Jeremiah Chapter 19
Broken Potter’s Jar
19:1 word Jar seems to mean a flask that was made to hold water. We are vessels meant to be filled with
water of word and Spirit of God.
19:7,10 Make void = pour out. Jeremiah likely holding flask of water to pour it out then break it so it
cannot be repaired again. They will lay in valley of slaughter (v6)
Valley of Ben-Hinnom or Hinom Valley. Greek Gehinom to Geenna. On western side of Jerusalem near
Potsherd or Refuse Gate
Potter’s Field: Place of broken, unusable, hardened clay vessels, that lay waste with nothing filling
them. Used as grave yard for the dead who nobody wanted.
Zechariah 11:12-13
Then I said to them, "If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain." So they weighed out
for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter" -- that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty
pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.NKJV
Matthew 27:3-10
Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty
pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."
And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!"
5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because
they are the price of blood."7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury
strangers in.8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of
silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced,10 and gave them for
the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."NKJV
Blood of JC bought this field which is us. A bunch of broken vessels with hardened hearts filled with
nothing where dead people are placed!!
Géenna #1067.
fem. noun. Hell, the place or state of the lost and condemned (Matthew 5:29,30; 10:28 [cf. 23:15; James
3:6]). Represents the Hebr. ga¹-Hinnom
(the Valley of Tophet) and a corresponding Aramaic word. Found twelve times in the NT, eleven of which
are in the Synoptic Gospels and in every instance spoken by the Lord Himself.
The word Gehenna is derived from the Hebr. expression, ga¹-Hinnom, Valley of Hinnom (Joshua 15:8;
Nehemiah 11:30) which is an abbreviated form of "valley of the son of Hinnom" (2 Kings 23:10; 2
Chronicles 28:3; 33:6; Joshua 18:16; Jeremiah 7:31,32; 19:2,6).
This place became so notorious through its evil associations that it was simply called "the valley" (Jeremiah
2:23; 31:40), and the gate of Jerusalem leading toward it "the valley gate" (2 Chronicles 26:9; Nehemiah
2:13,15; 3:13). This valley lay to the south and southwest of Jerusalem. Topographically, it provided the
boundary between Judah and Benjamin (Joshua 15:8; 18:16) and the northern limit of the district occupied
by the tribe of Judah after the captivity (Nehemiah 11:30), and it lay in front of the gate Harsith of
Jerusalem (Jeremiah 19:2).
Religiously it was a place of idolatrous and human sacrifices. These were first offered by Ahaz and
Manasseh who made their children to "pass through the fire" to Molech in this valley (1 Kings 16:3; 2
Kings 21:6; 2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6). These sacrifices were probably made on the "high places of Tophet
which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom" (Jeremiah 7:31 [cf. Jeremiah 32:15]). In order to put an end to
these abominations, Josiah polluted it with human bones and other corruptions (2 Kings 23:10,13,14). But
this worship of Molech was revived under Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 11:10-13; Ezekiel 20:30). In consequence
of these idolatrous practices in the Valley of Hinnom, Jeremiah prophesied that one day it would be called
the "valley of slaughter" and that they should "bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury"
(Jeremiah 7:32; 19:11).
Application 4 & 5:
God is sovereign potter and we are clay (dust) meant to be workmanship of His hand. Shaping occurs when
clay is moist from water of word/Holy Spirit. Lord has all rights for judgment. He made the vessels and can
fill them with whatever He wants and change/reshape them etc. Stay moist from water of word and Holy
Spirit. Hardened vessels cannot be shaped and can crack and become useless.
The Lord will pick up his clay vessels that He sovereignly made, pour them out, and then break them into
pieces for rebellion and sin that has turned them hard and un-shapeable. They will be thrown in valley of
Hinnom which is Hell (Geena). Hell is where broken hardened clay vessels lie useless among the dead.
Jesus the great potter purchased this field and can restore you and fill you with Him.