Steadfast Love
It is strange that in Biblical Hebrew, there is a particular word that is used to denote what is sometimes translated as “steadfast love,” or “loving kindness,” or simply “love.” It is a term notoriously difficult to translate, and the variations are many. However, it is clear that the word chesed is used very particularly to describe how God is steadfast in loving us and being on our side. But, it is one thing to understand a single word and quite another to understand how the thought of God’s steadfastness is made into narratives and, as we shall see, actions as well.
The text in the Hebrew Bible that comes to my mind when I think of how God’s steadfastness is portrayed for us in narrative and action is the story of how the prophet Jeremiah was out walking on the streets of Jerusalem. Suddenly a potter working in his shop caught his attention. Actually, in those days and in those streets, there must have been potters working at every corner of the city. Perhaps this was something that Jeremiah had pondered on before. However, this day, his thoughts took a particular turn, as he began to see something in what the potter was doing that would illustrate what God was doing to people—because of who God was.
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ‘Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done?’ says the LORD. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” (Jer 18:1–6, NRSV)
Unfortunately, this story has often been used to illustrate God’s wrath, anger, and willingness to judge and discard his people—but that is simply not the case. The story is about what God in wisdom is able to do with us, even though we might appear to be of little or no use to anyone. The potter sees in the lump of clay something that no one else can fathom. He has a plan for the seemingly useless piece of clay that he intends to follow no matter how much effort it takes.
The problem of misunderstanding this particular text relates to our understanding of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible and in particular Jeremiah, and why he had such a heavy message for his people. I imagine he felt frustrated that day as he walked the streets of Jerusalem, pondering the reasons why his message did not seem to be understood. His message was urgent but not uplifting; it was realistic but not appealing. It could be seen as defeatism and thus portray him as a coward. He certainly did not appear to be an Isaiah of his time.
As the clay that does not seem to be working for the potter, and that some might argue should be discarded, we might sometimes feel useless and weak. Does not God expect us to be strong and unaffected by circumstances, and steadfast in our daily lives? But it is precisely here that the story has its important message; we are not the potter but the clay. It is only when we allow ourselves to be shaped by our lives and circumstances that God can achieve divine artistry with us, and turn us from lumps of clay into useful pieces pottery, to function precisely as God intends. It is not that we should not be strong and decisive, but the question is for what purpose? And who is the artist? How can we be strong and purposeful and at the same time let God shape us into what God intends us to be?
The clay in the hands of the potter became for Jeremiah a symbol for how we should be, soft and workable, in desperate need of a shaping hand. For the potter sees something useful, wonderful, and purposeful in the seemingly useless lump of clay. When he fails to form the clay the first time around he does not discard it but starts over, knowing that it needs his forming touch to become anything worthwhile. In the same way every artist working on a piece of art sees something before the work has even started, a form that is not obvious to anyone but the artist, the one with the forming hand. That vision in the mind of God is what Jeremiah is trying to convey with this story.
Jeremiah was first of all thinking of the precarious situation for the people of Jerusalem, not being willing to undergo God’s work of forming them. That might result in negative consequences for the people, as God’s way of starting over in this tireless work to shape them according to YHWH’s plan. But the point of the story is that, just as the potter never gives up on his piece of clay, God never abandons God’s people. Instead God starts over in a new set of circumstances, such as the exile and destruction of Jerusalem. This is not judgment, but an opportunity for renewal for the people, as God remolds the people according to the divine plan.
As we apply this story to our lives, we might think of ourselves as the absurdly proud lump of clay, thinking we know exactly how we are intended to be. But then life in all its shades and forms strikes at us, and we realize that we were not ready to face our task at hand. It is precisely at that moment, when we realize our weaknesses and limits, that the artist has started to work on us, forming and shaping us into the vision of who we are meant to be. And when we realize what is happening, how we are formed and molded, we may achieve the purposefulness, and the character that was part of God’s artistic vision for us. To me, that is God’s steadfast love in action.
