Concluding the Hebrew meanings behind the different vessels made in the Potters House.
https://www.minimannamoments.com/have-you-been-to-the-beit-yatsar/
The
כלי של קלון
Vessel of Dishonor
קלון Galon
remains at the house where
all the waste water
from the home
is emptied into it.
It receives a lot but gives out very little.
In Jeremiah 48:38
I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure.-
It is also the vessel called
empty of pleasure.
חֵ֥פֶץ – ḥê·p̄eṣ
Jeremiah 22:28
HEB: כְּלִ֔י אֵ֥ין חֵ֖פֶץ בּ֑וֹ מַדּ֤וּעַ
KJV: [is he] a vessel wherein [is] no pleasure?wherefore are they cast out,
Jeremiah 48:38
HEB: כִּכְלִ֛י אֵֽין־ חֵ֥פֶץ בּ֖וֹ נְאֻם־
KJV: like a vessel wherein [is] no pleasure, saith
This is the vessel beside the
כלי של כבוד
כלי keli: an article, utensil, vessel
כבוד – kabed: honor
vessel of honor
on the bench.
This vessel by receiving the left over stale water is
forever receiving water, but
never gives out any clean refreshing water.
After some time the inside becomes slimy and the bad smelling water
has no pleasure
in it either for the potter or to the owner.
Finally, it is placed in the backyard as a
container for waste things and then it is called
כלי מתועב
an abominable vessel.
תּוֹעֵבַה – toebah: abomination, to-ay-baw’
Vessel of Mercy –
כלי keli: an article, utensil, vessel
רחמים Ra-chem/ra-cha-min – Mercy/Womb
That he might make known – What if by showing such long-suffering even to the vessels of wrath, he did the more abundantly show the greatness of his glorious goodness, wisdom, and power, on the vessels of mercy; on those whom he had himself, by his grace, prepared for glory.
Romans 9:23
Here is a Vessel of Mercy
There all some religions that require people to wash their hands before they pray, especially in the middle east as travelers go through villages they need to water supplied to them.
The villagers provide small vessels of water
for the traveler to use, they are called
Vessels of Mercy
because they are there to help others.
A Clean Vessel
כלי נקי
כלי keli: an article, utensil, vessel
טָה֖וֹר ṭā·hō·wr clean
And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.
Isaiah 66:20
This vessel was once a
vessel of honor
on the bench behind the door, giving out life-giving water to thirsty travelers.
It has been touched and handled by many unclean hands.
Although its outward looks have been marred it’s nature and function has not changed; so the
Clean Vessel
כלי נקי
is taken to the potter again to be filed and scraped.
Also Numbers 5:17
biḵ·lî בִּכְלִ֤י vessel pot
HEB: מַ֥יִם קְדֹשִׁ֖ים בִּכְלִי־ חָ֑רֶשׂ וּמִן־
NAS: in an earthenware vessel; and he shall take
KJV: in an earthen vessel;
Strong’s Hebrew: 2931.
טָמֵא (tame) taw-may
unclean
He will remove all uncleanness which has been left by contact with dirty hands then he will place it in the furnace/kiln again and burn it with fire once more then it comes out clean on the inside and on the outside; a clean vessel once more.
A Chosen Vessel
כלי נבחר
כלי keli: an article, utensil, vessel
בָּחִיר. bachir. chosen – baw-kheer’
Ephesians 1:4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Once again by talking to the potter the meaning of this can be found out.
Being a visitor to the potters house, we tell him that we’re going back home and want to take a vessel as a gift for family/friends and would appreciate him choosing one for us.
The Potter will hand you
his chosen vessel
and as he does he’ll no doubt say something like this: that he’s not ashamed of this vessel because he has chosen it and even though it may not look the same as the other vessels or seem as attractive, it will stand the test because it is a
chosen vessel.
Holy Vessel
כלי קדוש
כלי keli: an article, utensil, vessel
קָדוֹשׁ. qadosh kaw-doshe’ holy, sacred
Strong’s Hebrew: 6918.
Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing; come out from it, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD. Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the LORD’s house.
Isaiah 52:11
A
Holy Vessel
is a very
sacred and set apart vessel,
no one can handle it
but those who are
clean and fit
to enter the house/presence of the Lord.
The hill of the Lord was the place of His presence.
Ps.24:3-5
Clay in the potters hands to be made into vessels:
of honor, dishonor,
wrath, mercy;
broken, clean,
chosen, or Holy…
Which is it to be?
The choice remains and we have a big part to play in our own future.
2 Timothy 2:21
If a man therefore
purge himself from these
he shall be
a vessel unto honor,
sanctified,
and meet for the master’s use,
and prepared unto every good work.
Our Heavenly Father has given us
the necessary resources needed to be
a clean and holy vessel,
fit for His use.
A
Vessel of Wrath
כלי זעם
כלי keli: an article, utensil, vessel
זעם – kets-af – qetsaph – Wrath
What if by showing such long-suffering even to
the vessels of wrath,
he did the more abundantly show the greatness of his glorious goodness, wisdom, and power, on the vessels of mercy; on those whom he had himself, by his grace, prepared for glory.
Romans 9:22
Another thing we will find at the Potters House, is a pile of vessels put to one side these are called
Vessels of Wrath,
and are useless to the potter.
They appeared to be perfectly alright until they were put into the furnace/kiln; however, they came out cracked because they could not stand the fire.
The potter was surely saddened when one of his precious vessels became broken
but the Potter did not give up on them
because in the real-life pottery days of Israel, the potter had a remedy for broken/cracked vessels.
He would take special time to sit at his bench and work with patience to repair it.
After he had finished his work for the day, he would go out through the fields and and hunt for a tick-like insect,
called a fasuka,
פאסוקה
This insect clung to the back of sheep, oxen, bulls and goats and lived on their blood. Having found some, he would take them home to his shop where he would keep them in small clay jars or leather bags.
He crushed the fasuka between his finger and thumb to mix the blood with clay to form an effective mortar of glue. He worked the glue substance into the cracked area.
This sealed the break.
Then it was placed right back into the fire that had cracked it to begin with. We as believers, understand the
holding power of the blood.
If it is cracked again, the process was repeated as often as necessary.
Only after it came out un-cracked, could it be released for service.
The potter takes the blood of the fasuka and mixes it with some powdered broken pottery and cements the cracks of his Vessels of wrath.
When it goes through the furnace again it may come out okay or it may not and be broken again.
The potter patiently cements it again and again hoping it will come out all right. If it does not after many attempts he may finally have no alternative but to lay it aside and pronounce it as a
Vessel of wrath,
being of no value and therefore worthless and he casts it away. Piles of broken vessels were frequently found on the floor of ancient potters’ shops.
Here it is worth mentioning the reference of sheep, oxen, bulls and goats and lived on their blood; being somewhat significant in regards to the sacrificial system for the covering of sin. That is until Messiah became all of the sacrifices, by the giving of His Blood once and for all time.
Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
Matthew 26:26-29
The fasukas lived on the blood of the sacrificial animals we are to live by the Blood of the Lamb of God. Then they were used to give their blood to fix/heal and seal the cracked and broken vessels. We are sealed by His Blood, redeemed and totally healed.
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:54
Some of the Vessels are in
Romans 9:22
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Obviously these are pictures of various individuals and they are examples for us; much like the parables of Jesus/Yeshua.
Here another interesting mention of a
vessel or pitcher of water.
In Mark 14:13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
also
Luke 22:10 And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.
and
Mattthew 26: 20 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
Above are the references with directions to the disciples concerning the man they were to meet in Jerusalem.
In Luke and Mark, the identity of the man is very specific; each tells us that the disciples must find the man “carrying a jar of water.” In all three gospels, this man is recognized, – unnamed, and never mentioned again – though it appears as such for no particular reason. So why is this man significant enough that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mention this no-named, ordinary man?
These instructions were connected to the upper room where they were to prepare the seder meal for Pesach/Passover.
Recall the
vessel of honor, 2Tim2:20,21;
is a vessel that gives out pure water to quench the thirst of the stranger and traveller. It is placed on the shoulder/head and the person goes to the fountain to get water. The mission of the vessel of honor is that of giving free water, the gift of God to passers by, fulfilling the expectation of the Master Potter.
This does not seem like a very good description to help them identify the Lords host for Pesach. Notice the man was to meet them, suggesting it must have been a prearranged connection and if he was carrying a vessel of honor, was this confirming the individual was a worthy person to provide accommodation to Messiah for such an important event?
A vessel of honor,
as was the pitcher he carried, ready to freely give the gift of God, fulfilling the expectation of the Master Potter and the One from Whom flowed the pure water of life/chaim?
It is important to remember in Yeshua/Jesus’ day and culture that a man usually never, or at least rarely, carried water in a pitcher!
So we understand more clearly that he would have stood out in a crowd and been an unusual sight for the disciples to look for.
It was the women who carried all the water supply for the house, and was never a mans work; though he may carry a water skin through the streets, selling water, but never in an earthen vessel or pitcher for home use!
It’s an interesting question to ponder:
Was the man carrying the water jar, a vessel of honor?
One scholar has suggested that the man must have lived in an “Essene Quarter” of Jerusalem as the Essene religious group separated themselves from women and would have had to carry their own water.
Because men in the First Century Mid-Eastern culture did NOT carry water jars, being that it was a woman’s duty; it was an extremely feminine act. Yet this humble man, who probably drew much scorn from his neighbors, led the disciples to the Upper Room.
The Greek word used here, however, implies simply a person and not necessarily a male??
In Israel they understood pottery and the potter’s wheel.
When a vessel became broken, it was a result of clay that wouldn’t take the heat. The fire produced a crack, usually around the lip of the vessel. It was in need of repair. When the broken vessel came out of the fire cracked at the lip, the potter had the fasuka remedy to salvage it.
After firing, if the scarred vessel comes forth un-cracked, it is again ready for service.
Our healing involves re-firing.
Maybe it is not too far a stretch to see that the power of the blood to fix broken pottery also alludes to the power of the blood of The Lamb, our Lord and Savior, Messiah Yeshua/Jesus is the glue for cracked, broken people?
His alone is The Blood that Mends because
it’s stronger than that of bulls and goats.
Messiah said that He was sent to heal the brokenhearted.
He came to seek the lost & bring victory to failures.
He is the Master Potter applying His Blood to broken vessels.
When we crack:
Apply the blood:
Are we vessels fit for the Masters use?
If not
Apply the blood.
During this process, the Potter would sometimes put more wet clay on it, reheat it, re-fire it, and if it held the patch, it was called a
vessel of mercy.
A vessel of mercy
as we have already seen,
was used to carry fresh water
that was freely shared with stranger.
If we honestly repent, He is faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse us.
This is the remedy of the potter for broken vessels.
This blood will hold.
Come to Him and let Him do His work.
He forgives all that repent.
His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. I Jn.1.9
The blood of Christ brings victory in the midst of trial, and that “…we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done so, stand.” Eph. 6.13
The late Dr Sam Sasser in his book The Potter’s Touch, succinctly brought out the amazing power of the blood of Messiah. He went on to say:
“The cross of Calvary provides a glue that works effectively and uniquely in the lives of broken people. How thankful we should be for Christ’s blood, shed at Calvary for our salvation. Stronger than the blood of bulls and goats (Heb 9:12), the blood of the Lamb is God’s provision for cracked, flawed men and women. Jesus Christ shed His precious blood to bring wholeness to all who have been broken and cracked in life’s fire.”
Now, let’s look at middle eastern pottery because you will not see any machinery or special buildings, simply a plain shed.
There is a wheel and
beside it a pile of clay
and a dish of water.
When watching a professional potter, it is amazing to see how quickly this process takes place until we remember that this clay is in the hands of a master craftsman.
The Potter takes a lump of clay in his hand puts it upon the revolving wheel and smooths it into a low cone.
Then he
thrust his thumb
into the top of the cone and opens a hole
down through the center.
The Potter takes his fingers and forces them down into the center of the vessel.
For visual reference, here is a short video of a potter doing exactly what is described above and below making a terracotta earthenware pot on a wheel.
Terra cotta, Terracotta or Terra-cotta
(Italian: “baked earth”, from the Latin terracocta)
is a clay-based unglazed ceramic.
Its uses include vessels, water.
The inside of the vessel is called, appropriately,
the Heart.
Lev – לב
and
Strongs # 3825 lebab – לְבַב
If the potter doesn’t work on the heart,
then the vessel cannot contain anything!
The vessel will only look good on the outside,
but will have no usefulness.
The bigger it is
ON THE INSIDE,
the more it can contain and
the more it can pour out.
The potter at this stage has
one hand inside the vessel,
and one hand on the outside.
The same careful, loving way our Father shapes us.
To enlarge the capacity of the vessel,
the Potter
MUST WORK DEEPLY.
Our hearts are a repository for everything that will come out of us, and thus must be changed, having the Law of God written on them.
After the potter has shaped and molded the vessel
both inwardly and outwardly,
he must finish with the topmost part, which is called
the mouth.
The mouth is vital –
it is the final part that
anything
inside the vessel
touches
when it is poured out.
Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.
Here he continually widens it by pressing the edges the revolving cone between his hands. He gives it whatever shape he chooses with the utmost care and speed.
When Jeremiah was watching the potter,
the vessel was marred in his hand and so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.
He saw this happen many times because of some defect in the clay.
So the potter changed his mind crushing the jar into shapeless mass and he started all over again forming it into a completely different vessel.
The work of Messiahs cross, is our fasuka;
it provides a glue to work into the lives of broken people.
He forgives all who repent.
The power of the blood to fix broken pottery also alludes to the power of the Savior’s blood to fix broken hearts. Recall the Potter has his thumb pressed into the ‘heart’ of the clay.
Have you been to the potters house?
How do we get ready?
We have sung the songs…
You are the Potter and and I am the clay,
mold me and make me this is what I pray…
Do we really mean it?
Or is it just a great teaching that we have just
filed away in our notes and never applied
or experienced personally?
Because it is total surrender
and if we have not done so then it is time to.
Yeshua/Jesus said
Will He find faith/ faithfulness when He comes?
Have we allowed to the repair,
the healing,
the restoration,
the reworking,
the re-firing,
the re-glazing,
the new purpose to be established in us?
Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou [art] our father; we [are] the clay, and thou our potter; and we all [are] the work of thy hand.
God gives us time… but time is running out.
We are only promised today.
So run to the potters house
like Jeremiah did,
so we can hear what He has to say to us;
and let the Master creator of the pot, made from the same clay/dirt from which we are all created; let Him throw us on His wheel and let His hands rework our frame.
Let Him place us in the heat of trial and adversity
to test our constitution,
to see the caliber of our trust,
our faith in the creator.
If we truly have given our life to Him, it no longer belongs to us…
so why are we still trying to direct our own path and control our own destiny?
Our life is no longer our own, so let’s allow the potter to use these pots/ vessels He has created for His purpose and trust Him that He knows what He’s doing.
The moment we forget that He is Almighty, the times we bring our thoughts of Him down to our level of thinking and of our decided gauge, is the moment that we weaken and diminish His ministry and work in us and through us.
We have our attributes and experiences but there is often no complete surrender to Him and therefore we struggle to try and handle difficult circumstances for ourselves, our incompleteness is ONLY remedied by looking unto Jesus/Yeshua, the author and finisher of our faith.
His power and provision are limitless.
We measure answers to problems and resolutions to situations by our human understanding/ knowledge. When will we realize and truly understand that His ways are not ours and when we just trust His way of doing things and get out of His way and simply wait in patient obedience and faith?
Heavenly Father help our unbelief and let us cease from striving in the wrong manner.
When we find it hard, remember
ALL things are possible to them that believe
because with God all things are possible.
And when we don’t understand what’s happening is the time we need to trust Him more.
The humbling and testing is not for punishment and discipline although, without them we would surely persist in our old ways; it is designed for us to know what is in our hearts. Through the testing we see how our hearts are responding to Him..
Are we resisting His will or learning our lessons?
Humbling leads us to a point of decision.
Whether we will keep His commands or not. Our ability to yield and submit to the ways of the Lord is determined by how we allow Him to lead us in the wilderness; Bemidbar (the times when we don’t know where we are going; But He does!)
If we are rigid, stubborn, prideful or fearful, the times of testing will lead us into greater chastisement and discipline but when we are pliable in the Master Potters hands, the Lords’ humbling ways will lead us only into maturity and times of fruitfulness.
Jeremiah 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make [it].
When the potter takes up the clay, he has, in his mind, an ideal form towards which he works with the clay. But, if his work fails, he tries again. And if he fails again, he tries some other form of vessel, such as the quality of the clay will bear.
A vessel of honor fulfills the expectation of the master potter.
We are clay pottery jars…
“But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Treasure in Jars of Clay. 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
The word skenos, vessel, is used in Mark 11:16, and
vessels of earthenware in Revelation 2:27.
The treasure in our earthen vessel is the Messiah who dwells in us; we are containers of honor and glory, for Messiah is the God of honor and the God of glory.
When others see us, however, they may not see the treasure yet, for we are not yet glorified; however, when the Messiah returns, others will be able to see that we,
as vessels unto honor,
are ….
containers of
His glorious treasure!
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2Cor.4:6
Treasure in Jars of Clay.
As we prepare there is a promise of treasures:
Light Darkness Heart Glory
Glory of His ministry in the midst of the weakness and suffering these are the
treasures of the darkness
Earthen vessels or jar of clay;
The glorious light which we have to show to the world is, like Gideon’s torches, carried in earthen pitchers.
Light represents understanding,
Darkness represents ignorance,
Heart is used interchangeably with our spirit, the heart here is talking of our spirit,
Glory is talking about the yet unrevealed potentials of God in and through us,
Earthen vessels or jar of clay represents our mortal bodies.
and three glory gifts for the Earthen vessel or jar of clay;
are
Love, Joy and Peace
Ahava /agape – simcha – shalom
and cHesed is love, mercy, favor and grace.
Days are approaching.
Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more
as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25
Days are coming when the turmoil and chaos will be great and the place of peace: complete shalom,
will need to be within our hearts.
It will not be found in our external surroundings.
So of the three glory gifts, joy has a deep meaning.
Because this is how to get strength,
the joy of the Lord is our strength and
in your presence there is fullness of joy
that is where we belong.
Hearing his voice from the cleft of the rock.
Our weakness provides the perfect place for His strength.
My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.
His spirit within us can handle any circumstance – this is the basis for our confidence and quietness spending time alone with Him.
In confidence, confident trust relying on His sufficiency;
that is our strength, that is where it comes from
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Cor. 12:9
His joy is at the root of our faith. We are strengthened in the inner man by His Spirit of Holiness knowing we are set apart/the ecclesia.
His blood makes us blameless before Him because we are saved by the blood of His redemptive, sacrificial death and the subsequent resurrection.
We are no longer dead in our sins but alive spiritually to the Father and his everlasting life/chaim.
In chapter 18:15. Jeremiah stumbled from
the ancient paths
to walk in paths in a way not cast up,
we too are to return/teshuvah repent.
It is no coincidence that the same message
is in every part of the word of God
That of repentance.
It is a core requirement of the salvation message.
Let part of our JOY be in the knowledge that
we have been to the Master Potters House
and we are truly formed in His image by His Hand
