Numbers 5:17
“And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:”
When a man thought that his wife committed adultery with another man, he was to go to the priest to settle the problem. The priest would then take an earthen vessel and put holy water in it, that is water that was separated from being used for any other purpose other than for the temple, and he would make the woman who was accused of adultery drink the water. If she were guilty, the water in the vessel would cause her thigh to rot and her belly to swell.
What grabbed me about this story was not the test the priest used to determine if the woman had committed adultery. What grabbed me was that God used an earthen vessel for His service. God could have chosen many other ways to perform this test, but He chose to use an earthen vessel. There are a few thoughts from this story that should be a help and an encouragement to you concerning this earthen vessel.
First, the great thing about God is that He still chooses to use earthen vessels. God knows exactly what He gets when He chooses to use you. It is no mistake that God has chosen to use you. Many times we think that we are useless because of our weaknesses. Yes, in and of yourself you are useless, but the earthen vessel in the hand of a mighty God makes it a treasured tool. God takes worthless earthen vessels and makes them valuable. The key is that the earthen vessel must be willing to be used by God. You may be an earthen vessel, but if you yield yourself to His Holy Spirit, He will take the frailties of your vessel and find a way to use you for His service. You do not handicap God because you are an earthen vessel; rather, you become a tool to bring Him glory.
Second, no matter how good we think a person is, we must never forget they are still earthen vessels used by a holy God. Don’t get too wrapped up in the greatness of man. It is never man’s greatness, but it is always God’s power that greatly uses him. You often will hear people call someone a great man of God. Let me remind you that every man of God is still an earthen vessel. It is not the greatness of that man, but it is the greatness of His God that makes him who he is. Don’t get so enamored with the earthen vessel that you don’t see Who made him who he is. As great as any person is, they are still earthen vessels used by a holy God.
Third, the only way to increase the value of your earthen vessel is to allow yourself to be used by a holy God. The key in the verse above for the earthen vessel to be used was that the holy water had to be poured into it. That earthen vessel was worthless if it didn’t have the holy water poured into it. It could have sat on a tabernacle shelf and stayed worthless, but when it was taken off the shelf, and the holy water was poured into it, it then became a tool to be used by God. You become valuable when you surrender your earthen vessel to the Holy Spirit of God to use. It is God working through your earthen vessel that makes you a tool in His hand.
Friend, you are an earthen vessel, but you can be a valuable vessel if you will allow yourself to be used by God. You can let your value diminish by using your vessel for yourself, or you can increase your value by allowing God to use you for His service.