John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 17:19-21

"Thus said Jehovah unto me: Go, and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; and say unto them, Hear ye the word of Jehovah, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates: Thus saith Jehovah, Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;" — Jeremiah 17:19-21 (ASV)

This discourse should undoubtedly be separated from the preceding one, and whoever divided the chapters showed poor judgment not only here but in many other places.

The meaning is that their contempt for the law was so great and so blatant that they even neglected the observance of the Sabbath. Yet we know that hypocrites are usually very careful in this respect; indeed, Isaiah rebuked the men of his day because they made so much of their sanctity consist in the outward observance of days (Isaiah 1:13).

But, as I have already said, the Jews were so audacious in the time of Jeremiah that they openly violated the Sabbath; men had become so lost, as we commonly say, that they did not even pretend to have any religion. The licentiousness of the people was so great that they had no shame; indeed, they all openly showed that they had completely cast off the yoke of God and His law.

When this was the case in Jerusalem, what can we think was done in obscure villages where religion was not as prevalent? For if there was any proper teaching, if there was any semblance of religion, it must have been in Jerusalem.

So now we see that the Prophet was sent by God to charge the people with this blatant and vile contempt of the law; as though he had said, “Come now, and pretend that you retain at least some religion: yet even in this small matter, the observance of the Sabbath, you are deficient, for ye bring burdens; that is, you carry on business on the Sabbath as on other days. Since, then, there is not even an external sanctity among you regarding the Sabbath, why do you continue with your evasions? For your impiety is sufficiently proven.” We now see what the Prophet means and the significance of this discourse, which we are now to explain.

He says first, that he was sent to go and bring this message. He had indeed been previously chosen as a prophet, but he speaks here of a specific task he was commissioned to do. He says that he was sent to the chief gate of the city, through which the kings entered and went out and the whole people, and then that he was sent to all the gates.

By these words he means that it was not God’s will for the profanation of the Sabbath to be made known only partially, but for it to be proclaimed everywhere, so that He might shame not only the king but also the entire people. The prophets usually spoke first in the Temple, and then they went to the gates, where there was a larger gathering of people. But Jeremiah had something unusual here, for God intended to condemn the Jews most clearly for their vile and inexcusable contempt of the Sabbath.

He then adds, Thou shalt say to them, Hear the word of Jehovah, ye kings of Judah, and let all the people hear, and let all the citizens of Jerusalem hear, who enter in at these gates. The Prophet was commanded to begin with the king himself, who should have repressed such great licentiousness.

Therefore, it was an intolerable indifference for the king to silently tolerate this contempt of religion, especially in a matter so easy and so obvious; for he could not have pretended that he was unaware of it. Indeed, it was as though the Jews intended to triumph against God and to show that His law was considered to be of no value.

Hence, the profanation of the Sabbath was a proof of their shamelessness, as they thereby showed that they cared nothing for either God or His law. We shall later see how great that wickedness was; but I shall defer the subject, as I cannot now discuss it in detail, and a more suitable opportunity will arise.

He commands them to attend, or to beware in their souls. Some translate the words as, “As your souls are precious to you.” But I understand “souls” not as their lives, but as the affections of their hearts, as though he had said, “Take careful heed of yourselves, that this may be laid up in your inmost heart.”

The word נפש (nuphesh) often means the heart, the seat of the affections. It is said in Deuteronomy 4:15,

“Take heed to yourselves, לנפשותיכם lanupheshuticam,
to your souls.”

Here it is, בנפשותיכם (benupheshuticam), “in your souls;” but there, “to” or “for your souls,” as also in Joshua 23:11. But the same thing is meant: that they were to take great care, to be diligent, to exert every effort, and, in short, to use every faculty of their souls.

Take heed then carefully, he says; take heed with every thought and faculty of your soul, that ye carry no burden on the Sabbath day, and that ye bring it not through the gates of Jerusalem.

It was something not difficult to observe; furthermore, it was a most shameless transgression of the law. For, as I have said, by this trivial matter they showed that they despised the law of God, even though the observance of the Sabbath was a matter of great importance. It was important in itself, yet observing it was easy.

Hence, the twofold impiety of the people was evident:

1. Because they despised God’s unique favor, of which the seventh day was an evidence.
2. Because they were unwilling to rest on that day and, in such an easy matter, they did not hesitate, as it were, to insult God, as has been said before.

Hence, we should also note what he says in these words: Carry no burden, and bring it not through the gates of Jerusalem. This was added emphatically, for it was not lawful to do anything on the Sabbath even in the fields or in deserted places.

However, it was extremely shameful to carry a burden through the gates of Jerusalem, as though they wished to publicly reproach and despise God. Jerusalem was a public place. It was as though someone was not content to dishonor his neighbor or brother privately, but had to show his ill-nature openly and in broad daylight.

Thus, the Jews were not only disrespectful towards God, but also dared to show their impiety in His own renowned city and, in short, in His very sanctuary. We must defer the rest.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as You have not only in former times sent Your prophets, but cause the testimony of Your will to be declared to us daily, O grant that we may learn to become teachable and submissive to You, and so willingly bear Your yoke, that Your holy word may gain among us the reverence it deserves. May we so submit ourselves to You, while You speak to us through men, that we may at last enjoy a view of Your glory, in which our perfect felicity will consist. And may we not only contemplate Your glory face to face, but also hear You Yourself speaking, and speaking in such a way that we will delight in that sweetness which is laid up for us in hope, through Christ our Lord. Amen.