Observe the Sabbath: God now directs Jeremiah to issue a challenge concerning the Sabbath. To many modern readers, Sabbath observance may seem almost trivial in relationship to the other charges God through Jeremiah levels at Judah: murder, child sacrifice, idolatry. However, the Sabbath was considered the sign of the Mosaic covenant (Exod. 31:13, 17). In a sense it was the pinnacle of the law during the Old Testament period. It was established at creation (Gen. 2:1–3) and mandated as the fourth commandment (Exod. 20:8–11; Deut. 5:12–15). To neglect the Sabbath, in short, was a serious affront to God and his authority (see Longman, Immanuel in Our Place, pp. 161–84).

17:19–21a God commands Jeremiah to go to every gate of the city, especially making sure to go to the gate where the kings of …