A Tale of Two Lamechs

 “Lamech said to his wives, ‘Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice; wives of Lamech, pay attention to my words: I killed a man for wounding me, a boy for striking me; so Cain will be paid back seven times and Lamech seventy-seven times.” Genesis 4:23-24 (CEB)

I am on vacation. A vacation is a wonderful time to gear up for coming challenges. And, when I was not in an Emergency Room for a random infection procured by a bug bite (a bug that was, no doubt, a colossal, blood sucking monstrosity of nature that came in the middle of the night to claim my life but was thwarted by my insurmountable will to live), I was determined to do just that. The challenge: this Torah study. The preparation: I decided to do a dry run. This “dry run” has included reading Genesis in the last two days. Given the task that is to come, I thought I would share an insight/connection that has had some influence on how I understand the book.

This insight is imbedded in the genealogies of chapters 4 and 5. After Cain murders Abel and is ejected from the stability of his household to fend for himself, Genesis gives us a brief list of Cain’s descendants, who are a fairly technologically advanced group (4:21-23). But I want to focus in on one person in particular. A majority of this genealogical text is devoted to Lamech and his famous, irascible declaration in 4:23-24. Misunderstanding the function of the protection given to Cain by God, Lamech thinks he can manipulate this protective blessing and use it to further the damage his ancestor, Cain, had wrought. Lamech arrogantly assumes that he has the right to take the life of any who oppose him, a clear distortion of the purpose of the protection that was offered to Cain.

This strange aside makes for a welcome departure from a “boring” genealogy. However, its theological/thematic importance is discovered, in my opinion, when seen beside the genealogy in chapter 5. Curiously enough, there are a number of similar or identical names between Cain and Shem’s genealogies. We see the counterpart to Cain’s Lamech in 5:28-31. Let us note the similar, yet importantly different detail: Cain’s Lamech overcomes the curse of the land by developing advanced tools and forceful rule over his enemies; Shem’s Lamech names his son Noah in hope that he will be the one to give them relief from the curse.

This interesting comparison provides a significant theological insight for us as readers. These parallel families are functioning by very different paradigms. One family group takes matters into its own hands: killing, oppressing, subverting, demanding, and developing tools to aid in these tasks. The other dwells in the same world under a similar curse, working to live, but all the while maintaining a link to their strained relationship with the God who created their ancestors, Adam and Eve. Their most notable characteristics lie in their relationship to this God, not in their ingenuity. The tale of two Lamech’s casts a vision and a theme that permeates the book of Genesis and the Bible as a whole.

Who says that genealogies are boring?

A (Not So) Subtle Jab

Well, the day approaches! This morning, on my way to completing my six-month "read through the Bible" program, I read through the Letter to the Hebrews. As I finished the letter, I was reminded of a wonderful statement that should confront all of us before we begin this little endeavor.

A quick explanation: I find myself apologizing to quite a few people that this will indeed be a lot of reading each day. But, I want to take a moment to assert a very important addendum to this phrase for all those who have bemoaned the reading. The word is: Relatively!  So, from now on, if someone says, "Wow, Derek, that is a lot of reading." I will respond, "Yes, RELATIVELY, it is a lot of reading."

Why, you might ask, have I decided to add this word to my response? Because as I finished Hebrews this morning I was emboldened by 13:22, "I urge you, brothers and sisters, to put up with this message of encouragement, since I've only written a short letter to you!" (CEB). Honestly, who among us would read all 13 chapters of Hebrews and say, "My goodness, that was quite a short letter. I wish you would have explained a bit more, author of Hebrews."

The answer is: No one.

Thus, though this may seem like a lot of reading, I submit to you that it is in fact a reasonable amount of reading, but we have become a lazy and complacent people in regard to study.

So here is my (not so) subtle jab. If any of us think seven chapters of daily Bible reading is excessive, then perhaps the problem is not with the amount of reading, but the amount of discipline. If the amount of reading is daunting due to our inability to concentrate or just plain laziness, then this challenge is even more important for us. Let us commit to this and see how it transforms our discipline in reading the Scriptures.

The Hiatus and Some Instructions

Let me be the first to welcome myself back. I apologize for the long hiatus. I was in a two week intensive class on the book of Revelation. I was cooped up for nine days, 4 1/2 hours per day, squirming and writhing through that wonderfully complex text.

But, I digress; it is time to unveil the instructions for the first 30 days of our six month Torah project. Without further ado, here it is:

First Read-Through: Rough Organization

              

Supplies:

1. Note-taking paraphernalia
2. Four to eight different colored highlighters 
3.  A large sheet of paper (11 x 17 should do)

Instructions:

1. Ignoring the chapter divisions and titles inserted by your translation of the Bible, divide the text into major sections and give them a name that will help you remember them 
1.  For example: Genesis 1-11 as Primeval History, Leviticus 12-15 as Purity Laws, etc.
2. Write down words that are often repeated. Record the section(s) in which they often appear. These will likely lead you to major themes of the section/book/Torah.
1. For example: Covenant is an important throughout the Torah. Deliverance is important throughout the book of Exodus. Unclean/Clean is important in Leviticus 12-17.
3. After you have separated all of the major sections with the themes that they contain, highlight each section that has several common themes with the same color.
4. Draw a basic, graphic representation of the Torah. This is a creative endeavor. It is something that you should be thinking about throughout this first reading. What is the best way to organize these sections to show their interrelatedness? How do they all tie together?

As you can see, this is fairly simple. However, the detail will increase with each subsequent reading. When we begin, I will be posting each week to show what I have been doing if anyone feels completely lost. I will also be sharing some thoughts on passages that might be difficult, providing some cultural and historical background that might shed some light on the text.

I look forward to this journey.