Topical Bible: Wicked (People): Compared With: Potsherds

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In biblical literature, the term "wicked" refers to individuals who live in opposition to God's laws and righteousness. The wicked are often characterized by their sinful actions, rebellion against divine authority, and moral corruption. Throughout Scripture, the fate and nature of the wicked are depicted through various metaphors and comparisons, one of which is the imagery of potsherds.

Potsherds in Scripture

Potsherds are broken pieces of pottery, often considered worthless and discarded. In ancient times, pottery was a common household item, and when it broke, the fragments were of little use. This imagery is employed in the Bible to convey the fragility, brokenness, and ultimate worthlessness of certain things or people in the eyes of God.

Comparison with the Wicked

The comparison of the wicked to potsherds serves to illustrate several key aspects of their nature and destiny:

1. Fragility and Destruction: Just as potsherds are easily shattered, the wicked are portrayed as fragile and destined for destruction. In Isaiah 30:14, the prophet describes the breaking of a potter's vessel: "It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so that no fragment can be found among its shattered remains." This imagery underscores the inevitable downfall of those who oppose God.

2. Worthlessness: Potsherds, being remnants of what was once whole and useful, symbolize the worthlessness of the wicked in their rebellion. In Job 2:8, Job uses a potsherd to scrape his sores, highlighting its lowly status. Similarly, the wicked, in their moral decay, are seen as having lost their intended purpose and value.

3. Divine Judgment: The imagery of potsherds also conveys the idea of divine judgment. In Psalm 2:9, the psalmist speaks of the Messiah's authority: "You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery." This verse reflects the ultimate judgment and subjugation of the wicked by God's anointed.

4. Separation from God: Just as broken pottery is separated from its original form, the wicked are separated from God due to their sin. Isaiah 64:8 reminds us of the relationship between the Creator and His creation: "But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we all are the work of Your hand." The wicked, in their rebellion, reject this relationship, leading to their broken state.

Conclusion

The comparison of the wicked to potsherds in the Bible serves as a powerful metaphor for their fragility, worthlessness, and the certainty of divine judgment. It is a sobering reminder of the consequences of living in opposition to God's will. The imagery calls believers to reflect on their own lives, urging them to seek righteousness and remain in the hands of the Divine Potter, who shapes and molds His people for His purposes.

Nave's Topical Index

Proverbs 26:23
Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
... or poor, one with another, are compared to worms and ... evident from the preservation
of His people; for the ... that counsel to Absalom, which though wicked, was, in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 2/sermon xxxviii king of kings.htm

Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
... thy work, he hath no hands,"[510] he is compared to the ... applied to believers of New
Testament times, as a people in covenant chosen from the wicked. ...
/.../the ordinance of covenanting/chapter viii covenanting according to.htm

What are the Clouds?
... Compared with God there is nothing great ... of locusts, have made their appearance;
and the people, being so ... one vast globe of fire; the wicked"shrieking, wailing ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/what are the clouds.htm

The Eternity and Unchangeableness of God.
... I think them not worthy to be compared," saith Paul ... about to lead so many thousands
from a wicked tyrannical king ... I will make Pharaoh hearken, and the people obey ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture viii the eternity and.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... raised by human ingenuity and vanity, when compared with that ... the king of Babylon
and his wicked instruments, by ... us how great and numerous a people will then ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm

A Discourse
... in the wilderness, or under persecution, is compared not only ... bindeth up the breach
of his people, and healeth ... all the fiery darts of the wicked' (Ephesians 6 ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a discourse.htm