Day One Hundred Seventeen “Earthen Vessels”

            East of the city of Jerusalem the landscape dramatically plummets from mountain peaks to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea.  The sandy area is littered with rocky caves where some of the most dramatic stories of the Bible have taken place.  In 1947, a young Bedouin shepherd was seeking out a stray goat in the caves of that barren Judean desert.  When the shepherd cast a stone to startle the goat, the sound of breaking clay was heard in the hollow of the cave.  The priceless discovery found hidden in clay jars within those caves would become known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, considerably the greatest archaeological find of the Twentieth Century, God’s preserved Word, kept for the ages, hidden in common jars in a barren cave. 

Those common clay jars, dating back to Bible days, were heat-resistant, non-porous pottery used for cooking, boiling clothing for cleansing, and storing items.  These vessels were intentionally plain, as to avoid attracting attention, since they were often used to hide and to store valuable treasures. The vessel was not of high value, but the contents were. Could you imagine finding those precious scrolls hidden in those plain, earthen vessels? Wow, what a dramatic contrast and vivid picture! 

The comparison painted for us in Scripture is a gorgeous analogy, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.”  What treasure?  Paul is referring to “the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,” the precious treasure that is “hid to them that are lost.”  As believers, we are those earthen vessels, existing for the sake of the treasure that we have within us.  Through the gift of salvation and His grace, we are given the Word of God, the glorious gospel, to share with those placed in our path by our Father.  The Holy Spirit of God resides in our vessel, to guide us, to nourish us, and to empower us with boldness to share God’s Word. We are to be a “vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

            Let’s allow that light within us to shine in the darkness around us, drawing others to Christ.  We have a valuable treasure within us, a treasure that the world desperately needs. Let’s use the power of His Spirit to share the wonder of His story! What a Christmas gift that would be to some lost soul!

II Corinthians 4:7    But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Lord, I am but a plain, earthen vessel, susceptible to cracks and wear.  But in Your hands, You can use me to spread the gospel to the world around me. 

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