²³ Then Lamech said to his wives:

“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. ²⁴ If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

Eight killed in bloody weekend in Baltimore

At least 20 people shot in 12 incidents from Friday afternoon through Monday morning

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-weekend-violence-20130623,0,6005178.story#ixzz2XEFhBmKE

It has become the case that I simply cringe every time I pick up the morning newspaper. The crumbling remains of civilization are so prominently displayed in graphic details of violence, corruption and political ineptitude. If Nero fiddled while Rome burned then certainly we can say that we modern Americans are "fiddling around" while our culture disintegrates before our eyes.

It is said of the natural order that it is "bloody in tooth and claw." (Cf. Tennyson, In Memoriam, 1850) The law of the jungle is kill or be killed. The natural antithesis of civilization is the jungle. The measure of a society's health is the level of fear, violence and/or coercion that is needed to keep order. These propositions I assert to be self-evident.

Granted those propositions, by every measure it appears that we can no longer be described as a civilized people.

Lamech's song (above) is the poetic celebration of violence, the law of the jungle, as a strategy for survival. From the beginning of time, post-fall humanity has hung in tension between the inner "pull" to be noble in deed and character and the opposing pull to violent aggression in pursuit of selfish ends. The "cycle" of civilization (cf. Toynbee) appears to indicate that civilized culture is a temporary thing. What man builds up, man tears down... or allows to decay and crumble.

When political institutions forget their first function, to bear the sword to suppress unrighteousness (first and foremost of which is violence) then unrighteousness will reign and spread its cancerous spores throughout the entire social body. The disregard for civilized behavior will evidence itself in fragmented lives and suspicious personal relations. People will retreat into themselves or into their homes and bar the doors to keep the wolves at bay. A certain level of paranoia will prevail and with good reason. The governing rule will be "trust no one", they are all out to "get you".

People will no longer be able to sit on the front porch of their row home, smiling at their neighbors and inviting casual conversation. "Community" becomes only a geographical reference, not a human social condition.

This is the force of chaos and it appears to be in the ascendence.

Nehemiah faced a similar situation in his day and as he set about to build a wall to give some measure of protection to the restored people of Jerusalem. He told this people that they had to build that wall with one hand devoted to its construction and the other hand holding a weapon (Neh. 4:17). I fear that the time has come, or is nigh upon us, when the same attitude must prevail among those of us who grieve the loss of virtue, courtesy and common decency in our social order.

The Nehemiah analogy works at every level. Each individual, each family, each church has a section of the "wall" to build and a common ground to defend. True community must be reestablished among neighbors and members. The ties of fellowship that bind us must become more than just cordial, there needs to be a sense of purpose, of direction, of common preservation that unites us. Steps must be taken to increase our own participation in defense of our homes and institutions.

There are risks involved but that is always the case when there's a war on.

An analogy to colonial times is apt. The kind of killing spree that happened in Baltimore this past weekend was of the same order and viciousness as when a roving war party of American Indians would fall upon a village outpost. The difference between then and now is the level of outrage and concern that was registered among the rest of the community. People did not just shake their head and "get on with their lives." Militias were formed and trained and people banded together.

A similar level of concern, even if forming an armed militia is not in view, is mandated now.

Lamech's spirit still prevails in the gutters and alleys and street corners of our cities and all too often, in our communities. The police forces are underfunded and inadequately staffed to provide the kind of presence that would be necessary to seriously diminish the threat. Our legal system has broken down to the point that it provides no deterrent effect nor does it effectively diminish the numbers of lawless animals walking and cruising the streets.

If the walls of the social order are going to be rebuilt it will be done by a resurgent social consciousness motivated by passionate concern in virtually every family that has not yet bowed its knee to Baal.