The Household of God
Volume 2
Rise and spiritual prime of the first world empire Hanoch
- Chapter 179 -
LAMECH IS TESTED AND HUMBLED IN HIS PRETENDED DIVINITY AND OMNIPOTENCE BY KISEHEL
After this miraculous deed Kisehel turned to Lamech asking him: "Lamech, you who do not only fancy being a great king, but even a God, have had many thousands executed, and this always in the most cruel manner possible. Tell us whether by virtue of your divinity you have ever called a single one back to life?
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"For we know only too well that you have repented many a deed.
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"You would have loved to call back to life your brothers whom you had slain, as well as many another, had you found it possible at the time before you fancied being a God.
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"So tell us why you did not do this now that you firmly believed to be an almighty God!
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"Did you not want to, or could you not do it, or did you perhaps consider it beneath your divine dignity?"
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And Lamech replied, quite majestically and proudly: "I have always held it beneath my dignity; this is why I never wanted to do it."
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Again Kisehel asked him: "So declare what deeds you consider worthy of the Deity."
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And Lamech promptly asked Kisehel: "Am I then obliged to answer your every question?"
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Upon which Kisehel replied: "Yes, this you must now do lest a sharp blow of the rod hit you from above; so answer diligently what you are asked about."
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And Lamech, recognizing from the seriousness of Kisehel's face that he could by no means be trifled with, promptly answered the above question as follows:
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"Seeing that I have to answer anyway, I tell you that the only thing I really deem worthy of God is creating worlds and again destroying the same.
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"All else is nothing but a mere catching of gnats and can be regarded as the work of minor serving spirits.
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Thus also revenge and judgment are worthy of God; whereas mercy, love, patience, forbearance and the like can be regarded as traits of common creatures."
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And Kisehel asked him again, saying: "All right, I will let it pass for the time being; but you must prove to me that you are in fact an almighty God.
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"For it does not follow that you cannot do it because you do not want to; to almightiness surely nothing is impossible!
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Thus you could re-awaken dead people if only you wanted it?
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Therefore I tell you that you must do this right now in order to prove to us your divinity; for we do not recognize your divinity as yet from your destroying and killing since this also the ferocious beasts of the forest can do.
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"Look, here are maids, women and your servants. Kill one of them and promptly revive this person again completely, and you can be assured that we, too, shall recognize and humbly worship you as the sole true God of heaven and earth.
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"Do not ponder too long but show us promptly what you are capable of doing as God!"
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Here Lamech became mightily confused and knew no longer what to do or at least say.
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And then Kisehel said to him in a very serious tone of voice: "Listen, Lamech, unless you give us immediate proof of your divinity as demanded by me, I shall force you with burning torches over your back with your own royal hands to dig out and clean the, to you, well-known stone tablet - on which you wrote the name of Jehovah, besmeared this tablet with filth and, cursing the name, threw it into a filthy hole burying the same again with filth - and only then as a strict penitent to highly revere the very same tablet and worship the Name all your life!"
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At this Lamech almost burst with rage; for he knew quite well what his almightiness was all about and what he could do.
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Therefore, he also foresaw what was expected of him and he finally admitted, full of rage, that his divinity was merely an honorary royal title and not a reality.
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And Kisehel replied: "If so, why did you thus desecrate the name of the one true God? Speak up, or you proceed at once with the work indicated by me!"
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Here Lamech was almost consumed with wrath, and he remained quite silent.