Psalm 22
The music for this psalm must have been in slow, solemn tones, for it tells the grief of One in very great trouble. David wrote this psalm and had many times been in much sorrow, but not like this One, for David had always been comforted and helped by God, so had Elijah, Job and all others who trusted in God, But the cry of this One, given in the first verse is,
“My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
Forsaken means to be left alone. This person had prayed to God day and night, yet was left to suffer without the comfort of God, as no one else ever had.
In the New Testament we read of One who lived long after David who cried out those same words in Hebrew while suffering it cruel death on a cross outside the city of Jerusalem. This One was Jesus of Nazareth, who was hated by the leaders. of the Jews because He told them that He was the Son of God. And to please those leaders He was crucified by Roman soldiers.
Things which took place at that time were the same as told of in this psalm: the suffering One says,
“All they that see Me laugh Me to scorn” (Verse 7).
Would men laugh at one in pain and sorrow? Yes, that was what the soldiers and others did while they watched Jesus suffer. The psalm also told the words some would say about this One: “He trusted on the Lord that He would deliver Him: let Him deliver Him” (Verse 8), Those very words were said by the Jewish priests and scribes about Jesus, as He hung on the cross. Those men used the words of this psalm, but they did not believe the One God sent to deliver or them from their enemies and from their own sins.
The soldiers who nailed Jesus to the cross divided His garments, a part for each soldier, excepting His cloak, which was woven in one piece; so they drew lots to see which one should have that. Now notice what had been written in this psalm, verse 18,
“‘They parted My garments. among them, and cast lots upon My vesture.”
The Roman soldiers did not know the psalms, but God knew what they would do, and told David long years before to write it.
The answer to the question, “My God My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” seems to be in the words of verse 3, “Thou art holy.” Because God, the Father, was holy He could not comfort His Son when He was taking the punishment for sin.
There is more in the psalm of how that One would suffer; we cannot explain or understand such sorrow; we can only believe that the Lord had these words written that His people should, honor the One who so suffered. The people of Jerusalem must often have read this psalm yet who Jesus said the same words on the cross, and was so despised, only a few believe Him to be the Son of God.
We very much wish that each boy and girl who now reads this psalm may believe honor the Lord Jesus who suffered for sin, “the Just for the unjust.”
The prophet Isaiah also wrote of a “Man of sorrows” and said,
“The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6.
David was called a prophet, one who told events before they happened (See Acts 2:30), For the account of Jesus on the cross read Matthew 27:26-51, also John 19:23,24.
ML 07/21/1940