The Sacrifice for Scarlet
- Jun 12
- 2 min read
Rahab started out as a scarlet worm that died to self, in order to become a beautiful butterfly. There are those who may have viewed her as a worthless worm, but God knew she was destined to fly. Rahab, single-handedly, pulled off the escape of the spies, which proved God had empowered her to have influence in the city of Jericho.
Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. (Joshua 2:18-19)
One of the ways the color scarlet (crimson) was made, was from the blood of the mother worm, after she died. When the female scarlet worm (called coccus ilicis) was ready to give birth to her young, she would attach her body to the trunk of a tree permanently, knowing that she would never leave again. When the female worm died, her eggs (offspring) that were beneath her body, received her blood, and were protected until the larvae hatched. Afterwards, the crimson fluid from her body stained the surrounding wood. Then the commercial scarlet dyes were scraped off the tree, from the dead bodies of these female worms.
The story of the worm is a proto-type of Christ dying on the tree and shedding His precious blood so we might live. Christ went to the Cross refusing to come down for the sake of His offspring. This might have been where the songwriter who wrote At the Cross got the verse, “Would He devote that Sacred Head for such a worm as I?”
In comparison, Rahab was sacrificing her life so her family might live, and her offspring could have a better chance at life. She protected her family, and all that was in her house, by making a sacrifice (a just-in-case offering), like Job did for his children. Rahab became a covering for all of her family members, whether they wanted out or not.
Love Sacrifices and Love Covers.
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