While
Jesus hung on the cross about to die He quoted Psalm 22 when He said,
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 NIV).
Psalm 22 is a psalm that speaks of the coming messiah and we can see
how fully Jesus fulfilled it. Notice the following examples...
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Shaking their heads – Psalm 22:7 & Matthew 27:39
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He trusts in God – Psalm 22:8 & Matthew 27:43
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I am thirsty – Psalm 22:15 & John 19:28
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They pierce my hands & my feet – Psalm 22:16 & John 20:25
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They divide my clothes – Psalm 22:18 & Matthew 27:35
Jesus
chose to quote this Psalm as one of the last things He said. It is
because He could relate to the Psalmist at that very moment. It truly
felt like God had forsaken Him. In the same way, we can easily relate
with this Psalm during difficult times in our own lives. When you
feel like you have been forsaken, remember this Psalm.
Forsaken?
– Psalm 22:1-18
-
Psalmist: He feels forsaken by God (v.1-2) &
mankind (v.6-7, 16-18).
-
Jesus: Jesus is
God in the flesh yet He still felt as if God had forsaken
Him (Mt. 27:46). If Jesus could feel forsake why should we assume we
are any different.
-
Us: There have been plenty of the Lord's servants that
have felt forsaken by God at one time or another in their life.
Chances are pretty high that you will feel forsaken by all at one
point or anther in your life. Is this the reality of the situation or
is this simply how we feel about it? Keep reading this psalm to see
where this question leads us...
Freedom!–
Psalm 22:19-26
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Psalmist: This psalm changes pace as the focus changes
to actually calling out to God in prayer (v.19f). He knew freedom was
possible because of his ancestors (v.4-5).
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Jesus: It was for our freedom that Christ came and set us
free! He not only knew freedom was possible but was also willing to
give up everything (including His own life) for us to experience it.
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Us: Sometimes the best way for us to overcome the forsaken
feeling is to cry out to God for help just like this psalmist. At
first he was just complaining but this rarely results in progress.
There is more than freedom in this psalm...
Fellowship
– Psalm 22:27-31
-
Psalmist: The psalmist begins by looking only at himself,
later includes Israelites, but is now including all. Notice how many
times the inclusive term “all” is used in these few verses. That
“all” includes not only those currently alive but also includes
“...a people yet unborn...” (Psalm 22:31).
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Jesus: Christ's sacrifice is the only way that all can
experience this level of fellowship.
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Us: Our fellowship has now been expanded to all who will
accept God and His way. Many of the barriers once raised have come
crashing down in Christ Jesus. This is good news and needs to be
shared!
Conclusion:
We
worship a God who cares about each and every one of us. It might feel
like we are alone at times and that no one cares about us. It is not
wrong to feel forsaken... even Jesus felt this way at the end of His
life. This psalm shows us that God is not far away from any of us.
Our feelings might be deceptive but God has promised never to leave
or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
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