I am currently studying the book of 2 Corinthians, and one image that really struck me is that of earthen vessels. How is this image meaningful, and how does it apply to our lives? The answer is profound.
2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
To put it simply, we are the earthen vessels, and the treasure we are entrusted with is the precious Word of God. The word “earthen” denotes something frail; thus, we also have the imagery of us being broken vessels. I think that we can be broken for Christ in two ways: first, out of love and sacrifice for Him, and second, in sorrow because of the trials of life that He allows us to go through for His purposes.
I love how the Hillsong song “Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace)” puts it. It says, “You take our failures, You take our weakness/ You set Your treasures in jars of clay/ so take this heart Lord, I’ll be Your vessel/ The world to see Your life in me.”
There are two Biblical images that come to mind. First, the image of the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet. She used an alabaster jar, quite literally, an earthen vessel, to pour out the best of what she had in sacrifice for the Lord. Should not we also do the same out of our frail, broken vessels?
The second image is that of Gideon. Judges 6 tells us, “Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers….Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, ‘The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’”
Jesus Christ’s light has been entrusted to us. When we break, either in trials that come our way or in sacrifice and love for Him, the Light inside us burns brighter!
Another insightful thought is how this verse about earthen vessels relates to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran, Israel. What a good example of this concept! The Word of God–precious treasure–inside earthen vessels.
One more thought: A friend reminded me of Isaiah 64:8 in regard to this topic: “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.” God molds us, earthen vessels, and sometimes He allows us to be broken so that His life and light can shine brighter through us.
As we meditate on this amazing concept of broken vessels, may our hearts long to bring more and more glory to the Lord!
