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Psalm Chapter 22
To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar,
A Psalm of David.
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Psalm 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 actually a prophecy. Whether or
not David knew that he was speaking the words of the future Messiah,
we can only guess, but these are the words Jesus Christ uttered when
He was dying on the cross.
- Matthew 27:45 Now from
the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the
ninth hour.
- 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?
David went through a lot of bad times;
sometimes they were his own mistakes or even sins but he probably
felt many times as if the Lord had forsaken him. When he cries out
those words in verse one, he was saying exactly what Jesus would
utter.
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Psalm 22:2 O my God, I cry in the
daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am
not silent.
The darkest hour is when God seems to
be silent to our cries and we have to walk only by faith and not
sight or feeling; God brings light and purity. Without God there
would be no light but only darkness.
In Habakkuk we see that God is
described as not looking upon iniquity. Some believe that when God
turned His back on His own Son, it was when all our iniquity came
upon Jesus Christ. A scapegoat was used in the Old Testament to bear
the sins of many and was sent out into the wilderness. Another goat
was used as a sacrifice. Jesus bore the sins of many like the
scapegoat yet He was made a sacrifice similar to the goat that was
sacrificed. Jesus made that final sacrifice so that there is no
longer a need to make sacrifices or offerings for sin. Faith in
Jesus cleanses us from sin.
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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?
So perfect and pure is God that He can't look
upon evil. Evil within us grieves the heart of God but yet that same
God makes a way for all of us to escape judgment for sin and be free
from that bondage.
Are we looking for the return of Jesus, do we
love His appearing? Those are signs that we are ready for His
return. When He returns He brings to those that wait for Him,
eternal life and a new body that can never die because He took care of the sin problem when He died
on the cross.
- 1John 3:5 And ye know
that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no
sin.
- 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him,
neither known him.
If we keep sinning willfully after we come to
Christ without repenting and turning back the right way, we do not
know Him. This doesn't mean we can't sin but if we fail to be
grieved over our sin and keep on doing it knowing we are sinning
against God, we really do not know God like we claim. We must
remember too what sin is. It is transgression of the law of God.
The ordinances and sacrifices were done away
with but the moral law repeated in the new covenant through Jesus is
still in effect. For example: Murder is still sin or anything that
harms someone willfully.
- Hebrews 10:11 And
every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes
the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
- 12 But this
man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat
down on the right hand of God;
The sacrifices done by priests before the
coming of Christ only pointed to the perfect one to come. They could
not take away, cleanse or give victory over sin.
- Psalm 22:3 But
thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
This is why we should praise the Lord. He
made a sacrifice for our sins and we are made free from sin by the
blood He shed. When we praise the Lord, He inhabits our praises.
- Psalm 22:4 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.
Though at times it seems as if God is
silent, yet He will answer those that call upon Him. If we have
sinned, we need to confess our sins so that our prayers are not
hindered by sin. However, sometimes His silence does not mean
that we have sinned but rather a trial of faith. Sometimes
though we may not understand His silence but must wait continually
upon God. He is faithful.
We must believe and hope in that promise that
if we turn from and confess our sins to God, He cleanses us from all
of it.
- Psalm 22:6 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.
Here we see more of the prophecy of the
coming of Jesus Christ. Praise God. He was despised, rejected,
hated, mocked, beaten, scorned, and made fun of. The very things
here happened to David happened later to Jesus our Christ.
Here is another prophecy in Isaiah 53.
It describes the sufferings of Jesus thoroughly.
- Isaiah 53:1 Who hath
believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD
revealed?
- 2 For he shall
grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry
ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see
him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
- 3 He is
despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was
despised, and we esteemed him not.
- 4 Surely he
hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
- 5 But he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with
his stripes we are healed.
- 6 All we like
sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
- 7 He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he
is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
- 8 He was taken
from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his
generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living:
for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
- 9 And he made
his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death;
because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his
mouth.
- 10 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.
This could describe no other than Jesus
Christ who bore our sins so that we could be set free and inherit
eternal life. We can't earn this by just being a good person. We
can't save ourselves from sin by doing good deeds. We must accept
the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf to be saved from sin.
Praise God. By His mercy He saves us
when we believe. Nothing we could ever do would earn our salvation.
Jesus did it all for us. All He asks us to do is believe and receive
this. When we believe in what Jesus did on our behalf, we become
"born again." We become a child of God. We become a new creature in
Christ Jesus and old things, old sins and our old nature passes
away. All things become new.
- Psalm 22:9 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.
- 11 Be not far from
me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
- 12 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.
- 17 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.
This too describes what happened at the
scene of the crucifixion. How can any Jewish person read this and
not see that Jesus Christ is truly the Messiah who came to save them
from their sins and not them only but the sins of the whole world?
To believe and receive is the have eternal life. If we reject this,
there is no other way to be saved from sin. Then at natural death, a
soul is still in their sins and will suffer eternal death in hell.
This does not have to be. Jesus came that you and I could be free
from sin and not die eternally. It is your choice. Make it today
without delay. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, turning from sin
and make Him Lord of your life.
- Psalm 22:19 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.
- 22 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.
The word darling from verse 20 means "my
life" or soul.
Fear God, praise His name, This name is
Jesus whom God sent as savior.
God heard the cries of His people and
sent Moses to deliver them. God saw the plight of Israel in the
Babylon captivity and delivered them. God sent Jesus to save them
from the bondage of sin. Since the nation of Israel at that time
except for the apostles and disciples rejected Jesus, they lost
their nation until 1948. In the time just before Jesus returns to
sat up His kingdom on earth, God sends Jesus back to rescue Israel
again from enemies.
- Psalm 22:25 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.
Eternal life is granted to all who
believe in Jesus Christ.
One day Jesus Christ will destroy
enemies of the gospel and gather all together all believers to live
eternally with Him.
- 2Thessalonians 1:7 And
to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall
be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
- 8 In flaming
fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey
not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
- 9 Who shall be
punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the
Lord, and from the glory of his power;
We can choose who we serve now. We can be
part of the ones saved from the wrath of God or part of the ones
receiving vengeance because they hated God and refused His
salvation.
- Revelation 21:3 And I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall
be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their
God.
- 4 And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Good things are in store for those that love
the appearing of Jesus and desire to dwell with Him forever.
- Psalm 22:28 For the
kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.
- 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.
- 30 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.
Notice all those that go down to the
dust shall bow before him. That proves there is no soul sleep.
All will rise and face judgment. Why would anyone that have heard
this things refuse this good way? How wonderful is the salvation God
provided for us. Let us come to Him for salvation and share this
wonderful gospel with all that we can. -DC
Psalm 23
Psalm Index
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