Vessels Filled

Jeremiah 13:12

12 Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word;
Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Every bottle
shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto
thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle
shall be filled with wine?

At a glance, today's question looks like a positive promise from God. The people of Judah certainly saw it that way. But taken in context, we can see that the 'wine' mentioned in this question is actually the judgment of God on a rebellious people. Many commentators believe that the bottles in this passage (which were actually the clay pots or wineskins of the day) represented the people themselves. God wanted Jeremiah to understand that the people - even the national leaders - would be so intoxicated that they would be at the mercy of their enemies. The result would be the eventual destruction of Judah.

Hundreds of years after this prophesy, the apostle Paul wrote, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). God had intended that the people of Judah find their satisfaction in being filled with Him and Him alone. He wants the same thing for us today. He wants us to understand that to be filled with His Spirit is to experience all the good things about Him - His love, His mercy, His forgiveness and His provision. The passage that includes today's question is a great reminder to make sure we let God fill us so that there's no room for anything this world has to offer.

Reference: 365 Essential Questions from the Bible
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