3我们的神是窑匠，对我们有绝对的权利。祂对我们，有权作祂所喜欢18的。这思想不仅见于耶利米十八至二十章，也见于罗马九章。我信保罗写罗马九章关于神拣选的主宰时，就是想到耶利米书这几章。在二十一节他问：『窑匠难道没有权柄，从同一团泥里，拿一块作成贵重的器皿，又拿一块作成卑贱的器皿么？』神这窑匠的确有这样的权柄。祂的拣选是照著祂绝对的权利。祂可以拣选一个器皿，弃绝另一个。祂有完全的权利，以任何方式来对待祂的陶器。由耶利米在十五章十节至十七章二十七节的话，我们能看见，他里面有个东西，与神对以色列的想法不同。我信耶利米里面的感觉是，神对以色列的审判太严厉。至少他不满意那情况。就一面的意义来说，他是在与神辩论。耶利米不是直接的与神辩论，乃是间接的藉著对他母亲发表他的感觉来辩论，他说，『我的母亲哪，我有祸了，因你生我作为遍地相争相竞的人。』（十五10上。）这是很强的话。神没有让耶利米的母亲有机会回应，却进来与耶利米说话，甚至与他辩论。神对耶利米说话时问他:『人岂能将铜或铁，就是北方的铁，折断呢？』（12。）这里，神指明祂定意用巴比伦人作铁，审判并惩罚以色列人。在耶利米说到与神辩论的这段经历以后，他继续写一段关于耶和华是窑匠，以色列是陶器的话。这段话清楚指明，神有绝对的自由，对祂百姓作祂所要作的。祂有完全的权利，正如窑匠对陶器有完全的权利。我们若看见这点，就能领会这三章。
3As the Potter our God has the absolute right over us. Regarding us, He has the right to do whatever He likes. This thought is found not only in Jeremiah through 20 but also in Romans 9. I believe that Paul was considering these chapters of Jeremiah as he was writing Romans 9 concerning God's sovereignty in His selection. In verse 21 he asks, "Does not the potter have authority over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?" God, the Potter, certainly has such authority. His selection is according to His absolute right. He may choose one vessel and reject another. He has the full right to do anything in any way to His pottery. From Jeremiah ' sword in 1 5:1 0 — 1 7:2 7, we can see that there was something within him that was different from God's thought regarding Israel. I believe that the feeling within Jeremiah was that God's judgment upon Israel was too severe. At least he was not satisfied with the situation. In a sense, he was arguing with God. Instead of arguing with God directly, Jeremiah argued indirectly by expressing his feeling to his mother, saying, " Woe is me, my mother, because you bore me, / A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole land" (15:10a). This is a strong word. God did not give Jeremiah's mother an opportunity to respond but came into speak with Jeremiah and even to argue with him. As God spoke to Jeremiah, He asked him, "Can one break iron, / Iron from the north, or bronze?" (v. 12). Here God was indicating that He was determined to use the Babylonians as iron to judge and punish Israel. Following this section in which he tells of his experience of arguing with God, Jeremiah went on to write a section concerning Jehovah as the Potter and Israel as the pottery. This section makes it very clear that God is absolutely free to do whatever He desires to His people. He has the full right, just as a potter has the full right over the pottery. If we see this, we will be able to understand these three chapters.