Psalm 22

I tried to go through this Psalm and analyze it intellectually and break it down. And I just can't. I relate so much to this Psalm that I feel like I need to just let myself, and you guys, feel the passion in it - the two seemingly conflicting viewpoints that come together to point in many ways to our Savior. Psalm 22 is one of the most famous Psalms, in a messianic sense. It is the Psalm that Jesus quoted on the cross, and it is a Psalm that prophetically points to Jesus' crucifixion, with details such as "all who see me mock me" (v. 7), "I am poured out like water, [...] all my bones are out of joint" (v. 14), "my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth" (v. 15), "they have pierced my hands and my feet" (v. 16), and "they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing" (v. 18). This Psalm most definitely speaks of Jesus. All these details can be confirmed and are fulfilled in the crucifixion (read Matthew ch. 27). Yes, Psalm 22 points to Jesus the crucified. But guys - Psalm 22 also points to Jesus as the Redeemer of the downtrodden and the brokenhearted! It's so much more than a Psalm of suffering!

I will admit that I never read Psalm 22 this way until I went to read it for this blog. But upon reading it, I noticed a pattern - there is suffering, and then admission that God is sovereign and trustworthy; suffering, and then admission that God is caring and tender; suffering, and then admission that God is a strong tower and a deliverer; and finally, a hymn (of sorts) that sings of all of these beautiful characteristics of God again - that He is praiseworthy, merciful, a sovereign ruler, and that He is eternal. What a beautiful reminder for us!

I love the change of thoughts that David makes in verses 3, 9, and 19, specifically. In verses 1 and 2, David is crying out that he has been forsaken by God - and who was more forsaken by God than His own Son was on the cross - God's most beautiful, perfect creation, marred by the ugliness of our sin and abandonded by His father in the heartbreak. However, in verse 3, David focuses his attention on His redeemer - choosing in the midst of what must have been a horrible moment to change his thought, saying, I am broken, but You are enthroned on High, You are all we have to praise, You are the deliverer of our people, You are the only one we can trust (verses 3-5). The same change happens in verse 9. In verses 6-8, David's attention is drawn back to his suffering and his troubles - he is being insulted, and people are mocking him for his trust in the Lord. This also happens to Jesus - he is mocked by Jews and Romans alike, being told to save himself if he really is God. And yet David, like Jesus, turns his eyes back toward Heaven, saying I am surrounded and my life is threatened, yet You are the giver of life, You are the one in whom I trust, You are the one who chose me and marked me as yours from the beginning of life.

We see the same transition on final time, in verse 19. Verses 9-18 depict a very painful, physical suffering. I am no scholar and no expert on David, so I do not know if any of these physical insults actually happened to him. But we do know the story of Jesus: he was surrounded by many strong men, his bones were, in fact, out of joint; he suffered great thirst on the cross - and may I interject that this would seem like such a small detail, but God was painting this picture of Jesus so long before this moment - and there are no small details with God! Jesus did have his hands and feet pierced, and lots were cast for his clothing. All of these verses are very specific and very prophetic. At the end of this section of suffering, however, David once again turns to God. This time, his attention is locked on his Savior. First, David calls to God to be near and to help him. Verses 19-22 are dedicated to David's prayer for rescue. Verse 23 begins a beautiful song of sorts poured out to the Lord - singing praises to God for what has been and what is to come - for what He has already done and what He will do, even in future, as-yet-unborn generations. God has won this battle for David's heart, and He won the battle on the cross as well!

I have not suffered physically the way that Jesus or David suffered. But I have suffered in my heart in so many ways. And I know, and I am sure you do as well, that Jesus deserves praise even in the storm, even in the dark, even when it hurts. That doesn't mean it's easy. We see that here in Psalm 22 - David fights between focusing on his suffering and focusing on his Relief. But David paints us a beautiful example. Even when we lose focus, even when our mind drifts back to our wounds, we must move our thoughts back to the Healer of those wounds.

I was thinking of this Psalm as I was listening to "Blessed Be Your Name," the praise song written by Matt Redman. And the last verse of the song, which I always thought referred so much to the book of Job, struck me as the perfect paraphrase for this Psalm, so I wanted to post those words here again, just to remind you. It's something small that you can even pray if you can't remember all the words to Psalm 22. It's just something to bring your focus back to Him.

Blessed be Your name,
on the road marked with suffering;
though there's pain in the offering,
Blessed be Your name.

David suffered many things, and yet recorded his prayers even in the midst of it all so that future generations could see that God is faithful. Jesus walked the road marked with every suffering - physical, emotional, and spiritual - so that we could follow His lead. How amazing is our God!

~Kim