Chapter Summary

Sign of the potter's house. Declaration of God's ways of dealing with nations. Jeremiah's complaint.

Discussion Questions for Jeremiah, Chapter 18

1. How does the metaphor of the potter and the clay still affect your life today? In what ways are you being a "spoiled vessel"? In what ways are you being a "good vessel"? How should you react? (See Verse 8)
2. What other Bible passages can you remind yourself of to trust God and His righteous judgement? How can you see God's love in His judgement?
3. How does God's mention of forgiveness and command for repentance in verses 8 and 11 affect the people of that time? What are examples of God's forgiveness in other places in the Bible or in your life?
4. What can we learn from Jeremiah and his constant interceding to God for the people of Israel? What can we learn from his decision to stop?
5. How is the metaphor of the potter consistent with the biblical storyline of the covenants? How does it reflect the truth of the past covenants? How does it reflect the truths of the New Covenant?
6. In what ways does sin cause us to doubt God's judgment? In what ways does sin cause us to doubt God's forgiveness?
7. What does Judah's constant turning away say about mankind's sin? How does this passage help you understand your own sin?
8. In the metaphor of the potter what is God seeking to create? How can this aim what we desire to be or to work towards? What does this say about God's sovereign plan for our individual lives?
9. How can we practically demonstrate trust in God's plan? How should we react when God builds us up? How should we react to God tearing us down?
10. What can we learn from Jeremiah's recognition of God's plan being above his own? How can we reflect this in our own lives?

Key Words/Phrase

Potter and clay, vv. 6, 7.

Characters

God, Jeremiah.

Strong Verse(s)

6, 7, 8.