Psalm 22:1-2, 10-11, 16-18, 20, 30-31 NIV
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.
From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!
Psalm 22 is sometimes called a messianic psalm for in it readers see the suffering of Christ. Early Christians read this psalm of David and began to see literal connections to the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. Take time to read the psalm in its entirety.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/…
References like, "they pierce my hands and my feet," "They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment." and the taunts of the mob all resemble the gospel accounts of Jesus' death.
Tradition attributes authorship to King David who had plenty of reasons to lament his suffering at the hands of his enemies. The vivid descriptions of his suffering are more poetic in nature than literal. When I eat a hefty meal I may say something like, "I'm stuffed like a pig! I feel like I'm gonna pop!" Such imaginative descriptions are a way of making a point about how one feels. Describing the terrors and pain of threat and the taunt of the enemy is often difficult to adequately describe, thus poetry provides an avenue for pointing to the experience of the sufferer.
While these colorful depictions of suffering were never meant to be taken literally, the church did as they reflected upon the death of Jesus. One might wonder if Jesus was giving the crowd a clue when he uttered the opening line of Psalm 22 from the cross. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some have suggested that Jesus felt utterly abandoned by, not only His disciples, but by His Father in heaven. I prefer the interpretation that Jesus was pointing to His fulfillment of messianic prophecy. He became the suffering servant, the messiah, the One who takes away the sin of the world.
The next time you feel abandoned, cornered or threatened, remember that Jesus, your Lord, has experienced the same and more. He did that for you so that you might rise with Him into new life. Keep hope alive. God will never forsake you.
Psalm 22 is sometimes called a messianic psalm for in it readers see the suffering of Christ. Early Christians read this psalm of David and began to see literal connections to the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. Take time to read the psalm in its entirety.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/…
References like, "they pierce my hands and my feet," "They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment." and the taunts of the mob all resemble the gospel accounts of Jesus' death.
Tradition attributes authorship to King David who had plenty of reasons to lament his suffering at the hands of his enemies. The vivid descriptions of his suffering are more poetic in nature than literal. When I eat a hefty meal I may say something like, "I'm stuffed like a pig! I feel like I'm gonna pop!" Such imaginative descriptions are a way of making a point about how one feels. Describing the terrors and pain of threat and the taunt of the enemy is often difficult to adequately describe, thus poetry provides an avenue for pointing to the experience of the sufferer.
While these colorful depictions of suffering were never meant to be taken literally, the church did as they reflected upon the death of Jesus. One might wonder if Jesus was giving the crowd a clue when he uttered the opening line of Psalm 22 from the cross. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some have suggested that Jesus felt utterly abandoned by, not only His disciples, but by His Father in heaven. I prefer the interpretation that Jesus was pointing to His fulfillment of messianic prophecy. He became the suffering servant, the messiah, the One who takes away the sin of the world.
The next time you feel abandoned, cornered or threatened, remember that Jesus, your Lord, has experienced the same and more. He did that for you so that you might rise with Him into new life. Keep hope alive. God will never forsake you.
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