The Suffering, Praise, and Posterity of the Messiah
To the Chief Musician. Set to [Aijeleth Hashahar]“The Deer of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent.
But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip [Show contempt with their mouth], they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”
But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded Me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.
But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me from the sword,
My precious life from the power of the dog. Save Me from the lion’s mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him, He heard.
My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship; all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep himself alive. A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, they will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this.”
There are some times when David’s psalms overlap between the personal and prophetic. On one level, this psalm describes Davd’s despair at the repeated vicious attacks of his enemies. Day after day and night after night, David continues to beg God for relief; yet no relief appears. On a higher level, this psalm prophesies the sufferings Jesus the Messiah later suffered at the hands of religious leaders more afraid of the Romans than of God.
“But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.” All this time, David persists in reminding himself of God’s previous mercies and deliverance; meanwhile, David’s critics mock him for his ridiculous faith.
“Many bulls have surrounded Me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” These are the verses where the personal and prophetic blur. While David is describing his own despair, he is also predicting the events of the morning of Good Friday when Jesus will endure a mock trial and be nailed to a cross. Roman soldiers will throw dice for Jesus’ garments.
“My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship; all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep himself alive. A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, they will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this.”
Eventually, David emerges unscathed from all his trials. Eventually, Jesus will triumph over death and the grave, rising from the dead on Easter morning. Throughout David’s sufferings and those of Jesus, God will triumph completely.
APPLICATION: The test of a prophet is whether or not his prophecies come true. Judging David by that test, he is truly a prophet. David lived roughly 1,000 years before Jesus, so how could David predict describe Jesus’ sufferings so accurately? Only God could give David such insights. It is ironic that the same people who refuse to accept Psalm 22 as a prophetic description of the sufferings of the Messiah are fully ready to believe in the arrival of ancient aliens on earth or the existence of the lost city of Atlantis.
How can this psalm help each of us? As you read this psalm, see what verses appear to speak to your situation and then turn those verses into prayers. Are you facing undeserved vicious opposition? “But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me from the sword,
My precious life from the power of the dog. Save Me from the lion’s mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen!”
“For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him, He heard.“ “Lord, You have not hidden Your face from me. You have promised that when I cry, You will hear me. Lord, I believe that You are hearing me and that You are going to deliver me from those who hate me.”
Repeatedly, God describes David as a man after His own heart; yet, David has suffered periods of extreme discouragement and doubt. If David has suffered and yet God has delivered him, we too can trust God to deliver us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all who read these words to take heart that You stand ready to deliver all who call on Your Name. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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