seventy-three hundred 911’s, a man named lemek, and his seven times seventy

  seventy-three hundred 911’s

As we come upon the 20th anniversary of what has become known as “911,” here are a few of my thoughts about that awful day and the seven thousand three hundred—that’s “7,300”—awful days it spawned. Yes, one evil day gave birth to 7,300 more evil days.
 
Of course, to spawn awful days and give birth to evil was the precise purpose of the attackers. One knew it as one watched the towers crumble to dusk and ashes. One sensed the world would never be the same. One feared that we would fall into the attackers’ trap. One’s prescient fears were realized. We did. Fall into the trap. I wonder, now, if they ever imagined, those jihadis, that they would be as successful as they have been in spawning evil.
 
I have thought of the just under 3,000 innocent American civilians, non-combatants all, who were murdered in the name of God. I have thought of the just under 3,000 innocent civilians, non-combatants all, whose death was justified because of some imagined “greater good” and in the profane name of “just war.”
 
These deaths are tragic. The reasons and justifications for these deaths make the deaths doubly tragic. The reasons and justifications for these deaths are satanic.
 
As I have thought on these things, I have found my mind turn to the 45,000 to 65,000 United Kingdom civilians, non-combatants all, who were killed by the German air force’s deliberate bombing of British cities during WWII for the sake of some imagined “greater good” and in the profane name of “just war.”
 
My mind has turned to the 300,000 to 500,000 German civilians, non-combatants all, who were killed by the Allied air forces’ deliberate bombing of German cities during WWII for the sake of some imagined “greater good” and in the profane name of “just war.”[1]
 
My mind has turned to the 300,000 to 400,000 Japanese civilians, non-combatants all, who were killed by the American air force’s deliberate bombing of Japanese cities during WWII—an estimated 100,000 dead on one night alone, March 9-10, 1944, and another 150,000-200,000 who died by one of two atomic weapons—for the sake of some imagined “greater good” and in the profane name of “just war.”
 
And, yes, my mind has turned to the 20,000 to 50,000 Afghani civilians, non-combatants all, who have been killed by the American air forces’ use of stealth drones, apocalyptic in spirit, in the skies of Afghanistan for the sake of some imagined “greater good” and in the profane name of “just war.”
 
This brings us to a man named Lemek.
 
 

 a man named lemek and his seven times seventy

As I have thought on the 3,000 American civilians’ lives lost in one day, “911,” and the—we will split the difference—35,000 Afghan civilians’ lives lost over the course of “7300” (an Afghani death toll 10 times higher and extended over a period of time 7300 times longer than America’s 911) my mind has turned as it so often does to scripture and to one Lemek, a descendant, six generations removed, from the murderous Cain.
 
We well know the story of Abel’s murder at the hands of his brother Cain, and Cain’s arrogant question—more assertion than query—with which he challenged God after the deed: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” We know that Cain was driven from polite society after his murderous deed. Though Cain became an outcast, God placed a mark upon him, protection against vengeance for his murder. If one chose to ignore the divine protective mark upon Cain and kill him, they would be punished seven times more severely than Cain had been for his killing.
 
With this protection in place, Cain had children and his children had children and his children’s children had children, etc. Generations of Cain’s descendants came and went until we arrive at the seventh generation and the man named Lemek. With this seventh generation (it would be ten generations on Seth’s side of the family) and this man named Lemek, Cain’s line—with the entire planet—reaches its zenith, a perfection of sin and wickedness.[2]
 
Looking down upon a planet he had so happily pronounced, “good,” “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his hear was only evil continually.”[3] We are struck by the intensity of the language as reflected in the repeated use of superlatives: “every,” “only,” and “continually.”
 
“Every thought devised in the human heart was only evil all the time.”[4]
 
“But what,” we might want to know, “was the nature of the all-consuming evil”?
 
Genesis is ready with its answer.
 
“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, ‘The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them…’”[5]
 
We note the twice repeated charge against humanity: “violence.” And this brings us back to Lemek, descendant of Cain and part of the seventh generation that had brought sin in its most violent forms to perfection. Lemek proudly proclaims his perfection to his two wives.
 
“ʽādâ and Ṣillâ, listen to what I have to say.
   You wives of Lemek, give ear to my words.
‘Because I have killed a man for a trifle,[6]
   and a young man for a light wound;[7]
though an offense against Qayin might bring vengeance seven times more severe than the offense,
   one against Lemek is avenged seven times seventy.’”[8]
 
The nature of the worldwide violence that was so perfected by humankind and that so pained the heart of God was that violence which flowed out of the desire for vengeance, payback, retribution, etc. But, of course, that vengeance, that payback, that retribution was then and is now considered an act of “justice.” It is indicative of a world intent on, obsessed with “punitive justice.”
 
But Lemek’s sense of “punitive justice” could not be satisfied or bound by one that called for “an eye for an eye.” This was too sissified for a man’s man like Lemek. In Lemek’s world, the loss of an eye called for the loss of five hundred eyes.
 
This is the “violence” that flooded the earth and brought collapse to civilizations. Flood waters are a trifle compared to the flood of human violence masquerading as justice.
 
 

  conclusion and benediction

And so it is that post 911 America has the look and feel of Lemek’s seventh generation—the perfection of “punitive justice,” vengeance, and violence. It started with the murder of 3,000 American innocents. It was made worse by a man, elected president, who stood on top of a heap of rubble, puffed out his chest, and unashamedly bellowed into a bullhorn his intent to lead a wounded nation in following Lemek’s violent example. The madness of unreasonable, disproportionate, and exaggerated violence that he began then and there has lasted for 20 years—7300 times longer than the original offense. Lemek would be proud.
 
The madness of unreasonable, disproportionate, and exaggerated violence about which a president of the United States prophesied escalated from there on that heap of rubble until it has led to many, many thousands of lives lost—most tragically some 35,000 innocent Afghani men, women, and children, non-combatants all, ten times more than were killed in the 911 attacks. That is not even as “righteous” as an eye for an eye. It is as wicked as dozens and dozens of eyes lost on “the other side” for every one lost on “our side.” Lemek would be proud. He has nothing on the United States of America. History, repeating itself.
 
Yes, in its “war on terrorism” America has done well by Lemek.
 
This is as good evidence as one can find that the “Preacher” was dead on when he shared his estimation of humankind—an estimation that stands, appropriately, at the head our “Mad State of Our Rebellion” page:
 
“…The heart of the sons of men
   is full of evil,
and madness is in their heart
   while they live…”
 
How long can it be before the flood of violence sweeps over the earth destroying everything in its path? The signs of its murderous billows are everywhere. Now might be a good time to start building an ark in the backyard.
 
“Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man:
   preserve me from the violent man;
Which imagine mischiefs in their heart;
   continually are they gathered together for war.
 
“Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
   preserve me from the violent man;
      who have purposed to overthrow my goings.
 
“Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked:
   further not his wicked device;
      lest they exalt themselves.
 
“Let burning coals fall upon them:
   let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits,
      that they rise not up again.”[9]
 
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!


[1] The United States’ own post-ward “Strategic Bombing Survey estimated that the minimum number of deaths from Allied bombing raids over cities was 300,000.

[2] It is certain that both numbers, ‘7’ and ‘10’ serve a symbolic role in the Book of Genesis. Both numbers represent a “completion,” “perfection,” “zenith” of eras, characters, etc. They can present both highest points and lowest points; for sin, like righteousness can arrive at a point of “perfection.” At the time of the flood, the seventh generation of Cainites and the tenth generation of Sethites, the human race had perfected sin and wickedness to the point that it could not be improved upon.

[3] Genesis 6.5

[4] Author’s translation

[5] Genesis 6.11-13, emphasis added.

[6] Lit., “a bruise.”

[7] The idea throughout is that his response to an offense was completely out of all proportion. In the following verse, he boasts about this new-found power.

[8] Genesis 4.23-24 Lemek wears his insistence on vengeance as a badge of honor, courage, and real manhood. One thinks of the old Scottish attitude, “No one hurts me unharmed.” It is ironic that Qayin’s line, one in which the progenitor did not experience the vengeance, is the very line most insistent on its right to vengeance against those who wrong them.

[9] Psalm 140.1-2, 4, 8, 10