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Isaiah 64:8
“Now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
In using the metaphor of a shepherd for the Lord, David in Psalm 23 communicated that the Lord exercises His sovereign control for the good of His people. For example, by His rule and reign over all things, He satisfies our physical needs for rest, for food, and for drink (Ps. 23:1–2). As we noted in our last study, however, God as our Shepherd-King also meets our spiritual needs, guiding us in paths of righteousness (v. 3). Today’s study will further consider how the Lord sovereignly provides for our spiritual good.
Scripture often refers to God as a “potter” and to human beings as “clay,” and we find those metaphors used in Isaiah 64:8. Now, in some places the Word of God uses the “potter” and “clay” metaphors to stress God’s absolute sovereignty over all aspects of a human being’s eternal destiny (Rom. 9:21). Moreover, the metaphors themselves serve to highlight God’s activity as Creator and our status as created things, for potters create vessels out of clay. The context of Isaiah 64:8, while not denying the aforementioned truths, seems to use the metaphors of potter and clay to stress the Lord’s sovereignty in salvation. Only a few verses earlier, Isaiah describes the reality of Israel’s sin through the imagery of a polluted garment and laments how the Lord had hidden His face of blessing from His people (vv. 5–7). Then, after speaking of God as the potter and His people as the clay, Isaiah goes on to unfold the blessings of salvation (see especially 65:1–66:14). This suggests that we should take Isaiah 64:8 as communicating God’s full control of our salvation. John Calvin applies it in particular to regeneration, God’s giving us a new heart to believe His promises and ultimately to believe in the Savior whom He has sent, the Lord Jesus Christ. Calvin writes: “Isaiah speaks not of the ordinary creation of men, but of regeneration, on account of which believers are especially called ‘the work of God.’ . . . Here they acknowledge a remarkable act of God’s kindness, in having elected them to be his people, and adorned them with benefits so numerous and so great.”
The Lord exercises sovereign control not only over some things but over all things. This includes personal salvation. Many Christians think that God directs only the big events or maybe even many smaller events as well, but that He certainly does not grant new spiritual life to individuals according to His will alone. The totality of Scripture tells us otherwise. God grants faith only to those whom He has chosen for salvation.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
We need God to be sovereign over regeneration because Scripture makes it clear that if regeneration were up to us, it would never happen. We do not and cannot of our own accord seek after that which is good, including the Lord and His promises (Rom. 3:11). Thanks be to God, He has chosen to renew the hearts of those of us who believe. We should thank the Lord daily for enabling us to believe in Christ.
For further study
- Job 10:9
- Isaiah 29:15–16
- Jeremiah 18:1–10
- Romans 9:19–24
The bible in a year
- Joshua 16–18
- Luke 5:1–16