Worms

Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel!  I will help you, says the LORD and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 41:14

If we want to understand the glories of grace, we must also understand the completeness of depravity.  In our text, God, in addressing the people of Israel, speaks to them as, ‘you worm, Jacob.’  If we look at the personal history of Jacob, we realize that he was not an admirable person.  His name means ‘the supplanter,’ or ‘the trickster.’  Genesis reveals that he cheated his brother, deceived his father and demonstrated bad character at every turn.  It was only his encounters with God, most specifically the pre-incarnate Christ which transformed him from what he was by nature to what he became by grace.  Herein lies the heart of the matter.  We are, by nature exactly like Jacob, the worm.  Our depravity is thorough and incurable by any other means but grace.  Christ is the living manifestation of the Grace of God.  We have nothing good in ourselves and can do nothing good apart from Christ.  Hence, we make much of Christ.  He takes the worm and transforms it into what will bring Him glory and joy.  We want to take a good look at ourselves, and then look to Christ. Thus we will come to understand, value and appreciate His Amazing Grace. 

Our Gracious and Loving God,
we rejoice that You have regarded us in our low estate.
We praise You that You have saved us by free and sovereign grace,
and brought up our lives from destruction.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning