Day 206: The Book of Baruch (2025)

Summary

The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) – Detailed Summary of Day 206: The Book of Baruch

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
• Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz
• Producer: Ascension
• Episode: Day 206: The Book of Baruch
• Release Date: July 25, 2025
• Duration: Approximately 25 minutes

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Introduction

In Day 206 of The Bible in a Year podcast, Fr. Mike Schmitz guides listeners through an immersive exploration of Isaiah chapters 32 and 33, the Prophet Baruch chapters 1 and 2, and Proverbs 11:17-20. Utilizing the Great Adventure Bible Timeline by Jeff Cavins, Fr. Mike provides a comprehensive understanding of salvation history and its relevance to contemporary faith.

Notable Quote:

Fr. Mike Schmitz (00:04): "Hi, my name is Fr. Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Bible in a Year Podcast where we encounter God's voice and live life through."

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Scripture Readings

Isaiah Chapters 32 and 33

Fr. Mike begins by reading Isaiah 32 and 33, focusing on the themes of righteous leadership and divine justice. Isaiah prophesies the reign of a righteous king who will rule with justice, providing shelter from turmoil and ensuring peace and prosperity for the people.

Key Themes:

• Righteous Leadership: A king who reigns with righteousness and princes who rule in justice (Isaiah 32:1-3).
• Call to Repentance: A stern warning to complacent individuals to turn back to God to avoid impending judgment (Isaiah 32:12-23).
• Divine Justice: Assurance that God’s justice will prevail, leading to peace and security for the faithful (Isaiah 32:20-20:23).

Notable Quotes:

Fr. Mike Schmitz (01:25): "Reign of righteousness and Justice Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice."

Co-host (02:17): "He will dwell on the heights. His place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks."

Prophet Baruch Chapters 1 and 2

Baruch, a contemporary and possible scribe of Jeremiah, addresses the exiled Jewish community in Babylon. He emphasizes confession of sins, prayer for deliverance, and a heartfelt plea for God’s mercy and restoration.

Key Themes:

• Confession and Repentance: Acknowledgment of the people's sins and disobedience to God’s commandments (Baruch 1:1-17).
• Prayer for Deliverance: Appeals for God’s intervention to bring the community back to Jerusalem and restore the nation (Baruch 2:1-28).
• God’s Covenant: Assurance of God’s everlasting covenant and His promise to never abandon His people (Baruch 2:29-35).

Notable Quotes:

Fr. Mike Schmitz (07:23): "We are sending you to make your confession in the house of the Lord on the days of the feasts."

Co-host (11:19): "Righteousness belongs to the Lord our God. But confusion effaced to us and our fathers, as at this day."

Proverbs 11:17-20

The selected verses from Proverbs underscore the moral principles of kindness, righteousness, and the consequences of evil actions.

Key Themes:

• Kindness vs. Cruelty: Highlighting the inherent benefits of kindness and the self-destructive nature of cruelty (Proverbs 11:17-19).
• Righteous Living: Encouragement to sow righteousness for assured rewards and to pursue good for life’s longevity (Proverbs 11:20).
• Divine Delight in Righteousness: Emphasizing that the Lord delights in blameless ways, contrasting with the abomination of perverse minds (Proverbs 11:20).

Notable Quotes:

Co-host (15:34): "A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself."

Fr. Mike Schmitz (15:52): "Men of perverse mind are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight."

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Reflections and Insights

After the readings, Fr. Mike delves into the historical and theological context of the scriptures, connecting ancient prophecies to modern-day faith practices.

Righteous Leadership and Modern Application

Fr. Mike discusses the prophecy of a righteous king in Isaiah, drawing parallels to historical figures like King Hezekiah and King Josiah, both noted for their piety and reforms. He emphasizes the importance of righteous leadership in contemporary society, urging listeners to seek and support leaders who embody justice and integrity.

Notable Quote:

Fr. Mike Schmitz (17:33): "Josiah definitely was a righteous king. Second Kings, chapter 22 mentions that. And so this could be, you know, Isaiah saying, okay, talking about Hezekiah could be Isaiah prophesying about the future king, King Josiah."

Call to Repentance and Self-Examination

Addressing Isaiah’s call to the complacent, Fr. Mike connects the ancient admonitions to the modern Christian’s struggle with complacency and lukewarm faith. He references Revelation's message to the Laodicean church, highlighting the universal human tendency towards self-indulgence and the necessity of awakening to spiritual responsibilities.

Notable Quote:

Fr. Mike Schmitz (18:37): "And what is that? Essentially the women who are at ease or complacent daughters. It could be the people who are self-indulgent, right?"

Baruch’s Exilic Lament and Hope for Restoration

Fr. Mike explores Baruch’s prayer for deliverance, underscoring the themes of confession, humility, and unwavering faith in God’s promises. He illustrates how Baruch’s messages remain relevant, offering hope and guidance to those undergoing personal or communal crises.

Notable Quote:

Fr. Mike Schmitz (23:30): "And so this, this lengthy confession, because righteousness belongs to God. But know what we chose. We chose something other than righteousness."

Proverbs and Daily Righteous Living

In reflecting on Proverbs 11:17-20, Fr. Mike encourages listeners to adopt a lifestyle of kindness and righteousness. He stresses that living according to God’s statutes leads to personal and communal well-being, aligning with divine delight and approval.

Notable Quote:

Fr. Mike Schmitz (15:42): "One who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. He who is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die."

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Concluding Prayer

The episode concludes with a heartfelt prayer, where Fr. Mike and the co-host ask for God’s guidance to live righteously and maintain a strong relationship with Him. They seek clarity in understanding Scripture and the strength to apply its teachings in daily life.

Notable Quote:

Fr. Mike Schmitz (16:24): "Now, we bear your name like they bore your name. So please, as you were faithful with them, be faithful with us."

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Final Reflections

Fr. Mike wraps up the episode by reinforcing the significance of Baruch’s message of repentance and divine promise. He encourages listeners to remain steadfast in faith, assuring them of God’s unwavering covenant and the ultimate restoration of His people.

Notable Quote:

Fr. Mike Schmitz (24:38): "In the last line of chapter two, it says, I will make an everlasting covenant with them to be their God, and they shall be my people."

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Closing Notes: Day 206 of The Bible in a Year offers a profound journey through prophetic literature, highlighting themes of righteous leadership, repentance, and divine justice. Fr. Mike Schmitz adeptly bridges ancient texts with contemporary faith, providing listeners with actionable insights to deepen their spiritual lives.

Reminder:

• Duration: Each episode is approximately 20-25 minutes, making it manageable for daily listening.
• Scripture Focus: Two to three scripture readings enriched with Fr. Mike’s reflections and guided prayers.
• Accessibility: The podcast is suitable for adult listeners, with themes that may require parental discretion for younger audiences.

Subscribe and Engage: To follow along and receive daily episodes, visit Ascension Press – The Bible in a Year and subscribe to the podcast on your preferred platform.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Hi, my name is Fr. Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Bible in a Year Podcast where we encounter God's voice and live life through.

[Co-host or Assistant]

The lens of Scripture.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story. Today it is day 206 and we're reading from Isaiah chapters 32 and 33. We're also reading from the Prophet Baruch, chapter 1 and 2. Also Proverbs chapter 11, verses 17 through 20. As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

[Co-host or Assistant]

If you want to download your own.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Bible in a Year reading plan, you can go to ascensionpress.com bibleinier and you can also subscribe to this podcast to receive daily episodes. As I said, Today's day 206, we're reading Isaiah 32 and 33.

[Co-host or Assistant]

Also Baruch. Baruch is also one of those seven.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Deuterocanonical books that if you have only read Protestant Bibles where Martin Luther had taken out those seven extra. Well, they're extra to you, but for us as Catholics, they are part of the canon, and for the Orthodox, as.

[Co-host or Assistant]

Part of the canon.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

For the first Christians, they're part of the canon. So we're going to read and hear from the Prophet Baruch, chapter 1 and 2, as well as Proverbs 11, verses 17 through 20. The book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 32. Reign of righteousness and Justice Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes.

[Co-host or Assistant]

Will rule in justice. Each will be like a hiding place.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

From the wind, a covert from the.

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Tempest, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Great rock in a weary land.

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Then the eyes of those who will see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The mind of the rash will have good judgment, and the tongue of the stammerers will speak readily and distinctly. The fool will no more be called noble, nor the knave said to be honorable. For the fool speaks folly, and his mind plots iniquity. To practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the Lord, to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink. The knaveries of the knave are evil. He devises wicked devices to ruin the poor with lying words, even when the plea of the needy is Right. But he who is noble devises noble things, and by noble things he stands. Rise up, you women who are at ease. Hear my voice, you complacent daughters. Give ear to my speech. In little more than a year you will shudder, you complacent women, for the vintage will fail, the fruit harvest will not come. Tremble, you women who are at ease. Shudder, you complacent ones. Strip and make yourselves bare, and put.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Sackcloth upon your loins, beat upon your breasts.

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For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine, for the soil of my people growing up in thorns and briers.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Yes, for all the joyous houses in the joyful city.

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For the palace will be forsaken, the populous city deserted, the hill and the watchtower will become dens forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks. Until the Spirit is poured upon us.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

From on high, and the wilderness becomes.

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A fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness, and trust forever.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

My people will abide in a peaceful.

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Habitation, in secure dwellings and in quiet.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Resting places, and the forest will utterly.

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Go down, and the city will be utterly laid low. Happy are you who sow beside all waters, who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Chapter 33 A Prophecy of Deliverance the Lord, the majestic king. Woe to you, destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed.

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You treacherous one, with whom none has dealt treacherously. When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed. And when you have made an end of dealing treacherously, you will be dealt with treacherously.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Lord, be gracious to us.

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We wait for you.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.

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At the thunderous noise, peoples flee. At the lifting up of yourself, nations are scattered and spoil is gathered.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

As the caterpillar gathers, as locusts leap.

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Men leap upon it. The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high. He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, and he will be the stability of your times. Abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is his treasure. Behold the valiant ones cry out. The envoys of peace weep bitterly. The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases. Covenants are broken, witnesses are despised. There is no regard for man. The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan.

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And Carmel shake off their Leaves. Now I will arise, says the Lord. Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be exalted. You conceived chaff, you bring forth stubble. Your breath is a fire that will consume you. And the peoples will be burned as if burned to lime, like thorns cut down that are burned in the fire. Here. You who are far off what I have done and you who are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid. Trembling has seized the godless. Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us can dwell with the everlasting burnings?

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly.

[Co-host or Assistant]

Who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil. He will dwell on the heights. His place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks. His bread will be given him his water will be sure. Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. They will behold a land that stretches afar. Your mind will muse on the terror. Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed the tribute? Where is he who counted the towers?

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

You will see no more. The insolent people, the people of an.

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Obscure speech which you cannot comprehend, stammering in a tongue which you cannot understand. Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Habitation and immovable tent whose stakes will.

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Never be plucked up, nor will any.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Of its cords be broken. But there the Lord in majesty will.

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Be for us a place of broad rivers and streams where no galley with.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Oars can go, nor stately ship can pass. For the Lord is our judge, the.

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Lord is our ruler. The Lord is our king. He will save us.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Your tackle hangs loose.

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It cannot hold the mast firm in.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Its place or keep the sail spread out.

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Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided. Even the lame will take the prey.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And no inhabitant will say, I am sick.

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For people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity. The Book of Baruch.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Chapter one. Baruch and the Jews of Babylon.

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These are the words of the book.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Which Baruch, the son of Neriah, son of Masiah, son of Zedekiah, son of Chasadiah, son of Hilkiah, wrote in Babylon.

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In the fifth year, on the seventh.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Day of the month, at the time.

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When the Chaldeans took Jerusalem and burned it with fire. And Baruch read the words of this book in the hearing of Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and in the hearing of all the people who came to hear the book, and in the hearing of the mighty men.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And the princes, and in the hearing of the elders, and in the hearing.

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Of all the people, small and great, all who dwelt in Babylon by the river Sud.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Then they wept and fasted and prayed.

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Before the Lord, and they collected money, each giving what he could. And they sent it to Jerusalem, to.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Jehoiakim the high priest, the son of.

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Hilkiah, son of Shallum, and to the priests and to all the people who were present with him in Jerusalem.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

At the same time, on the 10th.

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Day of Sivan, Baruch took the vessels of the house of the Lord which had been carried away from the temple to return them to the land of Judah. The silver vessels which Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, had made after Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had carried away from Jerusalem Jeconiah and the princes and the prisoners and the mighty men and the people of the land, and.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Brought them to Babylon.

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A letter to Jerusalem.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And they said, herewith we send you money.

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So buy with the money burnt offerings and sin offerings and incense, and prepare.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

A cereal offering and offer them upon.

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The altar of the Lord our God. And pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and for the life of Belshazzar his son, that their days on earth may be like the days of heaven. And the Lord will give us strength, and he will give light to our eyes. And we shall live under the protection of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and under the protection of Belshazzar his son. And we shall serve them many days and find favor in their sight. And pray for us to the Lord our God. For we have sinned against the Lord our God. And to this day the anger of the Lord and his wrath have not turned away from us. And you shall read this book which.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

We are sending you to make your.

[Co-host or Assistant]

Confession in the house of the Lord on the days of the feasts and.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

At appointed seasons, confession of sins.

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And you shall say, righteousness belongs to.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The Lord our God.

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But confusion of face, as at this.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Day, to us, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to our kings and our princes and our priests and our prophets and our.

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Fathers, because we have sinned before the Lord and have disobeyed him, and have not heeded the voice of the Lord.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Our God, to walk in the statutes.

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Of the Lord, which he set before us from the day when the Lord brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt until today, when we have been disobedient to the Lord our God, and we have been negligent in not heeding his voice. So to this day there have clung to us the calamities and the curse which the Lord declared through Moses, his servant.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

At that time, when he brought our.

[Co-host or Assistant]

Fathers out of the land of Egypt to give to us a land flowing with milk and honey, we did not heed the voice of the Lord our God in all the words of the prophets whom he sent to us. But we each followed the intent of his own wicked heart by serving other gods and doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Chapter two.

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So the Lord confirmed his word, which.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

He spoke against us and against our.

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Judges who judged Israel, and against our kings, and against our princes, and against the men of Israel and Judah. Under the whole heaven there has not been done the like of what he has done in Jerusalem, in accordance with what is written in the law of Moses, that we should eat one the.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Flesh of his son and another the.

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Flesh of his daughter. And he gave them into subjection of all the kingdoms around us to be a reproach and a desolation among all the surrounding peoples. Where the Lord has scattered them, they.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Were brought low and not raised up because we sinned against the Lord our God in not heeding his voice.

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Righteousness belongs to the Lord our God. But confusion efface to us and our fathers, as at this day. All those calamities with which the Lord threatened us have come upon us. Yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord by turning away each of us from the thoughts of his wicked heart. And the Lord has kept the calamities ready, and the Lord has brought them upon us. For the Lord is righteous in all.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

His works, which he has commanded us to do.

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Yet we have not obeyed his voice to walk in the statutes of the Lord which he set before us prayer for deliverance.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And now, O Lord, God of Israel.

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Who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with signs and wonders, and with great power and outstretched arm, and have made you a name, as at this.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Day we have sinned, we have been.

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Ungodly, we have done wrong. O Lord our God, against all your.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Ordinances, let your anger turn away from us, for we are left few in.

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Number among the nations where you have scattered us. Hear, O Lord, our prayer and our supplication. And for your own sake deliver us, and grant us favor in the sight of those who have carried us into.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Exile that all the earth may know.

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That you are the Lord our God, for Israel and his descendants are called by your name.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

O Lord, look down from your holy.

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Habitation and consider us. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear. Open your eyes, O Lord, and see. For the dead who are in Hades, whose spirit has been taken from their bodies, will not ascribe glory or justice to the Lord. But the person that is greatly distressed, that goes about bent over and feeble, and the eyes that are failing, and the person that hungers will ascribe to you glory and righteousness, O Lord.

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For it is not because of any.

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Righteous deeds of our fathers or our.

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Kings that we bring before you our.

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Prayer for mercy, O Lord our God.

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For you have sent your anger and your wrath upon us as you declared.

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By your servants, the prophets.

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Saying thus says the bend your shoulders and serve the King of Babylon, and.

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You will remain in the land which.

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I gave to your fathers. But if you will not obey the.

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Voice of the Lord and will not serve the king of Babylon, I will make to cease. From the cities of Judah and from the region about Jerusalem, the voice of.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Mirth and the voice of gladness, the.

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Voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, and the whole land will be a desolation without inhabitants.

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But we did not obey your voice to serve the king of Babylon.

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And you have confirmed your words, which you spoke by your servants, the prophets, that the bones of our kings and the bones of our fathers would be brought out of their graves.

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And behold, they have been cast out.

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To the heat of day and the frost of night. They perished in great misery by famine and sword and pestilence. And the house which is called by your name, you have made as it is today because of the wickedness of the house of Israel and the house.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Of Judah, God's covenant.

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Yet you have dealt with us, O Lord our God, in all your kindness and in all your great compassion, as you spoke by your servant Moses on the day when you commanded him to write your law in the presence of.

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The people, saying, if you will not obey my voice, this very great multitude.

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Will surely turn into a small number among the nations where I will scatter them. For I know that they will not.

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Obey me, for they are a stiff necked people.

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But in the land of their exile they will come to themselves, and they will know that I am the Lord their God. I will give them a heart that obeys and ears that hear, and they will praise me. In the land of their exile and will remember my name. And will turn from their stubbornness and their wicked deeds, for they will remember the ways of their fathers who sinned before the Lord. I will bring them again into the land which I swore to give to their fathers to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob, and they will rule over it.

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And I will increase them, and they.

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Will not be diminished. I will make an everlasting covenant with them to be their God, and they shall be my people. And I will never again remove my people, Israel, from the land which I have given them.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The book of Proverbs 11, 17, 20.

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A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

A wicked man earns deceptive wages, but.

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One who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. He who is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Men of perverse mind are an abomination.

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To the Lord, but those of blameless.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Ways are his delight. Father, in heaven we give you praise and glory. We ask you to please help us once again as we pray these proverbs. We ask you to help us to become the people who are kind and the person who is righteous and the person who lives in your right relationship with you. Help us to actually live in right relationship with you this day and every day. Lord God, help us to hear your words clearly, to understand them and understand.

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Not only how you spoke to your.

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People Israel, but also how you are speaking in your scripture today to us, to your people. Now, we bear your name like they bore your name. So please, as you were faithful with them, be faithful with us. And we give you praise and we love you. We make this prayer in the mighty name of your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Wow. Okay, so.

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Oh, man. So we're gonna get to Baruch in just a second.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

But first, Isaiah 32 and 33, just a little context.

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The first thing we have in chapter.

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32 is we have this prophecy of a righteous king. And one of the things that Isaiah.

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Could be talking about, he could be talking about Hezekiah.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Hezekiah, in many ways, was righteous, right? Remember, Hezekiah prayed before the Lord as the Assyrians led by Sennacherib were coming into Jerusalem. And it was desperate, hugely desperate situation. What did Hezekiah do? Hezekiah took that letter from Sennacherib and he put it and brought into the temple the Lord. He placed himself basically, you know, face down and just honored the Lord. And asked his for his intercession. And God heard his prayer. So it could be the Hezekiah is that righteous king, but also could be.

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That the great, great.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

I think, I think it's the great great grandson. No, just the great grandson of Hezekiah was Josiah. And Josiah definitely was a righteous king. Second Kings, chapter 22 mentions that. And so this could be, you know, Isaiah saying, okay, talking about Hezekiah could be Isaiah prophesying about the future king, King Josiah, who would be a righteous king. But also he's calling people back, you know, gosh, there's this recognition of not only the righteousness and integrity from the king and how to blessing that is in chapter 32, but also a call to prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit. And it talks about those complacent women, right? And sorry ladies, a lot of times it's you men of Judah turn back.

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To the Lord because you're wicked.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Today it's the complacent women. And what is that? Essentially the women who are at ease or complacent daughters. It could be a people. It doesn't just be the women, but it's the people who are self indulgent, right?

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Self focused life. Just like I'm untroubled by all the trouble happening around me.

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And that complacent, that self satisfied and what it ultimately can become is lukewarm, right?

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So we know in book of Revelation.

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That the Lord God says to the church of Laodicea, I believe he says, I wish you were hot or cold, but you're lukewarm. Because you're lukewarm, I'd like to spew you out of my mouth, want to vomit you out of my mouth. And there's this element here where the complacent women of Judah or complacent people of Judah, yeah, I'm self satisfied.

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So therefore I'm self indulgent.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And I just don't really care about.

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The troubles that are happening around me.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And so there's this call to wake up from this and a call to turn back to the lord because Isaiah 34 talks about what, talks about the righteous justice of the Lord against all the nations and the completeness of the judgment. We read about the completeness of God's judgment in the other prophets where it was like, no, there's no one who's.

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Going to escape God's judgment.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And Here is chapter 34 that re emphasizes this when it comes all you nations here, all you people listen to me because the indignation of The Lord is coming against all nations. His justice come against all nations. And it's thorough, right? And so one of the things that we can take away from this is not only that God is calling the people of Israel, and therefore now here in the current context, the Christian people back to repentance. But everything belongs to God. That even those people who don't believe.

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In God belong to God.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

That even those who don't profess any.

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Religion still belong to God.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And this recognition that all those things.

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That are not handed over to God.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Will be burned away, everything that doesn't.

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Belong to the Lord will, will fade into oblivion.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And so if I don't want to belong to the Lord, then that's one of the things that'll be burned away, man. It's just, it's powerful and it's dreadful, but it is also true. Now let's go to the book of the prophet Baruch.

[Co-host or Assistant]

Baruch.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Just a little context. So Baruch, as I said, is one of the deuterocanonicals. It's part of the canon. Remember I mentioned, I didn't fully explain this when we were talking about the Book of Tobit. But if you remember, there are Sadducees and there's Pharisees in the time of Jesus. I mean, there's also Essenes and some other groups of people, but you have the Pharisees and Sadducees. And when it comes to the canon.

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Of the Bible, like all the lists.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Of the books of the Bible, the Sadducees, they only acknowledge the first five books of Moses as canon. And so Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, they acknowledged only those five as.

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Part of the canon.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Whereas the Pharisees and others had a.

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Larger canon and the Essenes had a.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Lot of writings as well.

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And so we even can see that.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

In the time of Jesus there was no established canon. And that's why I pointed out that since there was no established canon at the time of Jesus, then who was up to who to establish a canon? Well, not the Jewish people post Jesus, because the Jewish people post Jesus are meant to be in the fulfillment, right?

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They're messianic people now.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

They were waiting for the Messiah.

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The Messiah came in Jesus. And so Jesus fulfilled all of the hopes and all the promises, all the prophecies.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

He fulfilled everything that was meant to.

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Be fulfilled in Judaism.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And so he wasn't, in some ways you can say he wasn't starting something.

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New, but he was doing something new.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

But he was fulfilling the ancient prophecies. He's fulfilling Judaism in himself. And so those first Christians are the fulfillment of Judaism. Because of that, those who did not accept Christ have essentially no authority to establish a canon. It took the church that Christ founded to establish the canon. And Baruch is part of that canon that Christ church founded, if that makes any sense. Okay, so the little context, it's the book of the prophet Baruch. Baruch was a contemporary of Jeremiah. In fact, he would be a. I don't know, I don't want, I don't want to just say a traveling companion with, with Jeremiah. He might have been Jeremiah's scribe, he might have been a co prophet with Jeremiah. And so he is writing after the Babylonian exile. That's what he's saying. He's actually writing to the people of the exile. So that's why he's in the baby blue. Right. Jeff is the color coded nest that were in baby blue because they're singing the blues in exile. And, and what happens is here is Baruch, who's ministering to the people who are in Babylon. And a number of the things that he's doing is he's writing a letter to Jerusalem basically saying, we're taking up a collection and we're asking you, because here we are in Babylon, we're exiled, we're not in the temple, we're not in Jerusalem. That's the only place worship can happen. So we're taking a collection and we're sending it to you. Please pray for us. Offer worship on our behalf.

[Co-host or Assistant]

But also, this is crazy.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Offer worship on behalf of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and for Belshazzar, his son. And that's just, it's remarkable. But you know, St. Paul's going to repeat this in Romans chapter 13, talking.

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About praying for the rulers, even unjust.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Rulers, because at the time of Paul, there was pretty unjust rulers and Nebuchadnezzar is the one who brought them all.

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Into exile in the first place.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And so it's remarkable that here, even in the Old Testament they're saying pray for the rulers.

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But then they go on to have.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The confession of their sins and talk about how, yeah, we disobeyed the Lord, we knew his law, we didn't lack anything. The only thing we lacked were hearts that were willing to be changed, ears that were willing to listen, eyes that.

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Were willing to truly see.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And you know, lives are willing to truly be who God had called us to be. And so this, this lengthy confession, because.

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Righteousness belongs to God. But know what we chose.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

We chose something other than righteousness. And then he leads them into this prayer for deliverance, basically saying, lord God, bring us back. Bring us back. And even Baruch even includes the words of God himself, saying, well, don't worry. I'm going to bring you home. I am going to bring you out of this land of exile, because why? Because I have established my covenant and I will bring you back. And this is the beginning of the book of the prophet Baruch. We're going to continue journeying with him for a couple days and just three days total. And it's just. It's remarkable to be able to not only be with Isaiah as he's with, you know, these, these kings, Ahaz and Uzziah and Hezekiah before the Babylonian exile, but also to hear the words of Baruch during the Babylonian exile, where here.

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Is a people that have been humbled.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

They were a mass of people that have become a small remnant. And yet that remnant is saying, God, don't forget God in even the declaration of faith.

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God, you won't forget and you will bring us home. It's just so good.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

In the last line of chapter two, it says, I will make an everlasting covenant with them to be their God, and they shall be my people.

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And I will never again remove my.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

People, Israel, Israel from the land which I've given them. And that's just God's promise. And we just. We give God thanks. We're so grateful. I'm grateful for you. So keep on praying. I'm praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.