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A Victory Psalm
George
L. Faull
Concerning
the 22nd Psalm
Sometimes we see only
chaos but God shows us there is a pattern in the chaos. So it is with this 22nd Psalm.
This Psalm begins with a
sorrowful note, but it is a Psalm of victory.
We sometimes feel what Irma Bombeck wrote about "If Life is a bowl
of cherries what am I doing in the pits?" If you’re in the “pits,” the Psalm can help you, too.
This psalm shows that the
Messiah would suffer agony of spirit, emotions and body. It is a Messianic Psalm that is amazing and
we must not take verse one and two as the whole message of the Psalm. It is a Psalm that has a great Theme. Because Jesus quoted the first verse on the
cross, many have assumed His cry on the cross was a cry only of anguish. I maintain it is a cry of victory as much as
His loud cry, "It is finished".
We need desperately to
take a new look at the context of the Psalm to which He referred. His cry stated a negative that was meant to
be a positive declaration. He felt
abandoned but we shall see that He was not. It was a pleading for both His
disciples and His enemies to hear His song of victory. When we are through studying this Psalm, our
faith and trust in God in difficult times must be like His. Jesus did not lose hope. The Gospels show the crucifixion from man’s
perspective. This Psalm is Christ’s
perspective.
Let us outline the
Psalm, remembering that it was written by David, the sweet Psalmist of Israel,
who was writing of some trial that he endured that foreshadowed in a small way
what Jesus would experience in a greater way.
The substance is greater than the shadow.
We are not sure of the
occasion of which David refers in his life.
I have wondered if it was his stay at Gath when he feigned insanity
among the Philistines in Goliath’s hometown where he was mocked and held in
great derision and scorn. You can
imagine what his enemies did to him while he was there in the territory of
their champion whom David had defeated earlier with only a slingshot.
I Samuel 21:13ff.
Regardless, it a Messianic
and Prophetic Psalm from the first verse to the last. To disregard the entire
Psalm is to misunderstand Christ’s use of it on the cross. To regard only Jesus’ subjective feelings
and not His praise of thanks for God hearing Him, is to miss one of the most
beautiful Psalms ever written.
Let’s outline the Psalm.
It will help us be like Jesus and trust God and not
lose hope!
A.
Psalms 22:1-2 Feelings David
and Jesus EXPERIENCED.
Compare Matthew 26:38-42, Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34, Mark 14:50, John 16:32.
1.
Felt
forsaken by God – verse 1.
2.
Felt
there was no help – verse 1.
3.
Felt
God was silent – verse 2.
BUT
B. Psalms
22:3-5 What David and Jesus KNEW.
1.
God
is Holy and inhabits praise – verse 3.
2.
God
is faithful – verses 4-5.
BUT
C.
Psalms 22:6-8 What David and Jesus ENDURED.
Compare Matthew
27:39-44, Luke 23:21-28.
1.
Feelings
of worthlessness – A mere worm to be squashed – verse 6.
2.
A
reproach – verse 6.
3.
Despised
of the people – verse 6 – John 1:10-11.
4.
Laughed
at - verse 7 – Matthew 27:39.
5.
Scorned
– verse 7 – Isaiah 50:6.
a.
By
lip – sneering – verse 7.
b.
By
body language – shaking of the head – verse 7.
c.
Verbally
– verse 8.
Psalms 22:8, “He trusted on the LORD that
he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.” Matthew
27:43.
BUT
D. Psalms
22:9-11 What David and Jesus KNEW.
1.
God
had been with him since birth – verse 9 – Luke
2:40.
2.
He
has sustained him since infancy – verse 10 – Luke 2:52.
3.
Has
been my God all my life – verse 10 – Luke
2:52.
4.
God
alone could help – verse 11 – Isaiah
50:7.
BUT
E. Psalms 22:12-18 What
David and Jesus was EXPERIENCING.
Compare Luke 23:36, Matthew 27:41-43.
1.
I’m
surrounded by strong bulls, like those of Bashan – verse 12.
2.
I’m
looked upon as the food by ravenous, hungry lions ready to devour me – verse
13.
3.
I’m
an empty bucket – verse 14.
4.
My
bones are dislocated – verse 14 – Matthew
27:35.
5.
My
heart is like melted wax – verse 14 – John
19:34; 20:25.
6.
I’m
like a broken dried-up pottery – verse 15 – John 19:28, 30.
7.
I’m
as the dust of death – verse 15 – John
19:28.
8.
I’m
encompassed by wicked men who are like a pack of dogs – verse 16 – Acts 4:26-27, Matthew 20:18-19.
9.
They
pierce my hands and feet – verse 16 – Matthew
28:38, Zechariah 12:10, John 19:37.
10.
I
can see my bones – verse 17 – John
19:32-33.
11.
My
enemies stare at me – verse 18 – Luke
23:35.
12.
They
are gambling over my garments and casting lots for my clothing – verse 28 – John 19:23-24, Matthew 27:35.
BUT
F. Psalms
22:9-11 What David and Jesus KNEW they could do.
1. A Plea to God.
Stay near me – hurry and help me
– verse 19.
2. A Prayer for help.
Deliver me from the sword and the
power of these dogs and lions – verses 20-21.
3. A Pronouncement
God heard me from the horns
of the unicorn – verse 21.
4. A
Promise of praise for His deliverance – verse 22.
I will declare your
name unto my brethren and in the midst of the congregation I will praise you –
verse 21 – Hebrews 2:10-12.
5. A Proclamation of
Duty
a.
You that fear the Lord – Praise Him – verse 23.
b.
The seed of Jacob to Glorify Him – verse 23.
c.
The seed of Israel Fear Him – verse 23.
6. A Perception of
Truth
God
has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted or hid His face
from Him when he cried, He heard!! verse 24.
7. A
Praise for his Faithfulness
My praise of thee shall be in the
great congregation – verse 25a.
8. A Pledge to be
Fulfilled
I will pay my vows before them
that fear Him – verse 25b.
9. A People for God
a.
The meek
shall eat and be satisfied – verse
26.
b.
The seeker
shall praise Him and live forever – verse
26.
c. The nations shall remember, return and reverence God – verse 27.
10. A Potentate will Reign
The Lord will be King and
Governor – verse 28.
11. A
Posterity shall Serve Him
The prosperous shall worship – verse 29.
The dead shall bow – verse 29.
A seed shall serve Him – verse 30.
This generation shall
declare His righteousness of having done this to people of future generations –
verse 31.
THINK
ON THIS AS IT REGARDS US TODAY
A. Jesus felt forsaken for my sin – verses 1-2.
Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli,
Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?”
B. Jesus was treated like a worm for me –
verse 6.
C. Jesus was reproached
and mocked and scorned for my sin – verses 7-8.
Matthew 27:27-31, “27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common
hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of
soldiers. 28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29 And
when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the
knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they
spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. 31 And after that
they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment
on him, and led him away to crucify him.”
Matthew
27:39-44,
“39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40 And saying,
Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come
down from the cross. 41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let
him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in
God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of
God. 44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his
teeth.”
D. Jesus was physically
abused for me – verses 14-15.
E. Jesus grew thirsty
for me – verse 16.
John 19:28, “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished,
that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.”
F. Jesus was pierced for me – verse 16.
Luke
24:39, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle
me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”
G. Jesus was naked and His garments were the
prize of gamblers for me – verses 18-19.
John
19:23-24, “23 Then
the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four
parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without
seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves,
Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture
might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my
vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.”
H. Jesus was surrounded by the devil’s zoo for
me.
The Devil’s Zoo - Bulls (vs 12), Lions (13), Dogs (vs 16), Unicorn (vs
21)
LESSONS
v Jesus was honest in what He
felt – verses 1-2.
v Jesus was faithfully
submissive without bitterness – verse 3.
v Jesus trusted because of
what God had done for others in the past – verses 4-5.
v Jesus had hope because of
His past relationship with God from the womb – verses 9-10.
v Jesus did not let His
emotions or feelings, their mocking and jeers, nor what was physically
happening to Him keep Him from praying in faith, “Come quickly, deliver me,
save me” – verses 19-21.
v Jesus believed He would yet
praise God with the brethren in the congregation – verse 22.
v Jesus calls on those who
hold God in awe, and the meek of all nations, to worship, praise, bow before
Him and tell future generations of what the Lord has done – verses 23-31.
Jesus
looked from His subjective feelings to the objective truth when in
problems. The Psalm is a contrast.
|
THE LAMENT |
THE VICTORY |
|
From
feeling forsaken (1) |
To
not being forsaken (24) |
|
From
not being heard (2) |
To
being heard (21) |
|
From
being silent (2) |
To
being exalted (27) |
|
From
feeling like a worm (6) |
To
being Governor & King (28) |
|
From
being reproached (6) |
To
being praised (26) |
|
From
being despised of the people (6) |
To
being worshipped (29) |
|
From
being laughed to scorn (7) |
To
being bowed down to (29) |
|
From
being mocked (8) |
To
being served (30) |
|
From
being forgotten (19) |
To
being remembered by future generations (30-31) |
|
From
being gaped upon by enemies |
To
being looked upon in awe (27) |
|
From
being pierced in hands/feet (16) |
To
being looked upon by those who pierced Him (29) |
|
From
being stripped naked in shame (17-18) |
To
being clothed with honor (31) |
|
FROM: |
TO: |
|
Anguish |
Joy |
|
Death |
Life |
|
Mocked
by Jacob and Israel |
Praised
by great congregation not only of Israel and Judah but the nations of the
world |
|
Feelings
of abandonment |
Realization
that God did not forsake Him |
|
No
hope |
Hope
realized |
|
Dishonor |
Honor |
|
Mocked
King |
King
of Kings |
WHAT A PSALM OF VICTORY!
CONCLUSION:
We have noted earlier that the
Gospels were written from man’s perspective of what happened on the cross. However, Psalms 22 is the cross from Messiah’s perspective.
One must not just listen to Psalms 22:1. The elders and
the scribes were very familiar with the Psalm.
Jesus began the song and their memories would have completed the words
of the Psalm. Study this Psalm and
imagine the shock they felt as their memory finished the Psalm. They were doing what the prophecy said they
would do! They were saying what the
prophecy said they would say! They knew
He had to be emotionally feeling what the prophecy said the Psalmist would
feel. Physically he was appearing the
way the prophecy said He would appear.
Yes, Jesus had felt forsaken, helpless, and rejected
of God so He cried to God (verses 1-2).
But He wanted their minds to go to verse 21. “God heard Him” and
verse 24, “He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath He hid His face from Him but
when He cried unto Him, He heard.”
What would have gone through the mind of Nicodemus
or Joseph of Arimathaea? They would
have known this Psalm. They saw men
reproaching Him, He was despised of the people, men were laughing and shaking
their heads at Him and saying the very words the Psalm said.
They saw the Roman soldiers
and the Jews surrounding Him like a pack of dogs or hungry roaring lions. They could count His ribs. They heard Him say, “I thirst”. They saw people sit and gawk at Him. They saw men gambling over His garments. If
they never thought of it then,
they must have thought of it later when they thought of the remainder of the
Psalm. A stronger faith must have come
into their hearts. It emboldened them
to ask for the body of Jesus.
Both friends and enemies must have marveled when the
Psalm was pointed out as fulfilled in Christ.
They heard and saw Jesus had conquered.
It was “finished”, as He said.
Had not the earth turned dark for 3 hours? When He had cried, “It is finished”, did not
the earth shake and rocks split and the graves open?
The majority of scholars down through the centuries
have carelessly assumed that Jesus was forsaken by God. I don’t believe it for a moment. Why?
1.
We are never told elsewhere
that God did forsake Him.
2.
Jesus said God did not
forsake Him.
a. John
16:32, “Behold, the hour cometh,
yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and
shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.”
b. John
8:29, “And he that sent me is with me: the
Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” Wasn’t He doing the Will of the Father on the cross?
3.
The Psalmist said He did not
despise or hide His face from Him but heard Him – verses 21, 24.
a. Psalms
22:21, 24, “21 Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. 24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the
affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he
cried unto him, he heard.”
4.
Other prophecies said God
saw it and was satisfied.
a. Isaiah
53:10-12, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his
soul an offering for sin, he shall see his
seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in
his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail
of his soul, and shall be satisfied:
by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear
their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the
strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered
with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for
the transgressors.”
5.
The Scriptures that are used
to prove that God did not look upon Him are out of context and are not dealing
with this subject at all.
a. Habakkuk
1:13, “Thou art of purer eyes than
to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon
them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth
the man that is more righteous than he?”
This is in reference to
Habakkuk’s feeling that God could not watch the evil Babylonians smite Israel,
since Babylon was worse than Israel.
This is not speaking of Jesus on the cross at all and He did look upon
Israel destroyed by the Babylonians.
6.
The typology of Abraham
(Father) and Isaac (Son) shows “They went both of them together” up that same
hill of Calvary (Genesis 22:8) and the father was willing to offer up His son.
So:
Ø Because
I fear Him, I will praise and glorify Him – (verse 23).
Ø Because
God did not forsake Him but heard Him (verse 24), I will:
1.
Eat
and be satisfied – verse 26.
2.
Praise
and live – verse 26.
3.
Remember,
return and reverence God – verse 27.
Ø Because
He reigns as King and Governor, I will worship, bow, and serve Him – verses
29-30.
Ø Because He is righteous, I will tell my generation that He has done
this – verse 31.
What does it matter if God forsook Jesus?
1.
How
can I believe God will not forsake me as a sinner who calls upon Him if He
forsook His own Son?
2.
It
refutes the heresy of the Word of faith preachers who say that God turned His
back on Jesus and Jesus thereby suffered hell for us on the cross. Jesus suffered death for us on the cross. Death is the wages of sin. When He did, he said, “It is finished”, or
more correctly, “It is paid in full.” When He died He did not go to hell. He went to Paradise with the forgiven
thief. If God turned His back on Jesus,
why would Jesus go to Paradise with the saved saints? If it was “paid in full” as He said, why would He need go to Hell
after His death to pay a further price?
3.
We
must learn to take all that the Bible says on a subject, not simply what one
verse says. Jesus wanted to call
attention to that whole Psalm, not just the first verse. The Psalm convicts us that He is the
victorious Christ.
He felt forsaken? Was He?
He felt Himself a worm. Was He a worm?
The Psalmist says “No” to
both questions. He was neither forsaken
nor a worm but was heard and is now a King to be worshipped.
4.
One
last thought. If I was on my deathbed
and I gasped to my children, “I was sinking deep in sin far from the peaceful
shore, very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more” and then I died,
would my children think Dad had no confidence of his salvation or that I still
thought I was a sinner stained by sin and was lost?
No, they would finish the
song, “But the Master of the sea, heard my despairing cry, from the waters
lifted me, now safe am I. Love lifted
me, love lifted me, when nothing else could help, love lifted me, Love lifted
me, love lifted me, when nothing else could help, Love – Lifted – Me.”
So what seemed a lament was
really a song of victory. Likewise, “My
God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
It is a call to attention that Jesus was in control and the Kingdom is
the Lord’s. He is governor of all the
Nations.
Praise His Holy Name!