In the Potter's House. 2
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Again, it is to be carefully noted that God is not here speaking of the spiritual and eternal destiny of individuals—but of the earthly and temporal fortunes and misfortunes of kingdoms (Jer. 18:7) In this passage, the Most High is viewed as the Governor of the nations, as the Dispenser or Withholder of eternal blessings, and not as the Predestinator of His Church to everlasting glory. God deals with kingdoms on a very different footing from what He does His dear children, and unless that is clearly recognized, we shall be without the master-key which opens scores of passages.
The favor which the Lord shows unto a nation—is an altogether different thing from the love which He bears unto His elect, and he who is blind to such a distinction is utterly unqualified to expound Holy Writ. God's favor unto a nation is merely the outward dispensing of good things, which favor is forfeited when they turn their backs upon Him. But His love for the elect is an eternal and unchanging purpose of grace which effectually works in them, ceasing not to do them good and securing their everlasting felicity with regard to the former. He may pluck up and pull down what His providence has planted and set up—but to the elect, His assurance is, "He who has begun a good work in you—will finish it" (Phil. 1:6). From the former He may withdraw what He has bestowed—but to the latter, "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Romans 11:29). Nor do thevariations of the Divine dispensations with a kingdom argue any fickleness in His character, rather do they demonstrate His stability—as long as a nation's ways please Him—He gives proof of His approbation. When displeasing Him—He evidences His disapprobation.
God may act in mercy with a nation today and in wrath tomorrow, without the least "shadow of turning" or change of character, and so far from that being any alteration of His eternal decree—it is through these multifarious dispensations, that His decree is accomplished, for He foreordained all that comes to pass. There is therefore no proportion whatever between the fluctuations of His temporal bestowments on a kingdom—and the peculiar love and special grace of the Everlasting Covenant wherein God assures His saints of their eternal security on the ground of His immutability. The decrees of God, as to their execution—are suspended on no condition in man. If they were, it would destroy alike His wisdom, independence and fidelity. On the other hand, when He declares, "those who honor Me, I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed" (1 Samuel 2:30), God is enunciating a moral law according to which He governs the race. His decrees are His irresistible determinations. His laws reveal the duty of men and the issues thereof according to their response.
The Lord approves of obedience and righteousness wherever it is found, and rewards the same with temporal blessings, without the least saving grace. Conversely, He disapproves of sin and unrighteousness and sooner or later visits His anger upon them in this world. But even when the dark clouds of His judgments hang over a kingdom, calamity may be averted by national humiliation before God and reformation of conduct. But that no more implies fickleness in the Divine character, than it denies His foreknowledge. The history of God's judgments on Egypt is a case in point: each time her monarch humbled himself in any measure, the Divine rod was lifted. Nevertheless, God had foreordained the destruction of Pharaoh and suited His dispensations in great variety and with many changes to bring it about. He plagued and freed him, freed and plagued him again—yet there was not the least alteration in God, all being so many effects of His power suited to the accomplishment of His unalterable purpose.
God's governmental dealings make more or less evident to men, the proportion there is between their conduct and His attitude toward them—the correspondence is such as to convey impressions of His goodness, justice and mercy. The character of God's dominion is seen to be such that where righteousness and morality prevail—He blesses "in basket and store," but where wickedness is obstinately indulged in—it inevitably entails a doom of evil. Yet if sin is forsaken, that doom is avoided and a heritage of prosperity is entered into. But such alterations as these in the Divine administration, so far from making God to be capricious in His ways or unstable in the principles of His government, rather demonstrates that He is unalterably the same. It is because His procedure is marked by undeviating righteousness, that He must change His dealings with men when their relation or attitude to Him involves a change. Consequently when God is said to "repent", it connotes no change in His purpose or mind—but only in the matter of His treating with men.
Jeremiah 18:7, 8 simply means that many of the judgments which God pronounces against kingdoms are not absolute declarations or infallible predictions of what is about to surely take place—but rather ethical intimations of His sore displeasure on account of sin, and solemn threats of what must inevitably follow—if there is no change for the better in those denounced. Whether or not the impending judgments become historical events, is contingent upon their refusal to heed the warning. In like manner, Jeremiah 18:9 has reference to no absolute promise of God: it is no unqualified declaration of what He would certainly do—but rather an intimation of His readiness to bless and prosper, accompanied by a warning that such blessing will be forfeited if obedience gives place to disobedience. God never signified in any promise of national blessing, that the promise held good under all circumstances. See Deuteronomy 28:2 and 15! God ever presses upon men the fundamental distinction between sin and holiness. It was the fatal mistake of the nation of Israel to regard God's promises to them as absolute, supposing the fulfillment was certain, regardless of their degeneracy.
We must, then, distinguish sharply between God's decrees and His denunciations, between His absolute purpose and His conditional promises, between His bestowment of spiritual gifts and temporal mercies, between the administration of the Covenant of Grace and the dispensations of His providence. We must distinguish between the ground on which Jehovah deals with His Church and with a nation, for the former is in Christ—and the latter out of Christ. There was a radical and vital difference between Christ shedding tears over Jerusalem because the Jews stubbornly refused to enter into the benefits of a temporal covenant (Matthew 23:37) and His shedding His blood for His brethren that they might receive the blessings of the Everlasting Covenant (Hebrews 13:20, 21). Changes in God's material favors unto a nation, do not imply that the eternal purpose of spiritual grace is liable to alteration, any more than the removal of a local "candlestick" (Revelation 2:5) argues that He may take away His Spirit from any regenerate soul. The "wills" and "shalls" of Divine immutability and fidelity—are never jeopardized by the "ifs" of human responsibility.
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