The Picture of a Worm

Last night at church we reviewed a number of Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament. Most of what we discussed was review except for one thing I thought I would share that once again blows my mind. The final thing we reviewed was Psalm 22. I remember reading it for the first time and getting it years ago it was in my morning quiet time, and I remember freaking out and being accosting Dane with this new found information. Dane of course was already completely familiar with it, so he was quite as excited as me. It's actually a funny memory for me because when we first started walking with the Lord I felt very superior to Dane as I had went to church as a kid. I would actually *blush* tell him that I knew more than him. I know... and  this was one of the first times that I started to get, you may have thought you did, but he has such a hunger for God's Word that he's quickly ate it all up. But I digress.... back to Psalm 22.

Psalm 22 is one of those things I look at and marvel. I mean it was written almost 1000 years before Christ. Psalms was among one of the Biblical books found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. If you are unfamiliar with the Dead Sea Scrolls... check them out. Here is a little blip before we go on:

The prevalent view among scholars, almost universally held until the 1990s, is the "Qumran-Essene" hypothesis originally posited by Roland Guérin de Vaux^[31] and Józef Tadeusz Milik,^[32] though independently both Eliezer Sukenik and Butrus Sowmy of St Mark's Monastery connected scrolls with the Essenes well before any excavations at Qumran.^[33] The Qumran-Essene theory holds that the scrolls were written by the Essenes, or perhaps by another Jewish sectarian group, residing at Khirbet Qumran. They composed the scrolls and ultimately hid them in the nearby caves during theJewish Revolt sometime between 66 and 68 CE. The site of Qumran was destroyed and the scrolls were never recovered by those that placed them there. A number of arguments are used to support this theory.

• There are striking similarities between the description of an initiation ceremony of new members in the Community Rule and descriptions of the Essene initiation ceremony mentioned in the works of Flavius Josephus—a Jewish-Roman historian of the Second Temple Period.
• Josephus mentions the Essenes as sharing property among the members of the community, as does the Community Rule.
• During the excavation of Khirbet Qumran, two inkwells and plastered elements thought to be tables were found, offering evidence that some form of writing was done there. More inkwells were discovered in nearby loci. De Vaux called this area the "scriptorium" based upon this discovery.
• Several Jewish ritual baths (Hebrew: miqvah = מקוה) were discovered at Qumran, which offers evidence of an observant Jewish presence at the site.
• Pliny the Elder (a geographer writing after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE) describes a group of Essenes living in a desert community on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea near the ruined town of'Ein Gedi.

The Qumran-Essene theory has been the dominant theory since its initial proposal by Roland de Vaux and J.T. Milik. Recently, however, several other scholars have proposed alternative origins of the scrolls. (from Wikipedia)

The importance of the DSS is that they prove that the Bible was written thousands of years ago. The place the writing of the Old Testaments as being before 66-68 CE(AD). The big deal here? Jesus (who we have historical proof of being a public figure circa 30-33AD) quoted the Old Testament, including Psalms. So to make that all make sense: The book of Psalms was written prior to Jesus Christ's death. Got it? OK... so moving on. 

Psalm 22:

 ¹My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

 ²O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

 ³But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

 ⁴Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

 ⁵They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

 ⁶But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

 ⁷All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

 ⁸He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

 ⁹But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

 ¹⁰I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

 ¹¹Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

 ¹²Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

 ¹³They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

 ¹⁴I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

 ¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

 ¹⁶For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

 ¹⁷I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

 ¹⁸They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

If you take the opportunity to read that and know the account of Jesus Christ's crucifiction you'll be blown away by the description of EXACTLY what Christ suffered:

• My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? -- Jesus cried out this very words on the cross (Matt. 27:46)
• All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. (The soldier mocking Jesus (Matt. 27:29, the people passing by telling him to save himself in Matt. 27:39)
• all my bones are out of joint- the very "art" of crucifiction caused the arm bones of the victim to become disjointed. They've actually found the the arm length of each arm would grow by 8". 
• my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. Jesus did not die from bloodshed, he died from an imploded heart. His heart literally burst. 
• My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. Once again an effect of crucifiction. Because of the strain on the body, and of course the added blood loss from having been scourged, the body would quickly lose hydration. 
• They pierced my hands and my feet. Not much to add to that one. 
• They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. Matt. 27:35 clearly states the Roman soldiers did this very thing. 

The biggest statement in Psalm 22 that was new to me last night was this one though. In verse 6 it says "but I am a worm." I've always taken that to the disregard to Jesus Christ. The failure to recognize exactly Who He was (and is.) But rather the word worm is actually the greek word "towla". The Towla/Tola Worm is actually a specific worm also known as the Crimson Worm. You can find tons of information on this worm, but here it is in a nutshell. The female tola when it reproduces, climbs to a branch of a tree, and permanently attaches itself there and bears its eggs on it. When the eggs hatch and become larvae, they eat the body of the mother worm. The worm dies in the process, and a crimson spot is left in the branch of the tree. Notice any correlation to Christ? The best part: after 3 days the crimson spot dries out and turns to a snow white color that falls off and flakes away. This just gave me goosebumps. Like our pastor said it's as if God created this unique worm just to point so that he could point to it as proof of Christ. Amazing. The beautiful picture of the crimson red stain (that they would actually use as dye) turning white as snow, is like our sin, red as scarlet but turned white and flaked away because of the blood of Christ. 

If you're reading this, and in your heart you don't know what to make of Jesus, I pray that you look into prophecy. Look at the Bible, the history, the facts. We don't have to go on blind faith, we can research and see the proof that everything within the Bible is absolutely true-- absolute truth. If you are unsure, I'd love to share with you. Brothers and sisters, be encouraged today, know the incredible sacrifice that our King made for each of us, and the peace and redemption we have in Him. I am challenged by remembering His sacrifice. I hate that I can so easily get caught up in my own life and somehow find myself with my eyes off of Him. 

Thank you God for becoming a Man and dying for me. Thank you for the gift of Your Son. Your Holy, sinless Son. Thank you for loving me enough to do all of this when I was still in my sin and rebellion. Lord may Your name be glorified. Fill the hearts of those I love. I pray that their eyes may be opened and that they may see You and the beauty of your salvation.