Old Testament: 2 Samuel 22
Poetry: Proverbs 7
New Testament: Ephesians 5
A few weeks back my children were very excited to have me read a new book they checked-out from the library. Not yet mastering the alphabet, their choices are often from the featured book table, typically the flashiest cover; however, the book they chose did not meet my expectation. Their choice: The Worm. The title wasn’t a metaphor. Not a how-to on dance moves. Not a fictional story of a kid-turned-wrestler. It was literally a picture book just about worms, and so we began to learn everything I never wanted to know about these three phylums of the animal kingdom. Did you know that worms can be over 100 feet long? And there are people around the world who eat worms? Or that worms are hermaphrodites? Probably the most relevant fact to today’s devotion is that most worms, including the earthworm, don’t have eyes. This doesn’t stop them from knowing when they are exposed to light. Built into the skin of earthworms are photoreceptors which work as light detectors. These creatures of darkness cannot exist in the light. Being caught above the surface trying to do your same wormy thing equals starvation, dehydration, or becoming prey.
Looking at today’s Proverb, we can see that the speaker is specifically warning his son about infidelity and adultery. If we use a broader brush with this wisdom, and extend the metaphors and figures of these proverbs as is often done, we can bring our own struggle with sin into the picture. “Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death. (Prov. 7:25-27).” Don’t stray into the path of lust, pride, greed,or being obscene (Eph 5:1-3). A knock on the door soon becomes a visit. A visit becomes a stay. When you stay long enough, it is where you live (James 1:14-15). Like a worm, deeper and deeper you dig yourself into the ground, making your bed and lying in the grave.
You may not have heeded the warning up to this point, so here is the wake-up call to all of us worms trying to hide from the light, whether it be for a day or decades,“But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said, “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you (Eph 5:13-14).’” When we are exposed by the light of God, we shrivel up and die. This can be tremendous or tragic. Waking up today means we die unto ourselves and become a new creation in Christ. We are covered, cleansed, and made pure through God’s grace given to us through the blood of the Lamb. If our dry bones do not rattle and we die in our darkness, there is no rebirth. Only an eternal separation, a scorching from the Light, because, “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them (Eph 5:5-7).”
You may have fallen victim to a snare, directly disobeying the commands of God. Don’t sleep on this. Restore your relationship with the One True God, and in the midst of the distress, ask for help and He will answer, not letting you become a victim to the grave (2 Sam 22:5-7). God has given us a path to repentance and an amazing grace. It is time to put your photoreceptors to work, find the surface, and enter again into His marvelous light.
-Aaron Winner
Reflection Questions
- What sins have seduced you? What was enticing about this sin? Have you gone in for a visit, or a stay, or is that where you live now?
- What do you know about God’s wrath? What do you know about God’s grace? How does God decide which worm gets the grace and which worm gets the wrath? Which worm are you right now?
- How active have your photoreceptors been? Do you recognize the difference between light and dark? Unlike the worm, do you seek the light? How?
Seek Grow Love 