T he only good news that we ought to know and remember is that Jesus Christ had already won the war against sin and death. He has made it possible for us to join Him in the afterlife. All we need now to do is accept Him as He is. God is alive today and it may be sometimes be difficult to see this. The world and its demonic nature has still made it look like that only worldly things matter and that the ultimate goal of each one is to achieve their own personal happiness. This is the biggest lie of all, that we should do all to make us happy. Individual happiness at the expense of someone else is the biggest deception of all. The truth is, our lives are never really about us. It is ultimately about God and about others. It is about how you can provide and give joy even at our own expense. This is the model of ultimate and genuine love that Jesus shown us at the cross. "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s frie...
Summary of the Book of Baruch
The Book of Baruch is a short work of just five chapters (plus the "Letter of Jeremiah" often attached as a sixth), belonging to the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha. It is named after Baruch ben Neriah, the loyal scribe and secretary of the prophet Jeremiah. The book presents itself as being written by Baruch in Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE.
Structure and Content:
Historical Introduction (1:1-14): The book opens by stating that Baruch wrote this book in Babylon in the fifth year after Jerusalem's destruction and read it to King Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) and the other exiles. The reading moves the people to repentance, fasting, and prayer. They then collect money to send to the priest in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices and pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, under whom they are now living.
A Prayer of Confession and Petition (1:15–3:8): This section is a long, communal prayer.
Confession of Sin: The exiles acknowledge that their present suffering—the destruction of their city and their dispersion among the nations—is a direct consequence of their disobedience to God's law, which had been prophesied by Moses. They confess, "To the Lord our God belongs righteousness, but to us, confusion of face..." (Baruch 1:15).
Petition for Mercy: They appeal to God's mercy, asking Him to remember the covenant made with their ancestors and to hear their prayers, not for their sake, but for the glory of His own name. They declare their repentance and ask to be delivered from their exile.
In Praise of Wisdom (3:9–4:4): This section changes tone, resembling a wisdom text like Proverbs or Sirach.
It addresses Israel, asking why they are in exile and answering that it is because they have forsaken the fountain of wisdom, God's law.
It asks rhetorically where wisdom can be found. It's not in worldly power or wealth. It is God alone who possesses wisdom, and He has given it to Jacob (Israel) in the form of the Torah (the Law).
The Incarnation of Wisdom: This section contains a famous passage that Christians have traditionally interpreted as a prophecy of the Incarnation of Christ:
"Afterward she [Wisdom/the Law] appeared upon earth and lived among men." (Baruch 3:37)
The section concludes by declaring that Israel is blessed to know what pleases God.
A Poem of Consolation and Hope (4:5–5:9): The final section is a poem of comfort.
Jerusalem the Mother: Jerusalem is personified as a mother mourning the loss of her children (the exiles) but urging them to have courage and cry out to God for deliverance.
The City's Restoration: The perspective shifts to God addressing Jerusalem, telling her to take off her garments of sorrow and put on the beauty of God's glory. She is told to look to the east and see her children being gathered back to her from all directions, carried by God with joy.
The book ends with a grand vision of God ordering the very landscape—lowering mountains and filling valleys—to make a smooth path for Israel's return under the "glory of God."
Notable Quotes and Verses
A Confession of Sin:
"To the Lord our God belongs righteousness, but to us, confusion of face, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem..." (Baruch 1:15)
On the Source of Israel's Plight:
"Why is it, O Israel, why is it that you are in the land of your enemies... that you are defiled with the dead, that you are counted among those in Hades? You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom." (Baruch 3:10-12)
On Wisdom and the Law:
"She [Wisdom] is the book of the commandments of God, and the law that endures forever. All who hold her fast will live, and those who forsake her will die." (Baruch 4:1)
A Vision of Restoration:
"For God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low and the valleys filled up, to make level ground, so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God." (Baruch 5:7)
Historical Facts: How the Book Came to Be
Pseudepigrapha: Like the Wisdom of Solomon, the Book of Baruch is considered a pseudepigraphon. While it claims to be written by Jeremiah's secretary, Baruch, in the 6th century BCE, internal evidence suggests a later composition.
For example, the historical introduction contains inaccuracies (e.g., the date and the role of certain priests) that an eyewitness like Baruch would not likely have made.
Composite Authorship and Date: Scholars believe the book is a compilation of different original texts written at different times, likely between the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE.
The first part (the confession) may be the oldest, possibly originally written in Hebrew.
The later parts (the wisdom poem and the poem of consolation) were likely composed in or translated into Greek and reflect a later period.
The final composition and compilation into a single book likely occurred in the 1st century BCE, possibly by a Jewish editor living in Egypt or Palestine.
Purpose and Context: The book was likely written to encourage Jews living in the Diaspora (exile) during the Hellenistic or early Roman periods.
It provided a model for how they should relate to the foreign powers ruling over them (pray for them, live peacefully).
It offered a theological explanation for their continued exile (it's a punishment for sin).
Most importantly, it offered hope for a future restoration and gathering of the exiles back to Jerusalem through repentance and adherence to God's Law.
Canonical Status:
Jewish Canon: The book was not accepted into the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh).
Christian Canon: It was included in the Septuagint and is considered canonical by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The "Letter of Jeremiah" is often attached as the sixth chapter of Baruch in Catholic Bibles, while in Orthodox Bibles it is a separate book. Protestants consider it part of the Apocrypha.