Psalm 22  The Agony of the Cross and the Victory of the Cross.

James Boice, in his commentary on this Psalm, writes: "The second half of Psalm 22 is a throbbing, soaring anticipation of the expanding proclamation of the gospel and of the growing and triumphant Christian church."

The opening and closing statements of this psalm are both statements Jesus made while hanging on the cross. "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (v. 1) and "It is finished" (see v. 31).

This psalm is quoted seven times in the New Testament, referring to Christ each time. The New Testament authors regarded this psalm as a messianic prophecy (John 19:24). It is a psalm of David. But we cannot find any instance in David's life that matches this text. It describes an execution: a righteous man being killed and killed on a cross. David wrote this 1,000 years before Jesus' death: 600 years before the invention of crucifixion. There is an accuracy and detail of a method of capital punishment that David could have known nothing about, except by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:30)

This psalm falls into two easily discernible sections. The first is the Messiah's description of the crucifixion (vv. 1–21a). The second is his exultation in the results of the cross.

We see the Agony of the Cross and the Victory of the Cross.

The crucifixion as depicted in Psalm 22 is just as graphic as the passion narratives found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The gospel writers tell of the actual event after it happened and David tells the same story before it happened.  And yet the accuracy of the prophecy is amazing.

The gospels tell us the events and the details of the crucifixion but this Psalm tells us the heart and mind of Christ while he was suspended between heaven and earth. We can see the Agony and the victory of the Cross.

I. THE AGONY OF THE CROSS (22:1–21)

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame." (Psalm 22:1-5, ESV)

Deserted by God (22:1–5) "My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?"

William MacDonald, in his commentary on this Psalm, writes: "Approach this Psalm with the utmost solemnity and reverence, because you have probably never stood on holier ground before. You have come to Golgotha where the Good Shepherd is giving His life for the sheep. For three hours the earth has been enveloped in thick darkness. Now "Immanuel's orphaned cry" echoes through the universe: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

Darkness covered the land in the middle of the day. Jesus was silent during this time. He broke the silence with the words Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? (see Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Psalm 22:1)

This is the first and only time recorded that Jesus referred to God as My God and not My Father. He was experiencing the rift in His relationship with God as the sin of the world came upon His shoulders. A very real separation from God. He had never experienced the feeling of being separated from the Father (see John 11:41-42; 16:32).

Behind our Lord's poignant question lies an awful reality—the suffering Saviour actually was, literally and completely, forsaken by God.  The Eternal Son, who had always been the object of His Father's delight, was now abandoned.

On two occasions—His baptism and His transfiguration—the heavenly voice had boomed "This is my beloved son ... listen to Him."

But now the voice is silent, and the presence of God in His life is absent.

Jesus knew it was coming; He knew it was part of the penalty that had to be paid for sinners; and yet when the abandonment actually comes it had to be heart-rending to the Son.

He had cried in the garden of Gethsemane, "Let this cup pass from Me!"

The Lord has been hanging on the cross now for about three hours. He has talked to His mother, His disciples and the people around Him. And ina solemn time of darkness now He traverses this Psalm in His heart and mind.  The Lord Jesus dwelt in this Psalm in His memory as He continues His journey at the cross. Even in this awful moment, Jesus is fully aware of the Scriptures and what they say about His life, death, and coming resurrection.

He knew that this was all about his death at the cross being the point where He was made sin for us.

1 Peter 2:24 he Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.."

Isaiah 53  All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned everyone to His own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquities of us all."

1 Alas! and did my Savior bleed,  and did my Sovereign die!
Would he devote that sacred head  for sinners such as I?

2 Was it for crimes that I have done,  he groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!  And love beyond degree!

3 Well might the sun in darkness hide,  and shut its glories in,
when God, the mighty maker, died  for his own creature's sin.

God is Holy. He cannot look upon sin. But now the sinless Saviour dies made sin for us! God's perfection can't mingle with our imperfection. Jesus, the perfect One, became the substitution for the imperfect ones.

Isa 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

The word "groaning" at the end of verse one is a strong word used of the shrieking of a person in intense pain.

He acknowledges the Father's holiness and sovereignty (v. 3)

"Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel." (Psalm 22:3, NIV84)

We discover in these first words of this Psalm the depth of what had been determined before the foundation of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ is the centre of history. All the history of the entire universe waited with gasping breath for this cry. For it showed not only was the Lord Jesus Christ the centre of human history, but that the cross itself was at the centre of the universe!

For our sake, God the Father crushed God the Son like a worm

"But I am a worm and not a man, ... ." (Psalm 22:6, ESV)

This is one of the more fascinating verses in the Psalm, which, when you understand, speaks wonderfully of God's redemptive work on our behalf.

The word worm in this passage is the Hebrew tola'at—known as the "Crimson Worm." In Palestine and Syria, these worms were collected and crushed in a basin because their blood was used as a dye to create the brilliant scarlet vestments worn by the priests. In fact the word scarlet in the Old Testament literally translates as the splendour of a worm.

In this Psalm, the Anointed One cries out, I am the tola'at.

First, the title reminds us of our Lord's humiliation at the hands of men—he was crushed as a man would crush a worm. "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8, ESV)

Second, the title reminds us that He had to be crushed in death, and His blood had to be poured out so that you and I might be clothed in glory.

Tola : Sometimes translated worm; sometimes translated scarlet, or a Crimson worm.

In ancient times, they would extract the fluid from this worm to make scarlet dyes. The only way to get the dye is to crush the worm. Jesus was the scarlet worm, lowly and ugly to look upon. When His life was crushed, His blood was the source to change our eternity. Life cycle of the crimson worm

When the female is ready to give birth, she embeds herself into the wood of a tree or branch. After giving birth, she dies. The crimson dye explodes onto the wood, staining it. In giving His life, Jesus brought life. After three days, the crimson dye turns flaky white and falls to the ground (see Isaiah 1:18).

Despised by People (vv. 6-8)

6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 "He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!" 9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. 10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. 12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. (Psalm 22:6-18, ESV)

The chief priests and scribes mocked Jesus as He died on the cross, quoting this psalm almost verbatim (see Matthew 27:41-43)

The last half of verse six through verse eighteen refers to the travail that Jesus suffered at the hands of men.

He is scorned and despised (22:6).

He is mocked and insulted (22:7–8).

Do you hear the taunts of the Jewish religious elite in these verses as they sneer, He saved others. Let him save himself and come down off the cross! vv. 7-8 are virtually word-for-word what the jeering crowd said at Calvary. He is viciously attacked by his enemies (22:12–13, 16).

The Prophet Amos compares the leaders of the Jewish nation to the cattle of Bashan, and castigates them for oppressing the poor and crushing the needy. These bovines represent the chief priests and scribes who were responsible for the arrest and illegal trial of Jesus, and who handed Him over to Pilate and the Roman government for execution.

Psalm 22:7, "They hurl insults, shaking their heads", is quoted in Mark 15:29; Matthew 27:39  "And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads"

Psalm 22:8, "He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him", is quoted in Matthew 27:43  "He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him".

Psalm 22:18, "They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment", is quoted in Mark 15:24; Matthew 27:35; Luke 23:34; John 19:24.

Distressed by the Pain

Excruciating comes from a Latin word that means out of the cross. Excruciating pain is seen at the cross.

14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet--- 17 I can count all my bones--- they stare and gloat over me;

(Psalm 22:14-17, ESV)

His life is poured out like water (22:14) Profuse sweating that dehydrates the body

Jesus began that process in the garden of Gethsemane when He sweat drops of blood (see Luke 22:44) Hematidrosis: the tiny capillaries burst into the sweat glands.

His bones are out of joint (22:14, 17) The body slumps and causes the joints to move out of place. This causes suffocation of the vital organs.

His heart is melted like wax (22:14) When Jesus was dead, a soldier pierced His side, causing blood and water to come out (see John 19:34). This is evidence that the pericardium had engorged, crushing the heart. 

His strength is totally dried up (22:15) The Lord experienced intense thirst. One of Jesus' sayings on the cross was "I thirst!" (John 19:28)

His hands and feet are pierced (22:16)

Diabolically from Satan (vv. 19-21a)

"But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!" (Psalm 22:19-21, ESV)

Jesus refers to three enemies in this passage: the dog, the lion and the wild ox.

The dogs (plural of v. 16) most likely refers to the Roman soldiers who carried out the execution.

The dog (singular of v. 20) is probably a prophetic reference to Pilate, who, even though he finds "no fault" with Jesus, sentences him to death of the cross.

The lion is a representation of Satan who in 1 Pet. 5:8 is called a roaring lion.

At the end of Jesus' temptations in the wilderness the bible says that Satan left him for a season

Now he has returned and he is the roaring lion: He has personally entered Judas in order to accomplish his nefarious work; He has whipped the crowed into a frenzy—first before Pilate, and then at Calvary; he gleefully guides the hands of the Roman soldiers as the nails pierce his hands and feet; he instigates the Jewish leader in their taunts.

The wild ox is a picture of crucifixion itself. The Auroch was a huge wild ox that stood six feet tall at the shoulder that roamed throughout Europe, Asia and North Africa. Picture a Texan Longhorn and you've got a picture of what they looked like. In the near east, the Auroch was often used as a means of torturing and executing a person. Condemned victims, were bound, impaled upon the sharp horns and then the ox was released into the desert to run about until the man died.

The Psalmist writes that crucifixion was like impaling a man upon the horns of a wild ox.

As Jesus walked with the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, the Bible says that "Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in the Scriptures concerning himself."

 

And can it be that I should gain an interest in my Saviour's blood

Died He for me who caused  His pain , for me who Him to death pursued
Amazing love how can it be that Thou my God shoulds't die for me.

 

Do you have a personal interest in the Saviour's death?

The hymn writer spoke of that personal  interest.

He knew that the Saviour had suffered and died for him. You can know that too for yourself. Today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Psalm 22:The Triumphant Victory of the Cross (vv. 22-31)

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him.

26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.

28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.

30 Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;

31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

 

The Agony of the Cross (vv. 1-21)

Deserted by God

Despised by People

18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. 19 But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! (Psalm 22:18-21, ESV)

 

On Good Friday we were reminded of the love of Christ, who came to be made sin for us, that He might be our substitute and bear the punishment for our sins. He was separated from His Father, who is His absolute holiness could not look upon Sin.

Isaiah put it like this.

3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned---every one---to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.  (Isaiah 53: 3-6, 9-12, ESV)

 

It was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt. He would bear their iniquities. He would pour out His soul to death and be numbered with the transgressors. He bore the sin of many.

Then Isaiah hints at the glorious resurrection of the Saviour "he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand." "Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong," he "makes intercession for the transgressors."

In a similar way Psalm 22 hints at the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead.

Peter in the New Testament reflects that David and Isaiah understood the resurrection of the Lord Jesus as part of this wonderful prophecy.

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories." (1 Peter 1:10,11)

The second half of Psalm 22 is completely different from the first half.

Something happened between verses 21 and 22: the resurrection.

Death is over (see vv. 22-25). Now there is life.

He is Sovereign  28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.

He is Sovereign Over Death by His Resurrection

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. 25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. 26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever! (Psalm 22:22-26, ESV)

The New Testament quotes verse 22, speaking of the expansion of the gospel (see Hebrews 2:11-12).

Started small and expanded outward

"My brethren" (v. 22)

"Descendants of Jacob…offspring of Israel" (v. 23)

"Great assembly" (v. 25)

"All the ends of the world…all the families of the nations" (v. 27)

"The next generation" (v. 30)

"A people who will be born" (v. 31)

He is Sovereign Over Everything At His Return

He is Sovereign Over Nations  Through His Expansion

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. 30 Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; (Psalm 22:27-30, ESV)

 

In Let The Nations Be Glad, John Piper notes, "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man."  The Lord is to be magnified among the nations.

1) God desires that all the nations to turn to Him.

Normally it is the people of God, the covenant community, who are called to praise the Lord. But not here. No, it is the goyim, the "nations" (NASV, NIV, ESV, HCSB).

"Nations" does not refer to political states but people groups, different ethnic and linguistic groups. The "Joshua Project" (www.joshuaproject.net) list 16,320 different people groups in the world with 6,741 as unreached. The percent of unreached people groups is 41.3% totally 2.72 billion people. At this moment, 4,100 language groups have no hope of praising King Jesus as Lord of the universe.

2) God desires that all the nations Worship Him.

Missions is a cross-cultural strategy and lifestyle that aims to help people stop making much of themselves and to start making much of Jesus.  John Piper says, "The reason God seeks our praise is not because He won't be complete until He gets it. He is seeking our praise because we won't be happy until we give it….Missions is calling the world to do what they were created to do, namely, to enjoy making much of Christ forever."

3) The Lord is to be magnified because of His nature. For Kingship belongs to the Lord!

There is a rhyme and reason to God's call to magnify Him among the nations. It is a call rooted in the very nature and character of God.  And what can we say about this God? He is great in His love for us and He will be faithful to love us forever. 

4) Our God is a God of love.

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. 25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. 26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever! (Psalm 22:22-26, ESV)

He cares for the afflicted among His people (24).

5) Our God is a God of faithfulness.

What God has promised to do for us in Christ is as certain and sure today as on the day He made them. And, it will always be this way, now and forever.

Call on Him and you will be saved. But, to call on Him, you must know about Him.

 

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was, by all accounts, a giant of history. Soldier. General. Emperor. Exile. And although no would add 'theologian' to this list, Napoleon faced a question common to all mankind: Who is Jesus Christ? History has seen many different answers. Christians have claimed Him as Saviour, others have considered Him just another wise teacher.

Near the end of his life, the exiled Emperor Napoleon came to the following conclusion about the King of Kings: "I know men, and I tell you Jesus Christ was not a man. Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ and the founders of empires and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and other religions the distance of infinity. Alexander, Cæsar, Charlemagne and myself founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon sheer force. Jesus Christ alone founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men will die for Him. In every other existence but that of Christ how many imperfections! From the first day to the last He is the same; majestic and simple; infinitely firm and infinitely gentle. He proposes to our faith a series of mysteries and commands with authority that we should believe them, giving no other reason than those tremendous words, 'I am God.' The Bible contains a complete series of acts and of historical men to explain time and eternity, such as no other religion has to offer. If it is not the true religion, one is very excusable in being deceived; for everything in it is grand and worthy of God. The more I consider the Gospel, the more I am assured that there is nothing there which is not beyond the march of events and above the human mind. Even the impious themselves have never dared to deny the sublimity of the Gospel, which inspires them with a sort of compulsory veneration. What happiness that Book procures for those who believe it!"

 

Jesus instructed His disciples to take the message to the entire world (see Acts 1:8)

 

Philip Schaff.  "Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mahomet, and Napoleon; without science and learning, He shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and schools combined; without the eloquence of schools, He spoke words of life such as never were spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of any orator or poet; without writing a single line, He has set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art and sweet songs of praise, than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times. Born in a manger, and crucified as a malefactor, He now controls the destinies of the civilized world, and rules a spiritual empire which embraces one-third of the inhabitants of the globe. There never was in this world a life so unpretending, modest, and lowly in its outward form and condition, and yet producing such extraordinary effects upon all ages, nations, and classes of men. The annals of history produce no other example of such complete and astonishing success in spite of the absence of those material, social, literary, and artistic powers and influences which are indispensable to success for a mere man."

He is Sovereign in His Completion of His Work

"That He has done this" (v. 31)

31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it. (Psalm 22:31, ESV)

 

One word in Hebrew: asah. It is one word in Greek: tetelestai: It is completed or It is finished (see Luke 23:46; John 19:30). It refers to the completion of the work of Christ

It is a similar statement to that found in Zechariah  4:6 Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'"

It is like a summary statement, a final statement, a statement of exultation. 

You should hold this summary statement closely and deeply in your heart. It is finished. He finished it all for you.

Quit trying to convince God you are good enough to be saved (see Isaiah 64:6).  The great word of the gospel is not do; it is done.

Some Christians feel forsaken by God. But it is an impossibility.

You may be experiencing His silence.

You may be experiencing His discipline.

You may be experiencing His displeasure due to sin, a barrier between you and God Isaiah 59:1-2.

But you can never be forsaken by God

Jesus was forsaken so we wouldn't have to be.

He went through the darkness so we would walk in the light.

Have  you put your trust in our resurrected Sovereign King?