Do You Turn Things Upside Down? ∙
You turn things upside down as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! – Isaiah 29:16
Isaiah 29:13-16
And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.
Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites with amazing wonders. The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”
What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! “The Lord can’t see us,” they say. “He doesn’t know what’s going on!”
How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”? Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid”?
The Potter’s Craft: A Timeless Art
Potters are skilled craftsmen who transform raw clay into functional or decorative pieces, such as bowls, plates, and vases. Their work involves a series of intentional choices, including selecting the clay, tools, shapes, colors, and finishes. Each decision directly affects the final product’s texture, durability, and visual appeal.
For example, the type of clay chosen influences key features like color, texture, and plasticity. Potters then shape the clay using techniques such as wheel throwing and hand building, including coiling, slabbing, and pinching. Every step of the process reflects the potter’s creative vision and skillful control, resulting in a one-of-a-kind creation.
The Potter and the Clay: A Biblical Analogy
Pottery was an important part of everyday life in both the Old and New Testaments. It served both practical and cultural purposes.The idea that clay can shape itself would have been considered completely absurd, since clay is inert, devoid of thought or will.. It is the potter who imagines, designs, and forms the clay into what it’s meant to be. This image of the potter and clay illustrates how God has full control and authority over His creation. It highlights His role as the main designer and caretaker. Each piece is made for a specific purpose and future, according to what the Creator intended.
Isaiah 64:8: “O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand.”
Lessons from Jeremiah’s Vision
The prophet Jeremiah provides a vivid illustration of the potter’s authority over the clay, Jeremiah 18:2-6:
“Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.”
“So, I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. Then the Lord gave me this message: ‘O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.’”
Paul’s Perspective on Divine Sovereignty
This vivid metaphor speaks volumes, yet the apostle Paul conveys its essence with remarkable brevity. He pictures the Father as a potter who has the right to shape His creation however He wants. While Paul does not explore the tension between human free will and divine sovereignty, he emphasizes that this apparent conflict is resolved by recognizing the Father’s ultimate authority to make decisions, while humanity has no authority whatsoever. The ESV notes suggest that Paul “insists that finite human beings may not rebelliously question God’s ways, that God as a potter has the right to do what he wishes with his creation.”
Romans 9:21: “When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for honorable use and another for common use?”
In this context, the terms “honorable” and “common” vessels represent the “saved” and the “unsaved,” respectively. Paul emphasizes that these distinctions were predetermined before the foundation of the world, long before anyone other than God existed.
REFLECT & PRAY
Isaiah reminds us of the folly of questioning the Creator’s authority, Isaiah 29:16: “How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, ‘He didn’t make me’? Does a jar ever say, ‘The potter who made me is stupid’?”
Father, what serenity, peace, and confidence fill my spirit and soul when I recognize that You are the Potter and I am not. You are loving and all-knowing. You never make mistakes. Knowing my limitations and shortcomings, I place my complete confidence and trust in You.
INSIGHT
The Potter and the Clay: A Natural Order
The relationship between the potter and the clay illustrates the natural order of the world, in which potters shape and design vessels. In contrast, the clay remains passive, unable to influence its form or purpose.
However, the apostle Paul warns that in the last days, this natural order will be upended, giving way to a world marked by chaos and widespread self-centeredness.
A World Turned Upside Down
2 Timothy 3:1-5:
“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days, there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.”
This passage depicts a bleak view of the world without God, described by William Barclay as, “One of the most terrible pictures in the New Testament of what a godless world would be like, with the terrible qualities of godlessness set out in a ghastly list.”
The Meaning of “Difficult Times”
The Greek word translated as “difficult” in this passage is chalepos, which appears only twice in the New Testament. Matthew 8:28 describes the “violent ferocity” of the two demoniacs from the country of the Gadarenes. In 2 Timothy 3:1, it characterizes the spirit of the age in the last days, “a time so horrendous that it is troublesome, dangerous, harsh, fierce, and savage.”
Self-Love vs. God-Love
2 Timothy 3:2: “For people will love only themselves.”
The Greek term phílautos, meaning “love only themselves,” is derived from phílos (loving) and autos (self). It signifies “a self-centered love that prioritizes personal interests above all else. This self-love can lead to narcissistic egotism.” This trait is increasingly prevalent in modern society and potentially indicative of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).
In stark contrast, the children of the King are described as philotheos – “lovers of God.”
2 Timothy 3:4: “They are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
The term philotheos is derived from phílos (loving) and theos (God), meaning “God-lovers.” “Those who genuinely love the Father and prioritize His will above everything, embracing it as their ultimate purpose and guiding principle in life.”
A Stark Contrast in Priorities
The contrast between phílautos (self-lovers) and philotheos (God-lovers) is striking. “Self-lovers are driven by their own desires and self-interest, while God-lovers orient their lives around the Father’s purpose.” This fundamental difference influences their attitudes, perspectives, decisions, and actions, carrying profound and eternal significance.
Do You Turn Things Upside Down?
Pause for a moment and visualize the Father’s servant, the prophet Isaiah, confronting you face-to-face with a bony finger projected in your direction. He points out a disturbing, foolish trend in Isaiah 29:16: “Do you turn things upside down? How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, ‘He didn’t make me’?”
Isaiah highlights how we often turn the natural order that God designed upside down. We reject His authority and wisdom as the Creator of all things. He uses the example of the Potter and the clay to show how unwise it is for us to challenge the Creator.
When we “turn things upside down,” we try to act like the Potter instead of the clay. We attempt to control our own design, purpose, and destiny, rather than trusting in God’s perfect plan. We rely on our limited and flawed viewpoint and self-love to reshape ourselves and the world around us.
Resting in the Potter’s Design
As children of the King, we are invited to find peace in the reality of a loving Father who, like a master potter, has intentionally and carefully shaped us for His divine purposes. He molds and shapes us according to His will, and our greatest calling is to live in harmony with His perfect plan.
As children of the King, we are called to find peace in the truth of a loving Father who, like a master potter, has intentionally and carefully shaped us for His divine purposes. He molds us according to His will, and our highest calling is to live in harmony with His perfect plan.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯4-07-3
© Dr. H 2026
Dr H Reflections 