Containers play an important role in our daily lives. Jars, pots, cups, bottles, and containers of all kinds are vital for preserving, storing, and dispensing products of all kinds. Depending on value, need for security, or fragility, careful thought is often given to the type of company we select to hold our assets.
A grocery bag would not contain liquids adequately. We wouldn’t store bacon grease in a perfume atomizer either. The combination of contents and containers is also an important option when it comes to housing spiritual treasures.
Matthew 9:17:
Nor is new wine poured into old wineskins; otherwise the skins break, and the wine run and the wineskins are spoiled; but they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.
The “bottles” were actually drinking tanks, like canteens made from animal skins. As the skins aged, they became brittle and lost their elasticity. The “new wine” was grape juice that had not reached fermentation.
The new skins, being foldable, would gently expand as gases from the fermentation process formed inside. This new wineskin would hold the new wine and the wine would keep the wineskin loose.
This provides an illustration of how to receive the truth. As believers grow and move with the Truth, the Truth preserves believers. The real point is “both are preserved”. The dry wineskins of religious traditions can never contain the effervescent spiritual truth of Christ-in-you.
When it came to being filled with God’s gift of Holy Spiritdon’t you think He was selective in choosing the right vessel for His treasure?
2 Corinthians 4:7: (New International Version)
But we have this treasure in clay pots to show that this supreme power comes from God and not from us.
Being “clay vessels” is in no way demeaning to our physical body. God saw fit and well designed to display and surround the glorious gift of him.
This is how David perceived his clay pot and it did not have the treasure inside.
Psalm 139:14:
I will praise you; for I am wonderfully and wonderfully made: wonderful are your works; and that my soul knows well well
David was not only going to admire God for the work of his hands regarding his physical being; he was going to publicly declare, express his love, proclaim his gratitude and honor God. So that? “Because I am terribly and wonderfully (surprisingly) done”.
The part of man that was “made” was the body, which God formed from the dust of the ground. David said that his body was “frighteningly and wonderfully made”.
Barnes’ Notes on the Biblehe explains that “fearfully” means “suited to produce reverence distinguished from other impressive works of creation.”
Men are captivated by the splendor of the Grand Canyon, spellbound by the cosmos, captivated by the oceans, and mesmerized by mountain vistas. But, God’s “eyes” did not take in the glory of the star-studded expanse or the undulating sea tides of abundant life. His gaze was fixed on a clay vessel to preserve and be preserved by his most precious gift.
Psalm 139: 15 and 16:
My substance was not hidden from you, when I was made in secret, and curiously carved in the lowest part of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, but being imperfect; and in your book all my members were written, which in the continuation were formed, when there were not yet any of them.
The Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, Syriac and Arabic texts, as well as Luther, translate “my substance” as “my bones.” The note in the King James margin is “strength” and refers to the skeletal framework and tendon covering the bones. We must also remember that “the life of the flesh is in the blood” and blood is produced in the marrow of the bones (Leviticus 17:11).
Before our frames were formed, even before the embryonic stage, God’s wisdom envisioned the strength in our frames and their support structure where His spirit could dwell and collaborate. “Because it is God who ethical work in you both to will and to do his good will (Philippians 2:13).
A craftsman often works alone. “I was made in secret.” Our bodies were embroidered in privacy where the espionage of the enemy could not discover the mystery that would later be revealed, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
“In your book all my members were written.” Just as an architect or engineer drafts a blueprint or a blueprint, God required plans for our design. This body, with its “most secret compartment”, was formed to perpetuate itself. God included an immune system and healing properties in its inner workings. In case a repair is necessary, each “member” is kept in the detailed “repair manual” of him.
Psalm 139:17:
How precious are also to me, O God, your thoughts! How big is their properties!
He thought of everything! Each contingency was considered and responded to. In fact, we were “fearful and surprisingly done”.
We know that this deposit of “Christ in you” is only temporary, because it is corruptible. Because it is necessary for this corruptible to dress incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53). But as for the corruptible, it is designed to last as long as we need it.
If you had the most delicious perfume that ever wafted on the garden breeze, how would you bottle this beautiful potion? Although it is just a holder, I would expect the container to look classy and dispense the exact amount to encourage a more pleasant olfactory sensation.
2 Corinthians 2:15 and 16:
Because to God we are sweet savor [fragrance] of Christ, in those who are saved [being made whole]and in which they perish [are perishing]:
for the one [the unbeliever] we are the savor [smell] from death to death: and to the other [the believing ones] tea savor from life to life. And who is enough for such things?
Well, by the grace of God we are! Our Heavenly Father planned and planned in advance that our bodies would contain the most precious “essence” of him. To put it plainly, our bodies are the perfect vessel to carry and dispense the fragrance of Christ.
Let us return to David’s words in verse 14 of Psalm 139, “my soul knows I was completely convinced. Most people see their bodies as something destined to decay because of the sinful nature locked inside. David didn’t do that, I assure you. We magnify perceived imperfections, but David knew something very different.
Don’t be ashamed of that body. It is a beautiful job. It’s more intricately exquisite and durable than you might think. God combined it with the best treasure of him. It’s about a amazing clay jar!
