“I am a worm and not a man.”

(Psalm 22:6)

“David was ‘a man agreeable to Jehovah’s heart.’” (The Watchtower, January 1, 1989, page 23) Nevertheless he considered himself a feckless “worm.” This was in compliance with the words of Bildad who had said centuries before: “Even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in … [God’s] eyes, how much less so mortal man, who is a maggot, and a son of man, who is a worm!” – Job 25:5, 6.

God’s word emphasizes the worthlessness of us humans in many places. “The sons of mankind are a delusion. When laid together on the scales, they are lighter than a mere breath.” (Psalm 62:9) Indeed, “all men have turned aside, all of them have become worthless.” (Romans 3:12) Even whole “nations are like a drop from a bucket, and as the film of dust on the scales they are regarded” – how much less than a dust particle is then a single human? – Isaiah 40:15.

Does keeping God’s commandments and doing his will reduce our drossiness? No, Jesus clearly stated: “When you have done all the things assigned to you, say: ‘We are good-for-nothing slaves.’” (Luke 17:10) No doubt this is true. God would not even need Christians to proclaim his word; he could simply make the stones cry out. (Luke 19:40) So regardless how much we exert ourselves – in God’s eyes we will always be worthless, a worm, a mere breath, a tiny fraction of a dust particle.