The Crazy Reasoning of God and Scarlet Worms
November 9, 2007
Nov 9 – Isaiah 1:18
”Come now, let us reason together,”
says the LORD.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.”
I like this verse, in part because of the first line which I had never really noticed before. Only God could say, “Come, let us reason together” and then go on to describe something that will happen that is almost impossible to do. Have you ever tried to get grape juice out of carpet? How about red Kool-Aid? (I had a friend in middle school who dyed part of her blonde hair with red Kool-Aid and it didn’t come out for 6 months!) Have you ever had to get a spot of blood out of a rag or a favorite shirt? It can be next to impossible – and that’s with modern-day technology! In the ancient world, I’m pretty sure that, once something was dyed, it was dyed, you know what I mean? Those red stains just don’t go away and they sure would be noticeable. But as far as our sin stains are concerned, when God looks at us through Jesus, he sees snow, wool.
I just learned something, right this minute. The word used here for “crimson” actually makes reference to the worm that crimson dye made from. Scarlet or crimson dye was gathered from the dried (dead) body of a female scarlet worm. When this worm is ready to give birth, she attaches herself to a tree and lays eggs under her body, protecting them. They remain there until they hatch, at which point the young go on about their new lives. The mother, however, attaches herself so firmly to the tree that she cannot leave and so she dies, staining both her young and the tree bright red. Crimson stains from a dying protector cover the young, bringing them new life. Sound familiar?
The richness of God’s word never ceases to amaze me…
*If you’re interested in looking further into this, just Google “scarlet worm.” And if you’re interested in learning the original meanings of other words in the Bible, visit www.blueletterible.org.
