Psalms 22:1

The Bible says in Psalms 22:1, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” This is another of the Messianic Psalms. Jesus made seven statements when He hung on the cross. This was one of them. It is recorded in Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” When Jesus died on the cross, He suffered the pains of hell so that we could avoid that suffering. One of His sufferings is spoken out loud in this statement: the suffering of being separated from the Father. That is a terrible suffering. If you have ever been in fellowship with God through faith in Christ, and if that fellowship was ever broken, then you know just a little bit about that suffering. But Jesus was One with the Father. We can only speculate but can never know how great the suffering was for Jesus to cry out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” One of the worse pains of hell will be the eternal separation from God and from all that is good. In this life those who forget God are still blessed by him with the common blessings of human life on earth. Even the ungodly can see the beauty of nature around them. Even the ungodly can enjoy the good things of life: good food, family, career, entertainment, the warm rays of the sun shining down on them, and the refreshing rain falling from the skies. God is showing that He loves everyone in order to help everyone to turn to Him. But this life is temporary. For the ungodly these blessings will not be available in the next life. Jesus suffered so that you could be saved. Turn to Jesus and call upon Him while there is time.

As we look at the rest of Psalms chapter 22, it appears that much of the rest of this Psalm relates to what Jesus might have been thinking and saying to the Father when Jesus died on the cross. And so Jesus might have quoted all of Psalm chapter 22 when He was on the cross, and not just part of the first verse.

It says in Psalms 22:2, “O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.” The Father had to forsake the Son on the cross. That was the only way to pay for sin. Jesus became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. By the way, this situation never happens to those who know Jesus as Savior. God always loves to hear from us.

It says in Psalms 22:3, “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” It is important to remember that God is holy. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our father who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name.” The word that is translated “hallowed” comes from the same word that is often translated “holy.” When we remember that God is holy, it should help us to remember that we are sinful, and are therefore dependent upon His mercy: and then we can be thankful that God is merciful.

It says in Psalms 22:4-5, “Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. [5] They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.” One of the values of reading the Bible is that we learn what God did for others over the centuries in the Bible times. God does not change. What He has done for others, He will also do for us. What does it take to be delivered from our afflictions and troubles and attacks from evil: trusting in Jesus and crying out to God? When we trust in God, we are relying on what He will do. One reason that people get too stressed out is that they rely upon what they are going to do. One reason that people turn to drugs and alcohol is that they cannot handle what is happening to them. One reason that people do outrageous things is that they do not have the capacity to know what should be done. They are overtaken by selfishness or hatred or anger. We need the Lord Jesus and we need to learn to trust in Him about all things.

It says in Psalms 22:6-8, “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. [7] All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, [8] He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.” These verses also have a direct reference to what Jesus experienced when He was dying on the cross. It says in Matthew 27:39-44, “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.” When we think about how Jesus was treated, how even more horrible it was in the light of the fact that He was the Son of God, and from a human standpoint He was the greatest person that ever lived. No person should be treated this way, and certainly not Jesus Christ.

As a human Jesus “trusted on the LORD.” From a human standpoint what did Jesus gain from doing that while on the earth: He was crucified on a cruel Roman cross. From a human standpoint Jesus appeared to have lost all. Of course, now we know He is the Savior of the world. Now every knee shall bow to Him and every tongue shall confess. It is the final result that is really important: a result that endures beyond the grave. Talking about the results of the crucifixion, it says about Jesus Christ in Isaiah 53:11-12, “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.”

The Bible says in Psalms 22:9-10, “But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.[10] I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.” This is the writer’s way of saying that he knows that God gave him life. God gave your life to you. He designed you. He decided your strengths and abilities, and God has a plan for your life. It is important to remember that. It is one reason that you have a duty to God. You belong to Him. You are His creation. And then when you give your heart to Christ, you belong to Him because He shed His precious blood for you.

The Bible says in Psalms 22:11, “Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.” One of the reasons that we need Jesus is that there can be situations in life where there is no one to help but God. If you make a habit of turning to the Lord for all things in your life, then you will have confidence in trusting in Him during those difficult times too when trouble is near and “there is none to help.”

The Bible says in Psalms 22:12-16, “Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.[13] They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.[14] I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.[15] My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.[16] For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.” To illustrate the horrible attacks of the wicked, bulls, lions, and dogs are mentioned. Ungodly people can be very antagonistic when their hatred guides them. These are the things that Jesus suffered on the cross. His bones were out of joint as he hung on the cross. And then He suffered such a terrible thirst. And notice that the end of verse 16 says, “they pierced my hands and my feet.” And so we see that the crucifixion is clearly described here one thousand years before it happened. Psalms 22:17-18 continue with a description of the crucifixion and say, “I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.[18] They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” The parting of the garments of Christ is described in Matthew 27:35 where this verse in Psalms 22:18 is quoted, “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.”

The Bible says in Psalms 22:19-21, “But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.[20] Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.[21] Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.” The way to live the life of faith is to call upon the Lord Jesus in every situation in life. Here we see the calling on the name of the Lord in the midst of a great difficulty: a matter of life and death. How can anyone prepare for such an event? If you call upon the name of the Lord consistently for the small things in life, you will be ready to call upon Him when more serious things happen to you.

The Bible says in Psalms 22:22-24, “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.[23] Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.[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.” These verses show the attitude that you would expect someone to have who has been delivered by help from the Lord. Someone who honors the Lord will speak the name of the Lord in public to others. Notice that this person speaks “in the midst of the congregation.” The congregation is the gathering of believers. Here is one of the reasons to gather with other Christians in a church service: to praise the name of the Lord for all that He has done for us. We should praise the Lord, fear the Lord, and glorify the Lord. The Lord can do anything. The Lord has power and strength and might. One reason to fear the Lord is that He could use His power and strength and might against us, if he so chooses. And we have a problem: we are sinful but He is holy. How great it is that God hears us when we call, and God cares about us. He will use His power and strength to help us.

The Bible says in Psalms 22:25-26, “My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.[26] The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.” Once again the writer declares his determination to praise God among the believers. Sometimes unbelievers do not want to hear our message. The unbelievers might get angry, or they might reject, or they might turn away. But how good it is to be among those who believe in the Lord Jesus. They will accept our words. They will join in with our praise. There is one word in verse 26 that describes very well those who praise the Lord: “meek.” If you are meek, then you came to the Lord Jesus and believed on Him. If you are meek, then you are humbled by the knowledge of your own sins, and you are grateful for God’s mercy to you. These are the people that praise the Lord Jesus and who like to hear His praises. Of course, these are also the people who have a secure destiny. Notice that the end of verse 26 says, “shall live forever.”

The Bible says in Psalms 22:27-28, “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.[28] For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations.” This verse looks to the future. Great things are coming for the world after the bad things are over, and the bad things will come to an end. God wants everyone to be saved, and in His kingdom there will only be true believers. That is one of the things that will make it so wonderful. Why will such a great future happen? Because Jesus is “the governor among the nations.” One of the things that will take place at the Second Coming of Christ is that whoever is left over from the Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon will turn to Jesus and believe on Him. Believe me, they will be prepared and ready for a Savior. All of the arguing and struggling for power in politics will be for naught. God has already decided who will be in charge: Jesus. It is said in Isaiah 9:6, “And the government shall be upon His shoulder.”

The Bible says in Psalms 22:29, “All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.” Notice the first phrase in this verse talking about the future and changes that Jesus will make. “All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship.” To be fat in this context means to be blessed by God with abundance. God blesses and provides now, but in the future they “shall eat and worship.” Now some of them eat, but do not think of God. Every Christian should thank God for all their blessings including the food they eat. In the future everyone will do just that because everyone shall bow before Him. “Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” You might want to bow before Jesus before you get to that day because as it says at the end of Psalms 22:29, “none can keep alive his own soul.” Only Jesus can give you eternal life.

The Bible says in Psalms 22:30-31, “A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.[31] They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.” In this life “A seed shall serve him.” That is to say, God always has a few who know Him and serve Him. Verse 31 tells us what these believers do: they declare his righteousness unto a people. There is always a new generation of people who need to hear. We are the ones who know the Lord Jesus, and so we speak. We tell people about the Lord Jesus and all that He has done.

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