The Psalm of the Cross
God’s unmistakeable fingerprint on the Bible
Do you find it hard to love God? One of the most important keys for loving God is loving His word. The people I have met who really love God’s word all seem to love God with a great passion. Come on journey with me and discover a great treasure of the Holy Bible.
King David, who lived about 1000 B.C. meditated on God and God’s word. No other writer in the Bible spoke of his love for God as much as David did in the Psalms. There are some amazing, exciting and wonderful things in one of David’s Psalms - Psalm 22. There are things that might surprise you and make you say ‘wow!’ They speak to us about the foreknowledge and love of God and I pray will fill us with love for God’s word and especially with love for God Himself.
The Son of David
One unusual thing you will notice about Psalm 22 is David writes it in the first person as if it’s all about him, yet the New Testament suggests it is about Christ (see John 19:23-24 and compare Ps 22:18). Whilst unusual, this is understandable when we remember Jesus’ favourite way of referring to Himself was as the ‘Son of David’ and Jesus did come through the family line of David (Matthew 1:6-16).
Also, David’s life pictured Christ’s in many interesting ways. For example, both were born in Bethlehem. David means ‘beloved,’ and God said of Jesus, “this is my beloved Son.” Both were shepherds (Jesus in the spiritual sense). Both were doubted and mocked by their people, brothers and by the king. However, both were also loved by the poor and those hated by society. People in high places were jealous of them and tried to kill them. Neither of them had a hand laid on them by their enemies without their consent. Both faced what looked like impossible situations, but brought salvation for their nation in unexpected ways. No one thought David would bring the giant Goliath down with the unusual method of a single sling shot. Not even Christ’s disciples expected Him to be resurrected and bring the hope of eternal salvation for all through the surprising way of the cross. David is Israel’s most famous and loved king. Jesus is the King of Kings. As kings they both suffered terrible betrayal by those close to them and experienced great suffering, but they were both restored.
The similarities are many, so we can understand why David can write Psalm 22 in the first person, while at the same time the Psalm’s deepest predictive meaning is found in Christ.
Knowing just how close King David and Jesus (the Son of David) were will now help us make sense of Psalm 22, a Psalm with God’s unmistakeable fingerprint all over it. David writes it as if it’s about himself, but you will see, as we go through this Psalm of the Cross verse by verse, that it is an amazing prophecy about Jesus, the Son of David.
The Cry
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? (22:1)
These are the very words Jesus spoke while suffering on the cross (Matthew 27:46).
The mockery
But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” (22:6-8)
This was exactly how Jesus was regarded and treated by His enemies and most of the people who called for His crucifixion. Luke 23:35 says: “And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, ‘He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.’”
Christ’s background
But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. (22: 9-10)
The Apostle Matthew tells us how the man Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit. He therefore had an incredibly close connection to God, even from conception (Matthew 1:18,20).
The angry mob
Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. (22:11-13)
When it was time for Jesus to be taken and sacrificed He was like a helpless lamb surrounded by raging bulls or lions. Matthew writes that a great many people came after him with swords and clubs (Matthew 26:47). He also tells us how Jesus was surrounded by many soldiers who hurt him very badly.
Pain and exhaustion
I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. (22:14-17)
A person hanging on a cross would have their bones out of joint as they hung there. The cross is like a rack that tortures people by stretching them. Death by crucifixion is understood to be one of the most painful, if not the most painful, kind of deaths. The word we use today to describe the worst kind of pain is the word ‘excruciating.’ It’s very interesting that the word ‘excruciating’ has a link with the word ‘crucifixion.’ Charles Spurgeon also writes:
We know that the greatest … pain that the body can endure, is that arising from a bone out of its place … Now when the Lord was raised up upon the cross, and his sacred body hung in the air from the nails, all the joints began to give, so that the bones were parted one from the other so visibly that, in very truth (as David had prophesied) they might tell all his bones, and thus, throughout his whole body, he endured acute torture. Whilst our Lord suffered these torments, his enemies, who had so earnestly desired to see him crucified, far from pitying him, were filled with delight, as though celebrating a victory. (The Treasury of David, Vol. 1, Hendrickson Publishers, p. 343).
It’s absolutely amazing David knew exactly the kind of death Jesus would die, even specifically stating Jesus’ hands and feet would be pierced. Jesus was indeed nailed to the cross by His hands and feet.
It’s amazing too when you consider there are millions of ways a person could die and death by crucifixion (clearly portrayed in this Psalm) was not the way Jesus’ people put people to death. Further, crucifixion probably had not even been invented in1000 B.C. when this psalm was written.
Did you notice also the prophet David said in verse 15 God did this to Jesus? It was indeed God’s plan to save us through His Son’s sacrifice.
Casting lots
They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. (v. 18)
The apostles John and Matthew, Jesus’ close disciples, both write about how the soldiers shared Jesus’ clothes among themselves by casting lots.
God answers Jesus’ cries and raises Him from the dead
Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him. All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! 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. (vv. 21-24)
God raised Jesus from the dead. He heard His cries, but did not save him immediately as He had a greater plan for us. Jesus, for 40 days, showed the brethren he had been raised from the dead. Therefore, his followers praised and glorified Him. The Christian movement would have died if Christ’s followers had not seen Him alive again.
A world religion ruled over by Christ
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations. 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. A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this. (v. 27-31)
Today, in Christ’s spiritual kingdom, people from every country of the world worship Jesus because of the love he showed all of us through taking the suffering for our sins on the cross. Many from all nations serve Him. Jesus has been raised and sits on the throne and is seated at the right hand of God (Acts 2:29-33). Many obedient believers from all nations (Jew and Gentile) hope in Christ who reigns over them (Roman 15:8-12). Much more could be said about the prophetic significance of Psalm 22:27-31.
Conclusion
I hope you can see just how incredible Psalm 22 is, knowing it was indeed written 1000 years before Jesus suffered on the cross. Do you have trouble loving God with all of your heart? Why not take the time to study the Bible carefully. You will notice God has sent you a personal love letter with His Almighty signature and unmistakeable fingerprint all over it.
My sermon on Psalm 22 can be heard at https://youtu.be/nt78OWDpFXs
