The book of Prophet Baruch
Chapter 2
1. So the Lord carried out the threat he spoke against us; against our judges who ruled Israel, and against our kings and our rulers and the people of Israel and Judah.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verse 1)
Oh God my Father at times I wonder if You have unleashed Your anger on the world and if we are already experiencing its consequences, for the world is not like it used to be. Disobedience and sin have increased but at least there are still those who have held firm in their belief. I pray for mercy although we deserve all the punishments that You have planned for we have greatly sinned against You, the world and ourselves Amen.
2. Under the whole heaven there has not been done the like of what he has done in Jerusalem, in accordance with the threats that were written in the law of Moses.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verse 2)
Oh God, my Father there is none like You for You are able to make what is impossible become possible. You are full of surprises, however, above all You are just and always keep Your Word. The people were bound to obey the commandments and even experience the related penalties for their disobedience. This is also applicable to us in 2016. We are not to focus on Your mercy and give total disregard to Your justice Amen.
3. Some of us ate the flesh of their daughters. 4. He made them subject to all the kingdoms around us, to be an object of scorn and a desolation among all the surrounding peoples, where the Lord has scattered them. 5. They were brought down and not raised up, because our nation sinned against the Lord our God, in not heeding his voice.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 3 to 5)
Oh God my Father, the people of these times ate the flesh of their children and many years after we are no better for we are still abusing and aborting them. This great sin is on our generation and on those to come, for this is a crime against You and against humanity and for every crime there is a penalty which is according to Your justice Amen.
6. The Lord our God is in the right, but there is open shame on us and our ancestors this very day.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verse 6)
Oh God whatever we do no matter our school of thought we can never match You in justice, love and mercy. We are experiencing the consequences of negative decisions that we are to be ashamed of. Decisions such as marriage between couples of the same gender are a parody of marriage as we know it. It is a parody of human dignity and many more sensitive issues Amen.
7. All those calamities with which the Lord threatened us have come upon us. 8. Yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord by turning away, each of us, from the thoughts of our wicked hearts.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 7 to 8)
Oh God at times I wonder what it needs to be in order for us to change our negative ways. I know people who have had narrow escapes from death on motorcycles and other forms of risky activity but still such people still go back to the same negative activity. I pray oh God that we become aware of our weaknesses offer them to You in faith that we do not go back to our old ways amen.
9. And the Lord has kept the calamities ready, and the Lord has brought them upon us, for the Lord is just in all the works that he has commanded us to do. 10. Yet we have not obeyed his voice, to walk in the statutes of the Lord that he set before us.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 9 to 10)
Oh God, You are justice beyond justice, therefore You cannot spare us from the consequences of our sins. When we disobey You we bring on ourselves the calamities of our own destruction, if it was for you, we never experience such moments of anguish however You have created us free in our decision making even though we may make one mistake after another Amen.
As You Yourself has told us by means of Jesus Your Son in the New Testament You send rain on both the just and the unjust. You do not show bias or partiality, You are totally just in all Your works and in everything You do and say. Even though I do not always understand by certain events that take place in my life, I still thank You for them, for You are aware of all that takes place, and I only can perceive the blurred image which I perceive as being the truth. Amen.
11. And now, O Lord God of Israel, 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 made yourself a name that continues to this day, 12. we have sinned, we have been ungodly, we have done wrong, O Lord our God, against all your ordinances.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 11 to 12)
Oh God, my Father, we have broken every commandment in the Bible that You have given us. We have gone against Your will many times. We have done irreparable damage to each other and to Your creation of which we are experiencing the relative consequences. We are living a Godless life by means of ways of alienation such as online gaming, substance abuse and living a life that is totally secular meaning a life with values of the world that go against Your will. I pray oh God in name of the world for Your forgiveness for although we think we have advanced in science and technology that leads to a better quality of life, we are grossly mistaken. Our lives cannot improve if we do not have You as our center. We are going around in circles like a dog chasing its tail. We are caught in a rut but will not admit it because we are so alienated that we are not even aware of the ways that we are stuck in, and for those who may be aware some have accepted this lifestyle as one that is acceptable on the premise that this is the accepted and common way of life. Forgive us oh God my Father for we know not what we are doing and where we are heading Amen.
I pray that you join me in this song and prayer of forgiveness to You my God and Father and say " I am sorry my God and Father"
I am sorry God
13. Let your anger turn away from us, for we are left few in number, among the nations where you have scattered us.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verse 13)
Oh God my Father when we are as a group, or a community, we find our strength in numbers, we have others on which we can rely for our physical and moral support, however when such support systems do not exist anymore we feel lonely and depressed.
However what we do not realize is that in truth we are never alone, for You are always with us, and that even from among a small group of people, or from among the big group of natives or community where we happen to be You can create new means of support. Moreover if we place our trust in You, we can witness miracles taking place without our being aware of how they happened and by whom! In truth it is You who are always caring for us and helping us in our daily needs as you do for the birds of the air and the creatures of all the world and oceans. Amen.
14. 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 exile; 15. so that all the earth may know that you are the Lord our God, for Israel and his descendants are called by your name.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 14 to 15)
Oh God my father I also beckon on You that You hear my prayer, and deliver me from the situation that I am in. If You take me and provide a husband to replace me, it would be enough for me. I need to experience Your love and rest Amen. I do not know how long I can survive in this exile. You and the hope that one day You will deliver me is my only reason to keep me alive Amen.
16. O LORD, look down from your holy dwelling, and consider us. Incline your ear O Lord and hear, 17. 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; 18. but the person who is deeply grieved, who walks bowed and feeble, with failing eyes and famished soul, will declare your glory and righteousness O Lord.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 16 to 18)
Oh God look down from Your heavenly home upon me and my dwelling. Have mercy on me and release me from this marriage, for I am dying on many levels, my heart is broken, I feel depressed, my spirit is faltering and famished. You are my only hope and in You I placed my trust. If You do not support me, all my hope is lost. As a family we cannot withstand each other's presence. Stress is in the air. The scourge of sin is suffocating like smog bringing death on all accounts. I pray for Your mercy oh God and Father. Amen
19. For it is not because of any righteous deeds of our ancestors or our kings that we bring before you our prayer for mercy, O Lord our God.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verse 19)
Oh God my Father its about time that we took on ourselves the responsibility of our sins and appear before You in humility and in a state of repentance and contrition to obtain Your love, mercy and forgiveness for we are going to far in our sinful lives. Amen. Humble us oh God for we need to have our noses rubbed in the dirt Amen.
2. Under the whole heaven there has not been done the like of what he has done in Jerusalem, in accordance with the threats that were written in the law of Moses.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verse 2)
Oh God, my Father there is none like You for You are able to make what is impossible become possible. You are full of surprises, however, above all You are just and always keep Your Word. The people were bound to obey the commandments and even experience the related penalties for their disobedience. This is also applicable to us in 2016. We are not to focus on Your mercy and give total disregard to Your justice Amen.
3. Some of us ate the flesh of their daughters. 4. He made them subject to all the kingdoms around us, to be an object of scorn and a desolation among all the surrounding peoples, where the Lord has scattered them. 5. They were brought down and not raised up, because our nation sinned against the Lord our God, in not heeding his voice.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 3 to 5)
Oh God my Father, the people of these times ate the flesh of their children and many years after we are no better for we are still abusing and aborting them. This great sin is on our generation and on those to come, for this is a crime against You and against humanity and for every crime there is a penalty which is according to Your justice Amen.
6. The Lord our God is in the right, but there is open shame on us and our ancestors this very day.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verse 6)
Oh God whatever we do no matter our school of thought we can never match You in justice, love and mercy. We are experiencing the consequences of negative decisions that we are to be ashamed of. Decisions such as marriage between couples of the same gender are a parody of marriage as we know it. It is a parody of human dignity and many more sensitive issues Amen.
7. All those calamities with which the Lord threatened us have come upon us. 8. Yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord by turning away, each of us, from the thoughts of our wicked hearts.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 7 to 8)
Oh God at times I wonder what it needs to be in order for us to change our negative ways. I know people who have had narrow escapes from death on motorcycles and other forms of risky activity but still such people still go back to the same negative activity. I pray oh God that we become aware of our weaknesses offer them to You in faith that we do not go back to our old ways amen.
9. And the Lord has kept the calamities ready, and the Lord has brought them upon us, for the Lord is just in all the works that he has commanded us to do. 10. Yet we have not obeyed his voice, to walk in the statutes of the Lord that he set before us.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 9 to 10)
Oh God, You are justice beyond justice, therefore You cannot spare us from the consequences of our sins. When we disobey You we bring on ourselves the calamities of our own destruction, if it was for you, we never experience such moments of anguish however You have created us free in our decision making even though we may make one mistake after another Amen.
As You Yourself has told us by means of Jesus Your Son in the New Testament You send rain on both the just and the unjust. You do not show bias or partiality, You are totally just in all Your works and in everything You do and say. Even though I do not always understand by certain events that take place in my life, I still thank You for them, for You are aware of all that takes place, and I only can perceive the blurred image which I perceive as being the truth. Amen.
11. And now, O Lord God of Israel, 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 made yourself a name that continues to this day, 12. we have sinned, we have been ungodly, we have done wrong, O Lord our God, against all your ordinances.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 11 to 12)
Oh God, my Father, we have broken every commandment in the Bible that You have given us. We have gone against Your will many times. We have done irreparable damage to each other and to Your creation of which we are experiencing the relative consequences. We are living a Godless life by means of ways of alienation such as online gaming, substance abuse and living a life that is totally secular meaning a life with values of the world that go against Your will. I pray oh God in name of the world for Your forgiveness for although we think we have advanced in science and technology that leads to a better quality of life, we are grossly mistaken. Our lives cannot improve if we do not have You as our center. We are going around in circles like a dog chasing its tail. We are caught in a rut but will not admit it because we are so alienated that we are not even aware of the ways that we are stuck in, and for those who may be aware some have accepted this lifestyle as one that is acceptable on the premise that this is the accepted and common way of life. Forgive us oh God my Father for we know not what we are doing and where we are heading Amen.
I pray that you join me in this song and prayer of forgiveness to You my God and Father and say " I am sorry my God and Father"
I am sorry God
13. Let your anger turn away from us, for we are left few in number, among the nations where you have scattered us.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verse 13)
Oh God my Father when we are as a group, or a community, we find our strength in numbers, we have others on which we can rely for our physical and moral support, however when such support systems do not exist anymore we feel lonely and depressed.
However what we do not realize is that in truth we are never alone, for You are always with us, and that even from among a small group of people, or from among the big group of natives or community where we happen to be You can create new means of support. Moreover if we place our trust in You, we can witness miracles taking place without our being aware of how they happened and by whom! In truth it is You who are always caring for us and helping us in our daily needs as you do for the birds of the air and the creatures of all the world and oceans. Amen.
14. 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 exile; 15. so that all the earth may know that you are the Lord our God, for Israel and his descendants are called by your name.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 14 to 15)
Oh God my father I also beckon on You that You hear my prayer, and deliver me from the situation that I am in. If You take me and provide a husband to replace me, it would be enough for me. I need to experience Your love and rest Amen. I do not know how long I can survive in this exile. You and the hope that one day You will deliver me is my only reason to keep me alive Amen.
16. O LORD, look down from your holy dwelling, and consider us. Incline your ear O Lord and hear, 17. 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; 18. but the person who is deeply grieved, who walks bowed and feeble, with failing eyes and famished soul, will declare your glory and righteousness O Lord.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 16 to 18)
Oh God look down from Your heavenly home upon me and my dwelling. Have mercy on me and release me from this marriage, for I am dying on many levels, my heart is broken, I feel depressed, my spirit is faltering and famished. You are my only hope and in You I placed my trust. If You do not support me, all my hope is lost. As a family we cannot withstand each other's presence. Stress is in the air. The scourge of sin is suffocating like smog bringing death on all accounts. I pray for Your mercy oh God and Father. Amen
19. For it is not because of any righteous deeds of our ancestors or our kings that we bring before you our prayer for mercy, O Lord our God.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verse 19)
Oh God my Father its about time that we took on ourselves the responsibility of our sins and appear before You in humility and in a state of repentance and contrition to obtain Your love, mercy and forgiveness for we are going to far in our sinful lives. Amen. Humble us oh God for we need to have our noses rubbed in the dirt Amen.
20. For you have sent your anger and your wrath upon us, as you declared by your servants the prophets saying: 21. Thus says the Lord: Bend your shoulders and serve the king of Babylon and you will remain in the land that I gave to your ancestors. 22. But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord and will not serve the king of Babylon, 23. I will make to cease from the towns of Judah and from the region around Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, and the whole land will be a desolation without inhabitants.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 20 to 23)
Oh God my beloved Father, You are fair and honest with us. You warn us before we experience the negative consequences of our sinful actions. Many times You even speak to us by means of such events, thus showing us, that certain issues are to be faced and corrected, before we end up in serious trouble Amen. I thank You for raising our awareness by means of such circumstances Amen.
24. But we did not obey your voice, to serve the king of Babylon; and you have carried out your threats, which you spoke by your servants the prophets, that the bones of our kings and the bones of our ancestors would be brought out of their resting place; 25 and indeed they have been thrown out to the heat of day and the frost of night. They perished in great misery, by famine and sword and pestilence. 26. And the house that is called by your name you have made as it is today, because of the wickedness of the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 24 to 26)
Oh God my beloved Father, Your Church is at it is today, because we have been disobedient to Your Holy Will. You do not approve of homosexuality but such a group of people have been accepted in the Roman Catholic Church because their actions are sinful but not the person, as a consequence the emergence of priests who molest children, and or priests who have homosexual tendencies have become common. Once we showed tolerance to sin, we opened our selves to such negative acts. I pray that You purify us Your body on earth that we call the Roman Catholic Church, that is if we are still Your Church. Amen.
27. Yet you have dealt with us, O Lord our God, in all your kindness and in all your great compassion, 28 as you spoke by your servant Moses on the day when you commanded him to write your law in the presence of the people of Israel, saying, 29. "If you will not obey my voice, this very great multitude will surely turn into a small number among the nations, where I will scatter them.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 27 to 29)
Oh God my beloved Father, You treat us much better than we treat ourselves and even more better than we treat each other. Moreover it is fit and proper if we are to pay the price of our disobedience, for many times we are not loyal to You. While we are united with You we are bold, once we are divided by sin we are fragmented. Amen, have mercy on us my God and Father.
³⁰ For I know that they will not obey me, for they are a stiff-necked people. But in the land of their exile they will come to themselves ³¹ and know that I am the Lord their God. I will give them a heart that obeys and ears that hear; ³² they will praise me in the land of their exile, and will remember my name ³³ and turn from their stubbornness ans their wicked deeds; for they will remember the ways of their ancestors, who sinned before the Lord.
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 30 to 33)
Oh God my beloved Father, as human beings we are hard headed and even hard hearted, unfortunately I am part of nature and share both the positive and the negative traits of this nature. Today we think that we are living an advanced age in technology and this may be so, however this is also a time of exile, for we are becoming slaves of the same technology and culture that we are living in. I pray that one day we will see Your light and wake up from our dream land, that is becoming so real that it is being hard to distinguish from the vitual reality that we are being exposed to. Amen.
³⁴ I will bring them again into the land that I swore to give to their ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they will rule over it; and I will increase them, and they will not be diminished. ³⁵ 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 that I have given them."
(Book of Prophets Baruch Chapter 2 verses 30 to 33)
Oh God my beloved Father, even though the situation of Your people today is still unstable I believe that You are still on their side, in order to give them back the land and the priviliges that You had given them before. In time the forces of evil will be overcome and Your justice will prevail. However as in the case of entering and occupying the promised land which was a lengthy process, the reconquest will also take time, however important missions start by making small steps as in the following article:-
The first meeting of the diaspora God's people who were sent away from the promised land
Oh God my beloved Father, I pray that Your justice will prevail over the wickedness of the world and the evil forces that condition it from walking in Your ways. I would like to end the second chapter from the book of the prophet Baruch with the following prayer:-
Oh God my Father You know that by nature we are disobedient and stubborn. You also know that we have broken all the rules in the book of life and that death is our lawful penalty. We have aborted our children, trafficked others and discriminated against You by means of our choices in this disposable society. I pray that You do not hold our actions against us for if so our situation would be desperate. Mercy Oh God for we do not know what we are doing Amen.
