Psalm 22 - Echos of the Crucifixion

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David. Lament 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. 4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” Loyalty 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Fear 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. 15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. 17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. 19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. 20 Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. 21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. Commitment 22 I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. 23 "You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help." 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever! Finished 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him those who cannot keep themselves alive. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. 31 They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

This Psalm is sung to a popular tune of the day, 'The Doe of the Morning.' We don't know the immediate context for this Psalm but interestingly both Jewish and Christian tradition see this as a prophetic psalm, though with differing events fulfilling the prophesy.  Jewish tradition sees this Psalm as David's lament over the future exile of his people and a foreshadowing of the events in the book of Esther, where the Jews are nearly wiped out completely. Christian's read this Psalm as a foreshadowing of Jesus' suffering on the cross in Matthew chapter 27. Lament. The Psalm starts with a cry of despair, the same cry used in Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ""Eloi, Eloi," "lama" "sabachthani?""--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The night before, in the Garden of Gethsemene, Jesus had been "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death". 3 times he prayed to His father, "if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me". My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. In the Lament, the suffer feels forsaken by God. The very foundation of his faith is God's active presence in his life, I call - You answer, this is how you are, this is how you have always been. I trust you. My people have always trusted you. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. Not only has God forsaken him, but mankind has too. scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. Back on the cross and Jesus is experiencing the self-same thing. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads. 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.  The people mock the sufferer's faith in God. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” These words are echoed back to Jesus on the cross. 42 "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself ! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " Loyalty 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Whilst Jesus is on the cross, I can imagine this Psalm going through his head as the events played out around him. As He ponders on his loyalty, from birth, to God, he looks down and sees His mother and His friend John. They hadn't deserted him. Mark 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Fear In this section the phrase do not be far from me is repeated at the beginning and end. There is lots of threatening imagery of bulls, lions, dogs, villains and wild oxen. They surround , encircle and tear; the sufferer needs rescuing from their treating mouths and horns. Back to Jesus on the cross, John 19:28 Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; John 19:35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. Commitment Nearing the end, we have a commitment to complete the task.  I will declare. I will praise you. And a shout of thanksgiving because God has not abandoned him. For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but [he] has listened to his cry for help. Finished Mark 19:30 Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. With the task completed, All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, Everyone will turn to the Lord. all who go down to the dust will kneel before him those who cannot keep themselves alive. Even the dead will rise and kneel before him. future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: Even future generations. Because He has done it!