Baruch 4:9-5:9; Isaiah 60:14; 2 Tim 4:8, Rev 21:1-4, 22-26, Isaiah 61:1-4, 9-10.
The prophet Jeremiah, because of the hard judgments that he had to proclaim, and because of his book of Lamentations, became the inspiration for the term “Jeremiad” –a mournful complaint or list of woes. Baruch, his secretary, follows his master’s example for the bulk of the book that we have been reading. Now, however, we move from lamentation to anticipated joy, in Baruch 4:9-5:9, the closing verses of Baruch. These verses are introduced (4:4-8) by reminding the people of God of their blessings, and about the just punishment that they are experiencing in the exile. The prophet then pictures Jerusalem as a grieving widow who had the foresight to see what would happen to her “children”—the chosen people—because of their sins. “She saw the wrath coming upon you from God,” says Baruch, “and she said….” Her speech goes on for 20 whole verses, which I recommend that you all read in complete form. But here are some of the highlights:
Give heed, neighbors of Zion (Jerusalem), God has brought upon me great sorrow, for I see the exile of my sons and daughters which the Eternal One brought upon them. With joy I raised them, but with weeping and sorrow I sent them away…I was made desolate because of the sins of my children…He brought a nation from afar against them, a shameless nation speaking a strange language which does not respect the elderly nor pity the young child…. I have taken off the robe of peace and clothed myself in the sackcloth of my prayer. I will cry out to the Eternal One…. O my children, take courage, cry out to God and He will deliver you…For I hope upon the Eternal One to save you, and the joy from the Holy One comes to me, because mercy will soon come to you from the Eternal One, your Savior. For I sent you out with sorrow and weeping, but with joy and gladness God will restore you….The neighbors of Zion…will soon see your salvation from your God, which will come upon you with great glory and the radiance of the Eternal One. My children, endure in patience…. My delicate ones have been made to walk rough roads….Take courage, my children, and cry out to God…For just as you purposed to go astray from God, now having returned, seek Him with ten-fold zeal. For the One who brought these calamities upon you will bring you everlasting joy with your salvation. (Baruch 4:9-29)
This speech of Lady Zion is full of reminders concerning the reality in which we live. The mother does not fudge the sins of her children that have justly landed them in this mess—there is, as throughout the whole of Baruch, a good dose of sobriety. It is helpful for us to remember that we live in a marshmallowy era, where mothers tend to speak of “making bad choices” rather than telling their children that they have done wrong. The seriousness of sin should be apparent to any Christian who looks upon the cross that Jesus bore for our sake, or who remembers that God cast Adam and Eve out of the garden—we, too, are in a kind of exile because of sin, an exile of dying, illness, and confusion. This is not the starting point nor the end of our journey, however. God’s creation was rightly declared “good,” and humankind “very good” at the beginning; Lady Jerusalem’s encouragement leads us to remember that though there may be tears now, joy will indeed come on that great morning. Meanwhile, though, our state is fragile, or “delicate” as this speech admits, and in that delicacy we must go through rough periods: “My delicate ones have been made to walk through rough roads.”
St. Ambrose describes our situation in this way:
How great is the providence of the Lord! Where there is a fruit of a softer quality, the thickness of the leaves offers a more protective covering for its defense, as we see in the example of the fig tree. Therefore the more delicate creatures must be protected from the other sturdier ones, as the same Lord teaches by the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, “Like these good figs, thus I will regard the deported ones of Judah that I have sent from this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good and will fix my eyes on them for their good” (Jeremiah 24). In fact, when they were exposed to offenses He encircled them, so to speak, with a more protective covering of His mercy so that those tender fruits would not perish prematurely. Moreover, He later on also says about them, “The creatures of my possession have walked rough ways,” and He says more to them further on, “Be brave, my children, and cry to the Lord.” This is the sole inviolable protection, the impregnable defense against all the storms and the injuries. Where there are delicate fruits, the protection and the defense of the leaves is thicker; on the contrary, where there are more resistant fruits, there the leaves are more delicate, as in the case of the apple. Ambrose Hexameron 5.14.59.
We note here the convention of speaking about the book of Baruch under the aegis of Jeremiah, whose secretary he was, where the saint says that the prophet “later” speaks to the exiles, recognizing their fragility. St. Ambrose makes the point that God knows our weaknesses, and covers us protectively so that we will not perish prematurely, but come through the ordeal as He intends for us. In response to prayers for help, then, God acts, both provisionally and by ultimately rescuing. But we also are active alongside His eternal power—praying, repenting, and “seeking him with ten-fold” effort over our previous efforts to go astray. It is important to recognize here that the rescue is completely God’s action, and not “deserved” by our prayers, repentance, or the seeking of His face. Just as it was completely in God’s hands that a remnant of the Jewish people returned from Babylon and Egypt to the Holy Land and rebuilt the Temple to His honor, so it is solely the “Eternal One,” the “Holy One,” the “Savior” who rescues all humankind from sin and death. He is the good shepherd who rescues the sheep who have gone astray, and who are in danger from wolves. He is the only Glorious One who shines His radiance upon His people so that they, too, will be clothed in great glory and no longer racked with sorrow. However, this is not a mechanical process, but the way that our Creator reaches out to His creation, looking for our response and our confessed need of Him. So “Mother Jerusalem” intercedes, telling her “children” to reach out and seek Him: we may see in this mother a picture of God’s Holy Church, seen up close in the intercessions of the Theotokos, who tells us, as she did the servants at Cana, “do what He tells you.”
The speech of Mother Zion is followed up by the prophet’s words of consolation to both Zion and her children: “Take courage, for He who named you will comfort you!” (Baruch 4:30). God is the great namer of His people, naturalizing us within His own household, and, as St. John tells us, giving us “a new name” known only to ourselves (Rev 2:17). Baruch mentions this new name, but we have to wait for the final chapter for the actual content of this new name to be disclosed. There we are told “your name will forever be called by God ‘the Peace of Righteousness’ and ‘the Glory of Godliness’” (5:4). The association of our name with peace, righteousness, glory, and godliness is paralleled in other Old Testament passages, where Jerusalem, is called “the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 60:14), “Delightful and Married” (Is 62:4), “the Lord is Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:26 MT), and “the Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35, MT). As Orthodox, we know about the power of a new name, and especially a name associated with holiness, for we receive this at our baptism, chrismation, or (for some of us) ordination. The name here promised to God’s people as a whole links the person not simply with a holy saint, but with God’s own mysterious name, the Name that means “I am who I am,” shown to Moses at the burning bush. To understand God’s name is to recognize Him as the LORD of all, the Eternal One, the Holy One who called Israel, the Righteous One, the Savior, the One Who is there, among us, and the One to whom we are linked in a bond stronger than marriage, renewing us as the delightful image of God that we were always meant to be.
The prophecy ends by filling out what this new name means for God’s people—God’s people will return to him, rejoicing in His Glory, called by the very Word of God (4:37). They will remove their “garments” of mourning and put on God’s beauty forever (5:1)—garments that are described as “a double robe of righteousness,” and “a diadem of the glory of the Eternal One.” Of course, we all know about the diadems or crowns promised to those who are in Christ, and see these symbolized before our eyes during the marriage service, for example. As St. Paul says, there is a crown of righteousness awaiting him, “which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give on that day, and not only to him, but to all who love his appearing” (2 Tim 4:8). The “double robe” is a curious reference, not found elsewhere in Scriptures, but here most likely gives the idea of a garment with special warmth, such as a double vested coat today that keeps out the cold and doesn’t separate easily to expose the skin underneath.
Clearly, God’s people are splendidly dressed, in such a way, says Baruch, as to show forth God’s brightness, because He has dressed them, to every nation under heaven (5:2). The eternal Word Himself will gather them, carrying them back to glory, levelling every road so that the passage there is easy, and that the people of God may “dwell safely in the glory of God” (5:7). We are reminded of God’s provision for the coming of Jesus Himself, that “every valley be exalted and every hill brought low,” so that “the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Is 40:4-5). How amazing that for the whole world to see the glory of God revealed means not only that they shall see Jesus (and they shall!) but that they shall be startled at the radiance of God’s own people. As Baruch says, God will lead them “with joy in the light of His glory.” We are given even more detail in the mysterious vision of John, which describes that glory in terms of a bride prepared for her Bridegroom:
I saw the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for Her husband…The dwelling of God is with men, and He will dwell with them and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God…The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of the Lord illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the natons of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it. (Rev 21: 1-4, 22-26).
Our prophet, then, who began in weeping and fasting concludes his prophecy with a vision of joy and glory, when tears will be wiped away. What he sees from his vantage point in exile is that the nations will behold and be amazed of the glory of God as shed upon a renewed Israel. What we see from our greater perspective, made possible by the work of Jesus, is that many from those nations will also participate in that glory and radiance, joining with the people of God who have received a new name. Baruch’s concluding phrase, “mercy and righteousness come from Him,” is a greater prophecy than the prophet knew, for it is by this mercy and righteousness that peace has come to the whole world, and will be fulfilled on that great Day when He calls all to Himself, whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, free or slave. And we all will “rejoice in the remembrance of God” (Baruch 5:5): indeed, we will not have to remember, for He will be with us and among us. Baruch’s double stance—in exile, but keenly anticipating the last day—is particularly appropriate for us during this time of Lent, as we are subject to a kind of exile and deprivation, but look forward with deep hope to the Pascha which will fill us with God’s glory, and when we will sing, “Shine, New Jerusalem! Be glad, O Zion! The Glory of the LORD has shone upon you!”
Edith M. Humphrey 