Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Jesus an antitype of Lamech?

Taylor Marshall at Canterbury Tales http://cantuar.blogspot.com has an interesting post about Lamech and Jesus. He writes:

" In the Old Testament, the Bible's first polygamist, Lamech, calls down a protective curse of vengeance:

"Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!
For I have killed a man for wounding me,
Even a young man for hurting me.
If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold" (Gen 4:19-24).
This pattern is corrected and reversed by Christ who said:

"Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." (Mt 18:21-22).
The Old Testament's other Lamech is also a man of sevens. According to Genesis 5:25-31 he was 182 years old at the birth of Noah, and lived for another 595 years, making him 777 years old when he died. "

to take it a step further Lamech names his son Noach(see earlier post) nun chet which is connected to rest or comfort for "this one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands, from the ground which Hashem had cursed." So Lamech introduces man to the idea of a Man who will save us from the original curse(sin) and give us comfort(Paraclete)and one who found favor(chet nun)(this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased) in the eyes of God.

there will be more to come from possible messianic occurrences in bereishit.

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