The Potter Reworks Clay and Explains Conditional Oracles

At the potter's house, spoiled clay is reworked, not trashed as a person

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

The image does not make rulers divine potters or people disposable clay. Marred clay is reworked. Seemed-good-to-the-potter is divine freedom in the analogy, not a tyrant's slogan.

Uprooting or building can turn with a nation's turning

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

Not every prophecy is mechanically conditional, and not every nation in the news is this clay. The lesson is that announced disaster or good can change with changed conduct. House of Israel remains the first clay, not a church that claims the wheel.