Easter Advent Day 4: A Psalm From the Cross Part 2: I am a Worm....

But I am a worm and not a man,  - Psa 22:6a 

It is time to come back to Psalm 22, the Psalm From the Cross, to look at a Psalm 22:6a. 

This first part of verse six is packed full of beauty and truth! How, you may ask? Are you ready for a truly awesome ride?!
When I was a kid I used to wonder why David would refer to himself as a worm. Then, when I saw it was also prophetic about Jesus, I wondered why on earth Jesus would call Himself a worm. Then, one day I found out, and it changed everything about this verse for me. 

The word for worm in the Bible is usually rimmah, but not in this verse. The word for worm here is the Hebrew word towla. When used, this word is usually translated worm, but can also be translated scarlet or crimson. There is a reason for this, and we will come to it, but first....

A towla is a type of worm that was in ancient Israel and is still around today. The towla worm looks more like a grub than a typical worm, and it behaves in a very unique way from other worms. For one thing, the female towla will have offspring only once in her lifetime, and this is for a very specific reason. 



When it is time for the towla to have her little family, she crawls up on the side of a tree or a wooden post and attaches herself. She is so firmly attached to the wood that the only way to remove her is to tear her off, killing her and tearing her apart in the process. Once attached she creates a hard scarlet shell around her body. After she has done this, she lays her little eggs underneath her protective shell. Once the little worm eggs hatch, they remain under the covering of her shell, but they have nothing to eat...except their mother who is still living. When the mother worm finally dies, she releases a scarlet dye that covers her little worms with a scarlet stain that will cover them for the rest of their lives. This will never come off. About three days later the babies are ready to leave the shell. The mother has to die in order for her little offspring to be born.

On the fourth day, the mother worm's tail pulls up to her head and takes on the shape of a heart. She is no longer red, but has now turned completely white. The little white heart then takes on the appearance of white wool which begins to fall off the tree in flakes that look like snowflakes. Once the towla is gone from the wood the towla died on, there remains a crimson stain.

In ancient times, they did not let the worm fall off. They would harvest the worms.While the shell remained on the wood and was still red, people would scrape this off and use it for dye. According to Scripture, this is the dye that was used in the High Priest's robes and for the coverings on the tabernacle in the wilderness. 

 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] confession. - Heb 4:14 
And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. - Jhn 1:14 

I can't help but picture the Roman soldiers wrapping Jesus in a scarlet robe (And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. - Mat 27:28) to mock Him, all the while, among other things, they gave us a picture of Jesus as our towla, wrapped in scarlet as He prepared to go to the cross to willingly place Himself there for us. Yes, there is far more to the scarlet robe than this, but this is one of the precious pictures I can see given to fulfill what God had spoken long before, and I am so in awe of our God who has done this for us.  
  
How power packed and awesome one little word....one little worm turns out to be! I have never been a big fan of creepy crawly creatures, but I have to say, I feel an affection for the towla. What an incredible picture God painted for us with a worm! Don't forget WHO created the towla. I can't help but wonder if God didn't design the little worm for the specific purpose of being a picture for us. That would not surprise me at all. 

What awesome, beautiful truths are packed into this one little verse in Psalm 22 about the Cross and what Jesus' death did for us. In His death, we have life. He had to die in order that we may be given life. In His death, we are covered by the crimson blood He shed for us. He is pure, perfect, white as wool...white as snow. He is our tola! He willingly laid down His life for us.  Praise God!!! 

"As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. - Jhn 6:57

While they were eating, Jesus took [some] bread, and after a blessing, He broke [it] and gave [it] to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." - Mat 26:26