Human Responsibility and the Responsive Sovereignty of Yahweh: An Exegetical Study of Jeremiah 18:1–12

Abstract

This article addresses the complex relationship between the sovereignty of God and human responsibility. An exegesis of Jeremiah 18:1–12 highlights a framework within which to make sense of the interplay of these key theological concepts. The discourse grounds the discussion within the sovereignty of God, and it is from this foundation that human responsibility can then be understood. The analogy of the potter and the subsequent interpretation succinctly affirms God’s sovereignty. The word of the sovereign God serves as the basis for his dealings with mankind, and it is from this that mankind’s actions are adjudged. Though all things come to pass, invariably, according to God’s will and word, he allows for contingencies, particularly that of human action, to affect his responses. In this way, human responses are crucial in determining how history unfolds. The main point of the passage, and this paper, therefore, is that the power of God, though absolute, is responsive in nature, allowing for human actions to shape God’s response. Two key words, שׁוּב and נָחַם, are used to portray this responsive relationship. The passage and the principles portrayed are also helpful in understanding the nature of prophetic contingency in the Old Testament.