Holy Pots

Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. Zechariah 14:21

I was driving by an old limestone church in a rather nice part of town by the university. I noticed the theme for the weeks sermon, "...and also much cattle." (Jonah 4:11). I was struck with a quotation so obscure and seemingly trivial.

I have heard of a pastor who preached only on Jonah for many years, and apparently did a very good job of it. Guess it turns out that there is a lot more to Jonah, than his being swallowed by a great fish.

The truth runs deep and you can find it if you really dig. But why would a pastor care about the above scripture? What truth would he reveal? Now I have no right to say this, and there is a good chance I am wrong, but I think the pastor might spiritualize this passage. He might say that the cattle stand for people or something. Maybe it is purely non-literal.

This happens a lot. Surely God would not talk about real, actual, cattle! But, I am a Fundamentalist, so I believe that the Bible talks about animals quite a lot, and when it does, it means real, down to earth, creatures that eat hay and shelter in barns. The higher you go up on the intellectual ladder, the less literal interpretations you find, until nothing really means anything. Interpreting the Word as a bunch of obscure myths is a career for some. They make a living at it.

But back to the holy pots. Why would the Creator of the universe care about people cooking in pots? Could it be that these pots, and those who will cook in them, will be pleasing to God? The God of great things, is also the God of little things. He is the God of everything.