John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 18:7-10

"At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it; if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if they do that which is evil in my sight, that they obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them." — Jeremiah 18:7-10 (ASV)

This is a fuller application of the Prophet's doctrine, for he had said generally before that the people were in God's hand as the clay is in the hand of the potter. But he adds here what is more accessible or comprehensive: that all people are in the hand of God, so that he now favors one nation with his blessing and then deprives them of it, and that he raises up those whom he had previously brought low.

I have said that this part of the doctrine is more accessible or comprehensive, for it refers to repentance. When Paul presented this likeness—that we are in the power of God as the clay is in the hand of the potter—he did not speak in such an accessible manner. For he did not speak of repentance, but ascended higher and said that before the world was created, it was in God's power to determine what he pleased concerning every individual, and that we are now formed according to his will, so that he chooses one and rejects the other. Paul then did not refer to faithfulness or to repentance, but spoke of the hidden purpose of God, by which he has predestined some to salvation and some to destruction (Romans 9:21).

Isaiah also seems to have had the same thing in view, for he says only:

Woe to them who rise up against their Maker.
(Isaiah 45:9).

Cannot I determine, says God, with regard to people, as the potter, who forms the clay as he pleases? We must then maintain this principle: that people are thus formed according to God's will, so that all must become silent. For the reprobate uselessly clamor, object, and say, “Why hast thou formed us thus?” Does not the potter, says Paul, have power, etc.? This is what must be said of God's hidden predestination.

But Jeremiah here adapts his doctrine for the people, so that he might show that God, by a gratuitous covenant, had chosen and adopted the seed of Abraham in such a way that he could still repudiate the unworthy—even all those who despised so great a favor.

We now see the various applications of this doctrine. God determined, before the creation of the world, what he pleased concerning each individual; but his counsel is hidden and, to us, incomprehensible. A more familiar application is made here: God at one time takes away his blessings, and at another he raises people, as it were, from death, that he might set them on high, according as he pities those who truly and from the heart turn to him, or is offended by the ingratitude of those who reject his offered favors.

Hence he says, Suddenly will I speak against a nation and against a kingdom, to pull down, to root up, or to extirpate, and to destroy. By saying suddenly, he reminds the Jews of their origin. For what was their condition when the Lord stretched out his hand to them and brought them from that wretched bondage in which they lived? It is as though he had said, “Consider from where God raised you, and then acknowledge that he raised you in a wonderful manner and beyond human expectation. For in the same day you were the most miserable of all, and then the most happy of all. One night not only brought you from death to life but also carried you from the deepest abyss to a place above all earthly happiness, as though you rode on the clouds.” God then suddenly spoke.

But he also refers to punishment. God speaks of a nation and of a kingdom to do it good; and he speaks again to pull down and destroy a nation and a kingdom. How then does it happen that those who seem for a time to flourish and to be most happy suddenly perish? Because God punishes people for their ingratitude. And how does it happen that those who were trodden underfoot by all suddenly rise? Because the Lord pities them.

But the Prophet speaks first of punishment. Suddenly, he says, will I speak of a nation and of a kingdom, to pull down, to extirpate, and to destroy. That is, even those who seem far from all danger will find that they are exposed to my judgment.

But if a nation, he says, turns from its wickedness, against whom I have spoken, then I will repent of the evil, etc. The Prophet no doubt intended to silence the Jews who, as we have seen before, continually contended with God, for he could not convince them that the punishments God inflicted on them for their sins were just.

Since they were then so perverse in their wickedness, and hypocrisy had also hardened them all the more, the Prophet says here in God's name, “When I speak against a nation and threaten final ruin, if it repents, I will be immediately reconciled to it. There is therefore no ground for the Jews to protest to me, as though I dealt with them too severely, for they will find me reconcilable if they repent from the heart.” It follows then that their obstinacy was the cause why God proceeded in his judgments, for the repentance of God means nothing other than what Scripture says elsewhere: that he is merciful, slow to wrath, and ready to forgive (Numbers 14:18; Psalms 103:8). He then testifies here that nothing hindered the Jews from being in a better state but their own perverseness.

On the other hand, he affirms that the lost are restored when the Lord speaks suddenly of a nation and of a kingdom, to build and to plant. It is as though it was said, “I will not only forgive, but I am ready to bestow blessings on those whom I had previously rejected as my enemies.” Then God magnifies his goodness when he says that he will not only forgive the sins of people, so as to freely pardon them, but that he is also ready to bestow on them all kinds of blessings if they seek to be reconciled to him.

Now follows the opposite clause: But if it will do evil before my eyes, so as not to hear my voice—that is, when a nation has been planted through my kindness (for this is required by the context)—then I will repent, etc. By this denunciation it is meant that God would tread into the dust those whom he had favored with singular benefits, on account of their abuse of them. This is true even though he had said, “When I promise bountifully and freely to a nation or a kingdom everything that can be wished, if my favor and goodness are not rightly received, then I repent of the good done to it.” The meaning is that the way of pardon is always open when a sinner turns to God, and that it is in vain for people to boast of God's promises unless they submit themselves to him in fear and obedience.

Both these things were necessary: that the Jews should know that God would be moved by entreaty if they repented, and that his promises could not be extended to those who were guilty of such gross abuse as a total disregard of his law and his prophets. Then the Prophet mentions here the ordinary course: that as soon as people repented, they might safely and fully expect good things from God, for he is inclined to mercy. Furthermore, no nation, however it may excel in gifts, ought to indulge in foolish confidence or use its present glory as a means to despise its giver, for God can take away what he has given. The real significance of the whole, then, is that we cannot expect to enjoy the benefits which God bestows on us unless we persevere in faithfulness and in the fear of him. It is indeed certain that God's blessings do not depend on human worthiness. But still, he will not have his bounty despised, as was the case with the Jews, and as is common in the world today.