Psa 22:1
SUPERSCRIPTION: “A PSALM OF DAVID”.
STRUCTURE: See Lesson, Psa 22, overview.
MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?: The cry was
wrung in anguished pain from his lips. Yet as he spoke the words, he would know
their source. With his wonderful memory of Scriptures, Christ would leap forward
in his contemplation to the verses that followed. Unable to ease the physical
agony of the flogged back, unable to relieve the pain of the grinding spikes and
the chafing of the rough timbers… how his mind — his extraordinary, godly
mind — would battle the flesh’s weakness to concentrate on this precious
fragment of Scripture.
As the waves of pain swept over him, he would be raised from
despair to assurance, from horror to consolation, and he would marvel at the
images of this Psalm — being brought at last, as his life ebbed away, to fix
his entire being upon the joyous hope of the last phrases. Let this transcendent
mind of Christ be in us as we follow his meditations and, like him, fix our
affections on the hope set before us.
See Lesson, Forsaken?
WHY ARE YOU SO FAR FROM SAVING ME?: Ct Psa 35:3;
62:1,6,7. This so far is almost lit, for Golgotha was “without the camp”, remote
from the Holy of Holies and on the north side of the temple area: Lev
1:11.
SO FAR FROM THE WORDS OF MY GROANING: The “strong
crying” of Heb 5:7; AV has “roaring” — a lion (the “Lion” of the tribe of
Judah: Gen 49:9; Rev 5:5!) caught in a trap.
Psa 22:2
DAY… NIGHT: At the crucifixion, there was both
daylight and (divinely-arranged) darkness!
BUT YOU DO NOT ANSWER: So it would seem, at least at
first. Every prayer gets its answer — either Yes, or No, or Wait!
Psa 22:3
Vv 3-5: Though separated by silence and darkness from the
Father, Christ still expresses trust in Him: ‘I know Thou wilt hear me, since
Thou didst hear Israel’: Exo 15:1; 1Sa 2:1; Psa 34:3,4.
YOU ARE ENTHRONED AS THE HOLY ONE: Kadosh sig
righteous, just, or pure. Used of the Lord in the highest ideal of absolute
perfection. Christ’s words are the language of profound resignation: “You are
righteous… Not as I will, but as You will.” The unanswerable justice of the
Holy One was being enacted in solemn and terrible drama on Golgotha. The perfect
righteousness of the Holy One was being attested in the sufferings of His Son
(Rom 3:25,26). This is what “flesh and blood” — even the flesh and blood of His
only-begotten Son — deserves; mankind is being called upon to look, and
consider! Here also is the triumph of faith. Even in the awesome stillness
Christ still trusts in the Hearer of prayers, although He appears to hear him
not. In the wide swirling ocean of dark temptation, the Savior stands like a
rock and a beacon. ‘It matters not what I endure — even (if possible)
rejection; You alone are holy!’
YOU ARE THE PRAISE OF ISRAEL: “Thou that inhabitest the
praises of Israel” (AV) = “You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel”, ie
upon the “heavenly” throne under the outstretched wings of the cherubim in the
Most Holy (cp vv 21,24).
Psa 22:4
Vv 4,5: The intelligent pleading of precedent, and also for us
the answer to the questions we may sometimes ask or think: ‘Why should I read
the OT?’ or ‘Why should I learn all that history?’ Our Savior continually mined
these fields for gems of faith, and he stored up these treasures against the
time when he would need them. ‘Our fathers trusted in You; so I trust, and more
so. You delivered them; I know You will deliver me. They cried unto You; I cry
even more, my God, my God. They were not confounded; so now leave me not in
these straits to the confusion of my face and the eclipse of You purpose, O You
who inhabits the praises of Israel!’
IN YOU OUR FATHERS PUT THEIR TRUST: LXX “hoped” — the
word often used for hope of children: Rom 4:18; hence Isa 53:10: “He shall see
his seed” (cp vv 30,31 here).
YOU DELIVERED THEM: Like Isaac, the prototype (Gen
22:11,12), and Israel, God’s firstborn (Exo 14:13).
Psa 22:6
Vv 6-8: As if in justification of his Father’s absence from
him, Christ disparages himself — “I am a worm.” The lonely prisoner becomes
more sensitive to the gloom of his dungeon walls when his visiting friend has
withdrawn. So also the lofty spirit of this man is drawn to consider now the
stark reality of his earthly tabernacle — in its corruptibility not superior to
the lowliest of God’s creatures. Powerless and passive as a worm, he feels
himself scornfully crushed beneath the foot of man.
I AM A WORM: “I have said to the worm, thou art my
mother and my sister” (Job 17:14; cp Job 25:6; Isa 41:14). An expression of
abject humiliation, and also a Heb term of derision for a man with no offspring
(cp Isa 53:8; but CT, in the spiritual sense, vv 10,11 there and Psa 22:30,31
here). Christ was a very special worm, as the Heb toolath indicates: the coccus,
or cochineal, a unique worm from which scarlet dye is produced by crushing. The
dye was used in the manufacture of the priestly garments and the other fabrics
associated with the Tabernacle. Cp robe dyed scarlet (Mat 27:28). Was he not the
greatest of all priests, and the true Tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not
man (Heb 8:2)? The scarlet derived from the toolath was required for the
cleansing of lepers and those defiled by the dead (Lev 14:4; Num 19:6; Heb
9:19). “He was despised and rejected”; yet with his bruising we are healed (Isa
53:3-5), who were once “dead” in the “leprosy” of sin.
SCORNED BY MEN: In LXX, sw Mar 15:32 only. Cp also Isa
53:3. See Psa 69:19n. Christ was not just reproached by his enemies as he hung
upon the cross. He was reproached and has often since been a reproach to his
friends; this is in large part Isaiah’s message: “We hid our faces… we
esteemed him not…”
AND DESPISED BY THE PEOPLE: Many of Christ’s countrymen
vainly expected that he would assume the power and glory of an earthly king. “We
trusted that it would have been he who should have redeemed Israel” (Luke
24:21). Therefore, the bitterness of their disappointment is proportionally
greater. Due to this failed hope, and also the cunning deceit of the leaders,
the people “disesteem” Christ and choose the brigand and terrorist Barabbas
instead. “His blood be upon us and our children,” they cry derisively, as though
the guilt associated with the death of this man who betrayed their hopes were no
more than that of a worm.
Psa 22:7
ALL WHO SEEK ME MOCK ME: Scorn and mocking: Judas with
his insidious kiss. The men that apprehended him mocked him, as did the officers
of the various courts, the chief priests, the Pharisees, the servants, the
soldiers, and finally the common mob (Mat 27:39-43; Luk 23:35). Unto the
Gentiles, as Paul said, the crucified Christ was a “foolishness” (1Co 1:23) — a
source of laughter and derision. In his sacrificial death, set forth before all
men, Christ was enacting the prophesied experiences of his nation Israel. Like
them, he was a witness (Isa 43:10,12; 44:8) in becoming a curse and byword to
all nations (Deu 28:37), as “the man that hath seen affliction” (Lam
3:1).
THEY HURL INSULTS, SHAKING THEIR HEADS: Their
malevolence was too great to be expended in words only; there were also signs
and gestures. They “curl the lip”, invoking the vision of a pack of wild
snarling dogs (v 16).
Add “saying” at the end of this verse, providing the
transition into v 8.
Psa 22:8
HE TRUSTS IN THE LORD: Same idea 1Pe 2:23. Lit: “he
rolled (himself) unto the Lord”. The cherubim chariot of Yahweh — “the chariots
of Israel and the horsemen thereof” associated with Elijah (Mar
15:36).
HE DELIGHTS IN HIM: Sw Psa 41:11, another psalm of
Messiah’s suffering.
Psa 22:9
Vv 9-11: The bitterness of the taunts of his enemies has only
the effect of driving the Messiah again to appeal directly to his Father. In
these verses he reduces himself to the lowest point of frailty, when he had no
separate existence in the womb of his mother. From that point he casts himself
upon the Almighty. What more excellent representation is there of man’s utter
dependence upon God! And so aptly chosen were these words, in that Jesus the Son
of God and Saviour of the world graciously put himself on a level with the most
humble man; he was one of us! Thus we may see ourselves in his plea to the
Father. Of his cry we partake, and the Father replies to all his children:
“Hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob… which are borne by Me from the belly,
which are carried from the womb: Even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar
hairs will I carry you… and I will deliver you” (Isa 46:3,4).
YOU BROUGHT ME OUT OF THE WOMB: OT references to the
Virgin Birth: Psa 71:6; 89:26,27; 110:3, LXX; Gen 3:15; 49:1,25; Isa 7:14; 49:1;
Jer 31:22; Mic 5:1,2; 2Sa 7:14.
YOU MADE ME TRUST IN YOU EVEN AT MY MOTHER’S BREAST: AV
mg and RSV: “Thou keepest me in safety” is correct; in the case of Jesus, this
was fulfilled in Mat 2:13-16.
I don’t think the Hebrew literally supports the idea of a mere
infant hoping or trusting on God… unless it means: ‘I began to learn to trust
in You from a very early age.’ Here, again, the AV mg and RSV are probably
better: “Thou keepest me in safety.” Either way, though, the Divine care is
clearly there. But then, maybe the passage is teaching that even the baby begins
to learn how to trust, subconsciously… from the first day it is held and
nourished at its mother’s breast, or rocked and comforted by the father… and
that this kind of implicit trust in literal parents is the first step to an
explicit trust in the Heavenly Father — a continuum of learning! So believers
may clearly expect and hope, and pray, that God will care for and protect their
small children. What kind of a world would it be if we couldn’t?!
Psa 22:10
FROM BIRTH I WAS CAST UPON YOU: Since the conception of
Jesus was so abnormal, Mary would have some worry concerning his birth. But a
woman of her devoutness and faith knew herself to be in God’s care in every
respect: “Cast your cares on the LORD” (Psa 55:22; quoted in 1Pe 5:7).
FROM MY MOTHER’S WOMB YOU HAVE BEEN MY GOD: But not (as
a false theology would teach) from all eternity!
Psa 22:11
THERE IS NO ONE TO HELP: At the crucifixion there were
those who would have helped, but could not. All human aid, even all angelic
sustenance, had deserted Christ as he had known it would (Joh 16:32). And though
the Father is still silent, His Son is now persuaded that the Supreme Creator
will never really desert His supreme creation. This momentary helplessness of
the Son was designed by the Father — so that no flesh, looking upon this
spectacle, could every glory again. In his absolute lack of strength Christ
found the only help that was meaningful.
Psa 22:12
Vv 12-18: Why was it necessary that Jesus undergo such
sufferings? Could not sin be covered by something less? These are the questions
that come to us when we force ourselves to look closely upon Calvary’s terrible
scene. But God had decreed these very agonies of His only-begotten Son to be
essential; nothing else would serve the same purpose. Jesus must be “the lamb
slain from the foundation of the world”. The measure of the sufferings of Christ
is the measure of God’s hatred of sin; our natural estimation of these things
must be molded by long meditation and experience, so that God’s mind may be in
us. The cross tells us what God thinks of unredeemed man, of how far even sinful
flesh removes us from His full communion. Between God and us there is a great
gulf fixed, and the cross of Christ is the only bridge.
We contemplate Christ on the cross. Others may have suffered
more physical pain, or at least for a longer time. But no man has ever been as
sensitive, as intelligent, as loving as Christ: consequently, his mental anguish
must have been horrible!
STRONG BULLS OF BASHAN: Sym powerful men of stature —
the chief priests who encircled Christ in his death. But Exo 21:32 requires that
when a bull gores a man, there must be a payment of thirty pieces of silver! And
this was done, to provide Gentile believers in Christ with a place of burial in
the Holy City: Mat 27:5,7.
BASHAN: Sig “fruitful”. This very fertile area east of
the Jordan was noted for its excellent herds (Eze 39:18; Amo 4:1). Livestock
were sent there for fattening; there the bull attained its full power and vigor
(Deu 32:14). Proud, fierce, and sullen manner; being sacrificial animals, they
are fitting symbols of the priestly antagonists of our Lord. Well-fed, pampered
with all luxury, stout and strong, they gazed with contempt upon the poor and
naked and weakened frame of Jesus.
Psa 22:13
“They opened wide their mouths” (RSV)… “as a ravening and
roaring lion”. Lit, “ravening” means “tearing in pieces”. Cp the figures of
speech in Lam 2:15,16; 3:46. The lion’s secretive crouching, sudden spring,
fearful roar, and rending of the prey give another representation of the
bestiality of Christ’s enemies: Psa 57:4. The “tearing to pieces” suggests the
cruel and inhuman Roman scourge, totally different from the Jewish whip. “The
Roman lash was often multi-thonged and inserted with pieces of lead, brass, or
pointed bones — so that when wielded with force, it tore away large chunks of
flesh, exposing veins, inner muscles, and sinews.” Strong men often died under
the Roman scourge, even before they were crucified. For others, it was called
“the halfway death”.
THEIR MOUTHS: With their mouth (RV). Not mouths, as AV:
but singular, sig unanimity in an evil purpose; note “all” in Mat 26:59; 27:22;
Mar 14:53,55,64; Luk 22:70.
Psa 22:14
I AM POURED OUT LIKE WATER: “My life-blood is poured
out like water” (Joh 19:34), or like the blood of the Passover lamb at the base
of the altar.
ALL MY BONES: “Bones” may sig fibers, in the wider
sense of ligaments and muscles as well as bones, When the beam to which the
victim’s hands were nailed was lifted and affixed to the upright stake, its
sudden jerking would shake the body most appallingly. The ligaments would be
torn and even separated; the muscles stretched and weakened and cramped. An
excruciatingly painful weight would be thrown upon the hands and wrists and
shoulders.
ALL MY BONES ARE OUT OF JOINT: The Heb is, lit: ‘My
bones have divided themselves’ (ie from me); LXX: “are scattered” (sw Mat
26:31). Also see the spiritual significance of Eph 5:30.
Psa 22:15
MY STRENGTH IS DRIED UP LIKE A POTSHERD: Christ feels
himself to be a broken, useless, and scorched vessel of earth — filled with
impurities. While the “potsherds” of the earth strive together and with their
Maker (Isa 45:9; Pro 26:23), this singularly unique “potsherd” (made of the same
“earth”) strove to the end against his inherent weakness to gain the victory
over sin on behalf of his fellows.
MY TONGUE STICKS TO THE ROOF OF MY MOUTH: As a result
of loss of blood, exposure, heat, and fever, the sufferer had by now become
severely dehydrated. “I thirst”, he cried (Joh 19:28). Extreme thirst is the
most intolerable of all sufferings. The dryness of Christ’s mouth and lips and
tongue was such that his speech was practically unintelligible (Psa
22:1).
YOU LAY ME IN THE DUST OF DEATH: This is Gen 3:19 in
its most bitter fulfillment.
Psa 22:16
DOGS: Dogs = Gentiles (Mat 15:26; Phi 3:2; 2Pe 2:22);
Pilate had to sign the death-warrant, and Roman soldiers drove the nails.
A BAND OF EVIL MEN: The Jewish Sanhedrin (edah = an
appointed assembly).
THEY HAVE PIERCED MY HANDS AND MY FEET: An unmistakable
anticipation of crucifixion. (The Heb k’ari — translated “pierced” — means
“like a lion”, which is basically meaningless. But the LXX and other versions
presuppose the word “karu”, “pierce”, as in Psa 40:6; 57:6.) David must have
felt himself to be a helpless victim of a vicious dog pack; they are encircling
him, sinking their sharp fangs into his exposed limbs, tearing and rending his
flesh while his lifeblood flows out like water. So it is with Christ, but the
“fangs” are not literal teeth: they are iron spikes and the staff of a spear:
2Sa 23:7 (cp Zec 12:10; Joh 19:37; Rev 1:7).
MY HANDS: Which may, reasonably, include the wrists.
There are many bones in the hands — so large nails driven through the hands
would of necessity break bones, thus invalidating, at least literally, Psa 34:20
and John 19:33-36. It is much more likely, and historical records point this
way, that crucifixion was carried out by pounding great nails into the wrists,
just between the two large bones of the forearm. Incidentally, it is just
between these two large bones and just below the hand, that such a nail would
pierce the great nerve in each hand — causing excruciating pain.
Psa 22:17
LXX has: “They counted all my bones. They look and stare.” Cp
Luk 23:27,35; Gal 3:1. See Psa 34:20; 109:24; 102:4,5. The man who went to the
cross was a man who had already begun his sacrifice. By this time he had no form
or beauty that might lead natural men to desire him. The flame of his life
flickered low; his zeal for his Father’s “house” had consumed him (Psa 69:9). He
had willingly spent all; there was no need to hold any strength in reserve. His
emaciated condition, his extended position upon the cross, and his nakedness all
contrived to bring from his tortured lips the pitiful observation: “I may count
all my bones!”
Psa 22:18
As to David: The rebels (Absalom, Ahithophel, etc) share out
the honors of state normally vested in the king; these would be symbolized by
the special robes for special occasions. So also with Christ: Gentiles have
apportioned to themselves his offices as Prophet, Priest, and King (but not
sacrifice!); and for two millennia Israel has gone without any of these. “For we
brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out”
(1Ti 6:7).
This is the second hint (cp v 17) of Christ’s total nakedness,
a great shame. Nakedness is a readily-recognized symbol of sin (Rev 3:17;
16:15). Christ was cursed by the Mosaic Law in being hanged upon a tree (Deu
21:23; Gal 3:13); the public nakedness to which he was subjected may also be
seen as part of that curse. It is one of the echoes of the early scenes of
Genesis to be found in the Saviour’s death; in many respects, Christ became the
“last Adam” to remove the curse brought by the sin of the first.
AND CAST LOTS FOR MY CLOTHING: The division of his few
garments was begun, but at last the four soldiers came to the most valuable
garment, Christ’s tunic. It was seamless throughout (Joh 19:23), like the robe
of the High Priest (Exo 28:31,32); to rend it would be to destroy it. Its
seamless unity mirrored his blameless life. They cast lots and Christ’s last
possession passed into the hands of a nameless sinner. He now faced death with
nothing but his holy character and his indomitable spirit. The special seamless
robe, and perhaps his other clothes, the “filthy garments” of his suffering (cp
Zec 3:3,5), may have been quietly purchased back, washed and folded, and laid by
loving hands in his tomb: ‘Lay these by his side. He will surely need them
before long’ (WGos 773).
Psa 22:19
Vv 19-21: In three short intense verses Christ pleads again
for that which he has sought from the beginning of the psalm — his Father’s
visible favor. In strong crying and tears he multiplies his petitions. In v 21
finally comes the answer to his prayers and the breaking point of the psalm:
“Thou hast heard me!” The darkness which has shrouded Golgotha for some time,
the coming of which brought forth that desperate cry “My God, my God!”, is now
broken by light. His last few moments are ones of exultation, as reflected in
the last section of the psalm. Christ faces death triumphantly, knowing he has
conquered the final enemy. His work is finished and in his last minutes he
catches a bright vision of the glory that will follow (vv 22-31).
V 19: A cry for help as death approaches. It is a
repetition of v 11: “Be not far from me, O Yahweh.” God’s presence constitutes
the only deliverance that he desires. May our prayers be imitations of this
great prayer of our Teacher — in constant importunity, steadfast faith, and
assurance of reply. God never yet forsook in need the man that trusted Him
indeed.
BE NOT FAR OFF: “With God’s help we can do wonders. We
can surprise ourselves. We can surprise everyone. Without God’s help we can do
absolutely nothing, nothing, nothing. We may appear to be doing something on our
own. We may appear to be conquering worlds, advancing frontiers, controlling
millions, accumulating hoards — but it is all vain and empty: merely a false
gilding of the brief path to the grave. How soon it is all over! — and another
corrupting corpse is hastily buried with hollow pomp and circumstance. But with
God’s help every simple, humble step of day-to-day life is being chiseled into
eternal rock: stepping-stones ever upward to everlasting joy and usefulness and
life, and glorious divine companionship” (GVG).
Psa 22:20
DELIVER MY LIFE: AV has “Deliver… my darling”: ‘my
very special one’ (Gen 22:2,12,16; Psa 35:17; 68:6 (solitary); Pro 4:3; Jer
6:26; Amo 8:10; Zec 12:10). LXX reads “my firstborn”. Could this be a ref to
Peter in peril? Joh 18:6-16. Cp Luk 22:32.
Psa 22:21
RESCUE ME FROM THE MOUTH OF THE LIONS: Both Paul and
Peter appropriate these words to themselves: 2Ti 4:17; 1Pe 5:8 (link this with
the Comment on v 20).
FROM THE HORNS OF THE WILD OXEN: But the only “unicorn”
(AV) is an African antelope. RV, RSV, and NIV read “wild oxen”. Note the // in
Isa 34:7; Deu 33:17; and Psa 29:6. Prob this expression describes the
ox-cherubim of the sanctuary. Thus, “You have heard me from…” means: ‘You who
are enthroned above the temple-cherubim (vv 3,24), hear my cry and come to my
rescue.’ This happened at Golgotha (Psa 18:6-15n, and esp v 10). V 24 and the
rending of the veil are in response to this prayer on the cross.
Psa 22:22
Vv. 22-31: The theme and tone in this section are dramatically
different. Yet this is not a different psalm tacked on to the other, but a very
fitting, very moving, logical development of what has gone before. The darkness
enshrouding Golgotha is lifted (at least so far as Jesus is concerned), and the
last conscious moments of our Saviour’s mortal life are ones of joy (poss a
euphoria arising from approaching death?). More clearly than ever before can he
foresee “the joy set before him” (Heb 12:2); buoyed up in this way he endures
the cross to the very end. His words, prophetically recorded by David, indicate
that his vision was of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
I WILL DECLARE YOUR NAME TO MY BROTHERS: Christ in his
death was declaring the righteousness of God and thereby providing a basis for
the forgiveness of man’s sins (Rom 3:23-26). Quoted in Heb 2:12 as additional
proof that Jesus truly shared the stricken nature of his disciples. They are his
brethren, and are so called for the first time after his resurrection: Joh
20:17,19. And the “Name” he manifested to them (Joh 17:6) was Exo 34:6,7. The
perfect follow-up to the picture of suffering and sacrifice already presented.
IN THE CONGREGATION: The solitary suffering of vv 1-21
has brought into being a congregation (LXX: ekklesia) of whom the suffering
Servant is now the acknowledged leader and king. Note: when the risen Lord
appeared to his assembled brethren (Joh 20:19), he stood in the midst: Joh
17:6,8,26.
Psa 22:23
YOU WHO FEAR THE LORD: Comes first in the triad here,
followed by Jacob and then Israel. Again, Luke’s record makes deliberate
allusion in Luk 23:40,47.
Psa 22:24
Praise God and reverence Him, for He has not despised nor
abhorred the affliction of His Son (Heb 12:6); neither hath the Father hid His
face from the Son who cried unto Him. This is in stark contrast to the men who
scorned and mocked Jesus upon the cross (vv 6-8). Even those who had professed
discipleship forsook him and fled, hiding their faces from him (Isa 53:3), as
did even Peter. His Father alone remained true to Jesus, because in Jesus was
His name and His purpose. Just as the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
primordial waters and brought forth light and life, so the Spirit hovered over
Jesus on the cross and in the tomb: darkness was made light and death was
transformed by that Power into life again. Jesus cried to the Father, and even
when his voice was silent in death, his words still echoed in heaven, and the
Father heard. Thus was brought to birth the new, or spiritual,
creation.
HE HAS NOT DESPISED: An effective understatement for
the pleasure of the Lord (twice in Isa 53:10).
HE HAS NOT HIDDEN HIS FACE: The shining forth of the
glory of God’s cherubim (Psa 80:1; Num 6:26; cp vv 3,21 here). In Psalms, always
ref God’s presence in ark / tabernacle / temple: see VL, Psalms, God’s
face.
Psa 22:25
FROM YOU COMES THE THEME OF MY PRAISE IN THE GREAT
ASSEMBLY: As in v 22. During the years of his ministry Christ always used
the great feasts for the public proclamation of the gospel embodied in himself.
Standing in the courts of Herod’s temple, he was himself the true temple, built
by God and not by man (Heb 8:2). In him may be discerned, in one facet or
another, the priest and the altar and the ark and the offering. In him all the
shadows became substance as he hung on the cross, and the Father’s saving name
was written in bold letters for all to read. Those who come unto him, who serve
God in the true temple of His Son, will stand at last in the great congregation
of spiritual Israel — the new Jerusalem. The “144,000” who constitute the
spiritual temple of the multitudinous Christ will assemble upon mount Zion in
the literal millennial temple, and their praise will be of God in a new song
which mortals cannot learn (Rev 14:1-3).
I (WILL) FULFILL MY VOWS: As in v 23. The vow implicit
in his baptism was fulfilled without fault in his life and then also in his
death. Prophetically, he had been baptized into his own death. He was faithful
in all things; he deferred not to pay that which he had vowed (Ecc 5:4). He
drank to the very dregs the cup of suffering prepared for him.
Spiritually, though not legally, Christ took up the vow of a
Nazarite (Num 6); separation from sin and dedication as a priest. Although he
did experience death, he fulfilled the Nazarite vow in that death could not
defile him. He who was free from sin could not be held in the clutches of
death.
Finally, in keeping with the obvious theme of this section, it
may be suggested that there is also an allusion here to marriage vows. At his
baptism Jesus was proclaimed the Lamb of God, and therefore the one who would be
the Bridegroom at the Marriage of the Lamb. That public act was his betrothal or
engagement to his prospective bride, the nation of Israel. From that time
forward Jesus offered his life as the dowry to buy his wife from her natural
father, the old Adam. The dowry was made up in full only by his poured out
blood. In his death he performed the vows and sealed the marriage covenant with
all believers.
While Christ “slept” — like the first Adam, in a garden —
there was taken from his wounded side a woman: the spiritual bride, partaker of
his sufferings. Even today God is continuing to fashion this multitudinous bride
out of the wounded side of His firstborn. Each constituent passes through a
baptismal death, and by faith in the last Adam becomes “bone of his bone and
flesh of his flesh”. When the Bridegroom returns to claim this bride, then those
who are worthy will become one body and one spirit, glorying in perfect union
with their Lord and Master forever.
Implies the eating of peace offerings (Deu 12:11,12), with
Christ in his kingdom (Luk 22:16; Psa 22:26; Isa 25:6; Joh 6:50,51).
Psa 22:26
For some of the numerous connections between resurrection and
eating, see Mar 5:43; Joh 12:1,2; Rev 19:9; Exo 24:11. And with special
application to Christ himself, see Luk 24:35,42,43; Act 10:41. Finally, of
course, Christ himself is the “bread of life” for those who are raised from the
dead: Joh 6:33,40,41,50,51,54,58.
THE POOR WILL EAT AND BE SATISFIED: Ct curse of Deu
28:39.
THEY WHO SEEK THE LORD: Significantly echoed in Act
15:17.
Jesus thirsted as he hung upon the cross (John 19:28) but
found no relief in the offered drink. His sustenance, as always, was not in
actual meat and drink, but in doing the Father’s will (John 4:32,34). This will
was perfectly and conclusively done in His Son’s sacrifice: “I am the living
bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live
forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the
life of the world” (John 6:51).
The Edenic curse, in part, pertained to food: “In the sweat of
thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Gen 3:19). The first Adam and his progeny were
destined by sin to labor arduously for the food that perisheth; though they
would eat of it, they could not be fully and lastingly satisfied. Jesus Christ,
the “last Adam”, labored in the sweat of his brow in the garden (Luke 22:44).
Upon the cross his sweat was again mingled with his blood. The “bread” born of
those labors was the “hidden manna” (Rev 2:17) of eternal life, reserved now in
heaven (Col 3:3) for his faithful followers.
The glorious time is coming when he will return to share this
“meal” with the meek. Those who have sought their Lord in word and followed him
indeed, will partake of his bounty in perpetual praise of God’s glory. The two
miraculous feedings of the multitudes in Galilee will be re-enacted on a
stupendous scale at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb upon Mount Zion (Isa 24:23;
25:6): “…A feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things
full of marrow…”
Previously all “fat things” were God’s portion only (Lev
3:3-5,14-16), just as He alone hath underived immortality. But now the “fat
things” — and immortality itself — are freely shared with the chosen ones of
mankind! “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away
tears from off all faces” (Isa 25:8). Surely it was the immortal pleasure of the
saints which Jesus held in prospect that prompted him to say on the occasion of
the Last Supper: “I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until
that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Mat
26:29).
The poor of this world, rich in faith, will at that time be
satisfied with the “bread” of immortal strength and the “wine” of eternal joy
(Psa 132:15; 104:15), foreshadowed in the weekly memorial emblems. Those who
have hungered and thirsted after righteousness shall finally be filled (Mat
5:6).
They will sing the song of fellowship that only the redeemed
can truly appreciate; all things will be forever new: With every fiber of their
glorified spirit bodies they may taste and see and feel and experience the
goodness of the Lord (Psa 34:8).
Psa 22:27
The outcome of all the shame and suffering described in this
psalm: a worldwide kingdom of God. Remarkable!
Here is the joy set before Christ, by which he was
strengthened and encouraged to bear the agonies of the cross. In these two
verses (27,28) the results are given first and the cause last: All peoples shall
worship the only true God because He is the king and governor of all peoples
through His only-begotten Son.
“O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come”
(Psa 65:2). “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under
the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying,
‘Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever’ ” (Rev 5:13). In that future day,
the contemplation of which filled the mind and heart of Christ, superstitious
and ignorant men will no longer feel or grope after an “Unknown God”, but will
cast their pathetic idols to the moles and bats, and fall upon their knees in
earnest supplication and reverence toward the One Lord of heaven and earth (Acts
17:23,24,27; Isa 2:20).
“And there was given him (one like the Son of Man) dominion,
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve
him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his
kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Dan 7:14; Rev 11:15). The One Who is
and has always been the Supreme Ruler of all creation will, through His
representative, finally assume visible and recognizable control over His domain.
Through a veil of pain and tears Jesus saw the shimmering beauty of the new
creation, of which he was to be the firstborn creature. When we, his followers,
try to imagine our participation in the glorious restitution of all things, what
prayers, what words can express the desires of our hearts? “Even so, come, Lord
Jesus. And remember me, Lord, when thou comest into thy kingdom.”
Psa 22:29
The theme of vv 27, 28 is continued.
ALL THE RICH OF THE EARTH WILL FEAST AND WORSHIP: This
class is called “the proud” in the RSV: the great and mighty of this world, most
frequently spoken of in an unfavorable sense. Nothing can testify so eloquently
to the universality of God’s worship in the kingdom age than this phrase. Even
those who in this age are generally furthest removed from Christ and his gospel
will be found among the throngs of worshipers who go up to Jerusalem to worship
the Lord of hosts and to keep the feast of tabernacles. Even kings will be among
their number (Psa 72:10,12,15).
ALL WHO GO DOWN TO THE DUST WILL KNEEL BEFORE HIM — THOSE
WHO CANNOT KEEP THEMSELVES ALIVE: These are phrases which encompass all
mankind, for no man can ransom himself from the grave; no man can pay to God the
price of his own life (Psa 49:7). Only God can redeem man by Christ, His strong
arm of salvation (Psa 80:15). Man’s salvation in every age has been conditional
on the acknowledgement of his own weakness and the sole strength of God. The
work of justification is the Father’s alone; it is not by works, lest any man
should boast, even though belief and obedience are necessary to bring man within
the scope of the Father’s grace.
Psa 22:30
Vv 30,31: Like its great counterpart (Isaiah 53), this psalm
ends with a vision of Christ’s “seed” — those who will be born out of his
sufferings, those who will be justified by a contemplation and imitation of the
“travail of his soul” (Isa 53:10).
The “Seed” (posterity) is a Biblical theme traceable as far
back as the garden of Eden. The “seed of the woman” (Gen 3:15) is both singular
and plural, as is the seed of Abraham (Gen 12:1-3; 13:15; Gal 3:16,27-29). As in
all things, the natural is a pattern of the spiritual: A single seed placed in
the ground can by God’s oversight produce a multitude of fruit, a numerous
“seed”. So it was, and will be, with Jesus: Joh 12:24, RSV.
In his death Christ was the sower going forth into the field,
weeping as he bore the precious seed to its resting place. But he believed the
promise that the single “seed”, left to die in the ground, would doubtless come
again, being transformed into a harvest of a rejoicing multitude (Psa 126:6).
This spiritual posterity would be reckoned a “generation” in God’s sight, “a
chosen generation” (1Pe 2:9), the “children” whom God would give His Son (Isa
8:18; Joh 17:6; Heb. 2:13).
Psa 22:31
The “rebirth” to spiritual life of Christ’s spiritual seed
will be the final and climactic declaration of God’s righteousness in Christ
(Rom 3:25,26). When death is swallowed up in victory, it will be as though a new
nation were born in one day from the “womb” of the earth (1Co 15:54; Psa 110:3;
Isa 66:8).
CONCLUSION: The suffering servant of Jehovah was cut
off from the land of the living, apparently with no offspring whatsoever. The
eunuch on the road to Gaza was puzzled: “Who shall declare his generation?” (Isa
53:8; Act 8:33,34). He had none; and yet he was to have a great seed! The
“eunuch” Jesus was to become the “father” of hundreds of thousands! of millions!
As his life-blood watered the soil of Golgotha they passed before his eyes: the
company of the redeemed… an awesome spectacle of familiar friends, of children
not yet born, and of old men long dead — all his “seed”! “I beheld, and lo, a
great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and
peoples, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying,
‘Salvation unto our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb’ ” (Rev
7:9,10).
What began with a sob ended with a song. With a towering
vision of the future glory Christ was sustained in those final moments… and
now the time had come. He gathered his strength to utter the last words. One
final moment… that the pain, the humiliation, the grief would be indelibly
printed upon his mind. And then… “It is finished!” It was the cry of a servant
whose work is done, an artist whose masterpiece is finished, a sufferer whose
trials are over, a conqueror whose victory is won.
IT IS FINISHED: He closed his eyes as the heavens
thundered and the earth quaked. Perfect love had proven itself stronger than
death. The beloved Son of God passed through the veil. But with God there could
be no ultimate evil: even the death of His only-begotten Son would contribute to
His righteous purpose. Tragedy would give way to triumph. Out of death would
come life, endless and lovely and glorious.