Does God Change His Plan?
I remember when our family moved to Portland, my plan was to complete a Master of Divinity degree in two years and then become a pastor of a small country church. Soon after starting my seminary studies, I realized there was no way I was going to finish an MDiv in two years. So after a brief time of disappointment and anxiety, I changed my plan. And my plan continued to change in several big ways several more years following that.
We all make plans and change our plans because important factors effecting our plans change. As we study about how God is at work in this world, have you ever considered whether God changes His plan? What does God say about that in the Bible?
Does God change His plan?
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying,
2 "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will announce My words to you."
3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.
4 But the vessel of clay that he was making was spoiled in the hand of the potter, and he shuv/turned back and made another vessel which seemed right in the eye of the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,
6 “Am I not able to do to you, O house of Israel, like this potter?” uttered YHWH. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”
7 "At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it;
8 And if that nation which I have spoken against shuv/turns back from its raah/evil, I will nacham/relent concerning the raah/harm that I hashav/planned to do to it.
9 "Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it;
10 And if the nation makes raah/evil in my sight by not listening to my voice, I will nacham/relent of the tov/good things that I said to tov/do good to it.
11 "So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am fashioning raah/harm against you and hashav/planning a hashav/plan against you. Oh shuv/turn back, each of you from his raah/evil way, and tov/make good your ways and your deeds."'
12 "But they will say, 'It's hopeless! For we are going to follow our own hashav/plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his raah/evil heart.' (Jer 18:1-12 NAU)
As we study this passage, I would like to highlight five words. Four of the words are applied to God and to people which are repeated and juxtaposed to make a bold contrast between two sides with different attitudes and different outcomes.
Shuv/turn back/return
Raah/evil/harm
Nacham/change of heart or mind/relent/regret
Hashav/to think/plan
Tov/good things/blessings
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying,
2 "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will announce My words to you."
3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.
4 But the vessel of clay that he was making was spoiled in the hand of the potter, and he shuv/turned back and made another vessel which seemed right in the eye of the potter to make.
Potters were very important tradespeople during Jeremiah’s time – why?
God told Jeremiah to walk down to the potter’s house, and God said that he would give Jeremiah, his spokesperson, His words at the potter’s house. When Jeremiah arrived, he saw the potter at work, making something out of clay.
Has anyone ever worked with clay on a potter’s wheel? What do potters attempt to do? What can happen? The vessel which the potter at first attempted to make was spoiled, so he turned the clay into a different type of vessel (for me, it was always an ash tray).
This is the first use of the word shuv in this passage. It means to turn back, change course. The potter changed from one plan for the use of the clay to a different planned use, and the change was according to what was fitting in the eye of the potter.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,
6 “Am I not able to do to you, O house of Israel, like this potter?” uttered YHWH. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”
Like a potter, God is in the business of shaping things.
Like clay, people are subject to being shaped.
7 "At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it;
8 And if that nation which I have spoken against shuv/turns back from its raah/evil, I will nacham/relent concerning the raah/harm that I hashav/planned to do to it.
9 "Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it;
10 And if the nation makes raah/evil in my sight by not listening to my voice, I will nacham/relent of the tov/good things that I said to tov/do good to it.
God plans to shape people in two possible ways:
- He either plans to do raah/harm to a nation which is doing raah/evil, or
- Or He plans to do tov/good things to a nation which is listening to His voice.
Those are the two options included in God’s plan. Who determined those choices?
Did God determine them? Is God the determining factor?
Is God’s plan subject to change, in that He might add a few more options, such as:
- He might do nothing when a nation does raah/evil?
- He might do tov/good things to a nation which does raah/evil?
- He might do raah/evil to a nation which does tov/good things?
- He might do nothing when a nation listens to His voice and does tov/good things?
Is God’s plan subject to change and add these other possibilities? Why? Because the two outcomes are consistent with God’s unchangeable characteristics of justice and compassion. The other outcomes are not consistent with the character of God.
God has determined these two possibilities because they come from the unchangeable characteristics of God, justice and compassion.
Who or what determines which of the two possibilities actually come to occur? Who or what determines whether God does raah/harm or tov/good things to the nations of people?
- If a raah/evil people shuv/turn away from their raah/evil, then God will nacham/relent from doing them raah/harm.
- If a nation stops listening to God’s voice and instead does raah/evil, then God will nacham/relent from doing tov/good things for them.
The attitudes and behaviors of the people determine which of the responses God will actually take.
11 "So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am fashioning raah/harm against you and hashav/planning a hashav/plan against you. Oh shuv/turn back, each of you from his raah/evil way, and tov/make good your ways and your deeds."'
The decision which faces the nation also faces each individual within the nation.
12 "But they will say, 'It's hopeless! For we are going to follow our own hashav/plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his raah/evil heart.' (Jer 18:1-12 NAU)
Because people are caught up in an evil-ridden world, God is planning to bring punishment on us, unless we turn back to Him, listen to His voice, and make good our ways and deeds.
God’s character never changes, but His plans for people can change according to their rebellion or repentance towards Him.
In Jesus, the compassion and justice of God’s rescue plan are perfectly satisfied for those who turn away from evil, listen to God’s voice, are forgiven and given a new heart from which we live new lives increasingly filled with good ways and deeds.
Determining decision/factor
NAU Jeremiah 18:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying,
2 "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will announce My words to you."
3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. (Jer 18:1-3 NAU)
WTT Jeremiah 18:4 וְנִשְׁחַת הַכְּלִי אֲשֶׁר הוּא עֹשֶׂה בַּחֹמֶר בְּיַד הַיּוֹצֵר וְשָׁב וַיַּעֲשֵׂהוּ כְּלִי אַחֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר יָשַׁר בְּעֵינֵי הַיּוֹצֵר לַעֲשׂוֹת פ
NAU Jeremiah 18:4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
- Who spoiled the vessel? The potter?
- Does clay have a will of its own?
NET Jeremiah 18:4 Now and then there would be something wrong with the pot he was molding from the clay with his hands. So he would rework the clay into another kind of pot as he saw fit.
Keane: But the vessel of clay that he was making was spoiled in the hand of the potter, and he turned back and made another vessel which seemed right in the eye of the potter to do.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,
WTT Jeremiah 18:6 הֲכַיּוֹצֵר הַזֶּה לֹא־אוּכַל לַעֲשׂוֹת לָכֶם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם־יְהוָה הִנֵּה כַחֹמֶר בְּיַד הַיּוֹצֵר כֵּן־אַתֶּם בְּיָדִי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל ס
Like this potter am I not able to do to you house of Israel uttered YHWH? Behold like the clay in the hand of the potter, thus you in my hand house of Israel.
Keane: “Am I not able to do to you, O house of Israel, like this potter?” uttered YHWH. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”
NAU Jeremiah 18:7 "At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; (Jer 18:7 NAU)
WTT Jeremiah 18:8 וְשָׁב הַגּוֹי הַהוּא מֵרָעָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי עָלָיו וְנִחַמְתִּי עַל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר חָשַׁבְתִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ ס
(Jer 18:8 WTT)
And if that nation which I have spoken against turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the evil that I thought/planned to do to it.
NAU Jeremiah 18:9 "Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; (Jer 18:9 NAU)
WTT Jeremiah 18:10 וְעָשָׂה )הָרָעָה] (הָרַע[ בְּעֵינַי לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹלִי וְנִחַמְתִּי עַל־הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי לְהֵיטִיב אוֹתוֹ ס
And if the nation does evil in my sight by not listening to my voice, I will relent of the good things that I promised to do good to it.
WTT Jeremiah 18:11 וְעַתָּה אֱמָר־נָא אֶל־אִישׁ־יְהוּדָה וְעַל־יוֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי יוֹצֵר עֲלֵיכֶם רָעָה וְחֹשֵׁב עֲלֵיכֶם מַחֲשָׁבָה שׁוּבוּ נָא אִישׁ מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וְהֵיטִיבוּ דַרְכֵיכֶם וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶם
NAU Jeremiah 18:11 "So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh turn back, each of you from his evil way, and reform your ways and your deeds."' (Jer 18:11 NAU)
NAU Jeremiah 18:12 "But they will say, 'It's hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.' (Jer 18:12 NAU)
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