the clay is hard. In ancient times, they were often used to hold valuable articles. We shall consider the fact that we are as fragile as a clay jar and can be broken by God if we remain unrepentant.

Dear friend in the Lord, like the Israelites, we also have a covenant with God, therefore, we must never worship any other god lest we suffer the fate of a broken clay jah. Disobedience and unrepentance lead to judgment and destruction. Jeremiah forewarned the Israelites of the impending judgement of God upon them because of their sin of idolatry and child sacrifice, “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. 4 For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods ; they have burned incense in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. 5 They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind. 6 So beware, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when people will no longer call this place Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.” (Jeremiah 19:3-6). In other words, Topheth, the very place they slaughtered their children or the innocent for idol worship, would be the very place they will be slaughtered by their enemies thus, the Lord says, “‘In this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, at the hands of those who want to kill them, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds and the wild animals.” (Jeremiah 19:7).

The destruction of Israel is likened to a broken clay jar because of their idol worship. “This is what the LORD says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter…“Then break the jar while those who go with you are watching, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.” (Jeremiah 19:1, 10-11). Beloved in the Lord, this is a stern warning to Christians who practice syncretism. Syncretism is the combination of different forms of religious believes or practices or the fusion of two or more religions. The Israelites had a covenant relationship with God yet some worshipped Baal in addition, blatantly disobeying God and committing all manner of abominable sins. An essential commandment as part of God’s covenant instructions is, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,” (Exodus 20:2-5) For the love of wealth and power some Christians have abandoned their faith and sold their soul to the devil through idolatry. There are news items about desperate people seeking power and fame in Christendom as church leaders. Their churches are not founded on Christ but on idol worship with outrageous rituals being performed.

Friends, God detests human sacrifice and idolism in any form or character, therefore Moses warned the Israelites, “When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.” (Deuteronomy 18:9-13). People practice idolism for spiritual protection, money and material possession, however, Jesus admonished us “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13). Again Paul, reminds us that “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10). Paul again reminds us that if we repent, we shall be sanctified and justified, “Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

In summary, we have learnt that we are as fragile as a clay jar and can be broken or destroyed by God if we remain unrepentant. Let us worship and remain faithful to our omnipotent and incomparable God. Shalom.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, strengthen us to overcome the temptation of idol worship in its different forms. Almighty God, may we remain faithful to our calling and covenant relationship with you through our Lord and Saviour Jesus. Amen.