Psalm 22

Psalm 22 The Good Shepherd Giving His Life for the Sheep To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar— that is, the Hind of the Morning— a Psalm of David. Israel was looking for the conquering King of Psalm 21. Yet lo, I see a a hind— an adult female red deer— the gender thereof connecting the shared suffering of Christ and His church. “This Psalm sets forth the last extremity of human suffering, yet without any confession of sin, and closes with the sure hope of deliverance.” (Talbot W. Chambers) ”That question mentioned Acts 8:34, is very proper here. ‘Of whom speaketh the prophet this of himself, or of some other man?’ It is confessed that David was a type of Christ, and that many Psalms, or passages of the Psalms, though properly and literally understood of David, yet had a further and mystical reference to Christ, in whom they were accomplished.”(Matthew Poole) “The hind, or roe, is the enigmatical emblem of one persecuted to death (Isaiah 13:14). The hind is the emblem of loveliness, Song of Solomon 2:9; and among the Arabians, of innocence. The persecutors are similarly designated by such terms as 'bulls, lions, dogs;' [which in hunting as a sport helps lead the hunters to the prey, Moreover:—>]…. The addition 'of the morning' implies prosperity dawning after suffering, as in Messiah's case, Psalms 22:21.” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown) “David had his share of sharp afflictions, doubtless, when he penned this psalm: witness that graphic description of his greatest grief in all parts and powers of body and soul, Psalms 22:14-16, etc. But his mind and thoughts were by God’s Holy Spirit carried out to Christ’s most dolorous and inexpressible sufferings; to the which all his were but as flea bitings,…” (John Trapp) 1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? 2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed. 6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in Yahweh, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” We are never completely alone in our sufferings, but of Christ it is true: “Alone He bare the cross, Alone its grief sustained.” It was evening, especially spiritually. “As the darkness commenced at the sixth hour, the second of the Jewish hours of prayer, so it continued till the ninth hour, the hour of the ‘evening sacrifice’, increasing probably in depth, and reaching its deepest gloom at the moment of this mysterious cry, when the flame of the one great ‘Evening Sacrifice’ was burning fiercest.” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown) And David goes on the describe the darkness that Jesus felt. He felt forsaken by God, as well as man. “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.” Listen to the jeers: “He trusted in Yahweh, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” And about the ninth hour Jesus cried, ‘Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani’— ‘My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” This seems to be a direct quote of Psalm 22:1. “But instead of sebachtaniy, of the Chaldee Targum, the Hebrew has the form ‘hazabtani’” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown)— “to heal the world.” So text could be paraphrased— My God is not helping me “to heal the word.” “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Num 21:4-9), even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life…” (John 3:14-16) "The bronze serpent, lifted up in the camp of Israel, brought health and cure within the reach of all who were bitten by the snakes. Christ crucified, in like manner, brought eternal life within reach of lost mankind. Christ has been lifted up on the cross, and man looking to Him by faith may be saved. The truth before us is the very foundation-stone of the Christian religion. Christ's death is the Christian's life. Christ's cross is the Christian's title to heaven. Christ 'lifted up' and put to shame on Calvary is the ladder by which Christians 'enter into the holiest,' and are at length landed in glory...” (J. C. Ryle) 9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. 10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. 11 Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. 12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. 19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! 20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. 21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen!You have answered Me. "Thou hast made me; and hast guided and defended me from my earliest infancy." (Trapp) I know that You must leave me, but be not far from me. “Here we find foretold the piercing of hands and feet, the excessive thirst He suffered, the terrible agony by hanging suspended, every bone out of joint; the laughter and hooting of His enemies, the very expressions they used surrounding the cross are given here, and the dividing of the garments and casting lots over them and other details are prophetically revealed. And to this must be added another fact. Crucifixion was an unknown method of death in Jewish law... Yet here this unknown death penalty is described in a perfect manner.” (Arno Gaebelien) "I can count all My bones." (22:17a) None were broken. (John 19:36) "Now was there any thing of this but in fulfilling of the Scripture; for it was God’s law about the passover, Exodus 12:46 Numbers 9:12, concerning the paschal lamb, (which was a type of Christ, John 1:29 1 Corinthians 5:7), that a bone of it should not be broken." (Matthew Poole) Aijeleth Shahar, in the title, “according to the Chaldee paraphrase, is “the daily morning sacrifice.” It speaks of Christ who is “manifestly distinguished from others, from His brethren, from the congregation, from the seed of Jacob and Israel, Psalm 22:22; and, indeed, no other than the Messiah can be meant: and of this there ought to be no doubt with Christians, when Psalm 22:1 is compared with Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:8 with Matthew 27:43; Psalm 22:18 with Matthew 27:35; Psalm 22:22 with Hebrews 2:12; and the Jews themselves sometimes say, that by ‘Aijeleth Shahar’ is meant the Shechinah, or the divine Majesty; and in what way soever these words are rendered, they agree with Christ: He is the antitype of ‘the daily morning sacrifice’, the Lamb of God, who continually takes away the sin of the world…” (John Gill) Now here is the victory song of the Risen Savior, whose glory fills His church. 22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 23 You who fear Yahweh, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him, He heard. 25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise Yahweh. Let your heart live forever! 27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to Yahweh and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. 28 For the Kingdom is Yahweh’s, and He rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship; all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep himself alive. 30 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of Yahweh to the next generation, 31 they will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this.