People Are 6-Foot Worms ...

[Rippon]

... give or take some inches . Actually John Calvin said that man is a 5-foot worm . But though we may have lengthened since his time , we have not grown in the stature that matters . Others in the past have derided what they call "worm theology " . But I believe it is biblical . Look at Job 25:6 : ... a mortal , who is but a maggot -- a human being , who is only a worm !
Ps. 22:6 But I am a worm , not a human being ...
Is. 41:14 Do not be afraid , you worm Jacob ...
( all references from the TNIV )

People have a higher estimate than is warranted from the Scripture .

I was singing that grand old Watts hymn : " Alas, and Did my Savior Bleed " . I was struck ( not for the first time though ) how many take liberties with the original writer's words . Watts said " for such a worm as I " . Yet the words in the hymnal water it down to " for sinners such as I ".

 

[Helen]

While I understand the humility which breeds such comparisons, I find I have to counter with Psalm 8:

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim in the paths of the seas.

 

[av1611jim]

While I understand the humility which breeds such comparisons, I find I have to counter with Psalm 8:

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim in the paths of the seas.

And I would counter with:
The second 'him' in this pslam is speaking of the 'son of man' . this is a reference to Jesus and 'worm theology' is still valid. Mankind is wormmy. We bury a man in a concrete vault. Later on we dig him up and he is full of worms. Where do you think they come from?

Nice try. But your counter doesn't negate the truth that man is a worm.

 

[guitarpreacher]

And I would counter with:
The second 'him' in this pslam is speaking of the 'son of man' . this is a reference to Jesus and 'worm theology' is still valid. Mankind is wormmy. We bury a man in a concrete vault. Later on we dig him up and he is full of worms. Where do you think they come from?

Nice try. But your counter doesn't negate the truth that man is a worm.

While "Son of Man" is definately one of Jesus' titles, that's not the only usage for the phrase. It also, as in the verse above, refers to mankind and also may, as in the books of Ezekiel and Daniel, refer to a specific man.

 

[Lagardo]

And I would counter with:
The second 'him' in this pslam is speaking of the 'son of man' . this is a reference to Jesus and 'worm theology' is still valid. Mankind is wormmy. We bury a man in a concrete vault. Later on we dig him up and he is full of worms. Where do you think they come from?

At the moment, I am interested in where YOU think they come from.

 

[guitarpreacher]

At the moment, I am interested in where YOU think they come from.

And who is digging all these vaults up??

 

[saturneptune]

While I understand the humility which breeds such comparisons, I find I have to counter with Psalm 8:

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim in the paths of the seas.

While we are worms compared to the holiness and majesty of God, at the same time, we are an amazing creation of God, with lots of abilities no other creation has. The problem with this thread is that it starts off only with the negative. Helen is completely right in added the positive.

Yes, and while worm is in the Bible, I certainly do not care what Calvin, a hymn writer, or the 1611 version as opposed to others thinks about it.

 

[Jim1999]

I get them at the local bait shop for a dollar a dozen.

That brings up another question. If you should break a worm in half, it will still live on, each end going a different direction. So, if we break man in half, will he go in two different directions?

Cheers,

Jim

 

[AntennaFarmer]

I was singing that grand old Watts hymn : " Alas, and Did my Savior Bleed " . I was struck ( not for the first time though ) how many take liberties with the original writer's words . Watts said " for such a worm as I " . Yet the words in the hymnal water it down to " for sinners such as I ".

I agree with you Rippon.


God Bless,
A.F.