Psalm 22

Psalm 22, The Servant of God Forsaken, Rescued, and Triumphant

Psalm 22 carries the title, “To the Chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.” The phrase “Aijeleth Shahar” is commonly understood as “The Deer of the Dawn,” likely indicating either the tune or musical setting to which the psalm was sung. David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, wrote as both poet and prophet. 2 Samuel 23:1, “Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, And the man who was raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,” David’s words in Psalm 22 arise from real suffering in his own life, yet the Holy Spirit carried David beyond himself. This psalm reaches its fullest and most exact fulfillment in Jesus Christ, David’s greater Son, the Messiah, who endured the cross, bore sin, was mocked by men, and came forth triumphant in resurrection glory.

Martin Luther rightly saw this psalm as one of the great jewels of Scripture because it brings the reader into the depths of Christ’s sufferings. The psalm is not merely emotional poetry. It is prophecy, theology, and gospel proclamation. It begins in abandonment and agony, moves through mockery and physical suffering, then rises into divine answer, public praise, worldwide worship, and generational proclamation. The psalm that opens with the cry of forsakenness ends with the declaration that God has done it, which stands remarkably close to the Lord Jesus’ cry from the cross, “It is finished.”

A. The Agony of the Forsaken One

1. Psalm 22:1, 2, The Cry of the Forsaken

Psalm 22:1, 2, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, And from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; And in the night season, and am not silent.”

The psalm begins abruptly and painfully. There is no slow introduction, no gentle approach, and no explanation offered at first. The sufferer cries out as one who knows God, trusts God, and belongs to God, yet feels forsaken by God. This is what makes the cry so weighty. He does not say, “God,” in a distant or impersonal way. He says, “My God, my God.” The repetition shows both relationship and agony. The Forsaken One is not an atheist, not a rebel, and not a stranger to the covenant God. He is one who belongs to God, and precisely because He belongs to God, the sense of abandonment is unbearable.

David certainly knew seasons where this cry fit his own life. He was hunted by Saul, betrayed by allies, endangered by enemies, burdened by grief, and placed in situations where divine help seemed delayed. Yet David’s experience was only the shadow. The substance belongs to Christ. Jesus intentionally took these words upon His lips at Calvary. Matthew 27:46, “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?” By quoting the opening words of Psalm 22, Jesus identified His suffering on the cross as the fulfillment of this psalm. He was not merely expressing pain. He was declaring that the Scriptures were being fulfilled in Him.

The words “My God, my God” reveal that even in His agony, Jesus did not cease to trust the Father. He did not complain against man first, though men had mocked, beaten, condemned, and crucified Him. His cry was directed to God. The deepest suffering of the cross was not the nails, the thorns, the scourging, or the public shame, terrible as those were. The deepest suffering was that Jesus, who had eternally known perfect fellowship with the Father, now bore sin as the substitute for His people. In that holy transaction, God the Father treated God the Son as the sin bearer.

2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” This does not mean Jesus became sinful in His nature. He remained spotless, holy, undefiled, and obedient. But He was judicially counted as sin for us. The guilt of His people was imputed to Him, and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to believers. The cross is therefore not merely an example of love. It is substitutionary atonement. Christ stood in the place of guilty sinners and received the judgment they deserved.

The cry “Why hast thou forsaken me?” contains profound mystery. There is a real sense in which Jesus experienced the withdrawal of the Father’s comforting fellowship. He endured the horror of divine wrath against sin. Yet the separation within the Trinity was not absolute, as though the divine nature were divided or the Trinity were broken. Scripture preserves both truths. Christ truly felt forsaken as the sin bearer, yet God was also accomplishing reconciliation through Him. 2 Corinthians 5:19, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, Not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” Therefore the cross is not the Father against the Son in any sinful or divided sense. It is the triune God accomplishing redemption according to the eternal counsel of His will.

The question “Why?” is not the question of unbelief. It is the cry of anguish from the sinless Substitute entering the depths of judgment. We may reverently say the answer is this, because the Son had chosen to stand in the place of sinners. He who knew no sin was made sin for us. The one beloved of the Father bore the wrath due to the guilty. He endured forsakenness so that His people would never be forsaken. He entered darkness so that those who trust Him would be brought into light.

The words “Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” add another dimension to the suffering. David had known God’s help many times, and the apparent absence of that help made the present crisis even more bitter. For Jesus, the anguish was infinitely greater. Throughout His earthly life, He lived in perfect fellowship with the Father, doing always those things that pleased Him. Yet at the cross, as He bore sin, He experienced the dreadful reality of being treated as the condemned substitute.

The cry continues, “O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not, and in the night season, and am not silent.” David felt as though his prayers rose constantly but received no answer. This also points forward to Christ. On the cross, Jesus cried out, and the heavens seemed silent. His groaning appeared unanswered, not because the Father was indifferent, but because the work of atonement had to be completed. Mercy toward sinners required judgment upon the Substitute.

2. Psalm 22:3, 5, Remembering God’s Holiness and Former Deliverance

Psalm 22:3, 5, “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: They trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: They trusted in thee, and were not confounded.”

The suffering one does not allow his agony to overthrow his theology. He begins with pain, but he immediately anchors himself in the character of God. “But thou art holy” is one of the most important statements in the psalm. The Forsaken One is confused by His circumstances, but He is not confused about God’s nature. God is holy. God is righteous. God is enthroned upon the praises of Israel. God remains worthy of worship even when His providence is painful and His help seems delayed.

This is a critical lesson in suffering. The believer must not judge God’s character by present pain. Faith reasons from the known character of God to the unknown meaning of present circumstances. David says, in effect, “I do not understand why I am forsaken, but I know You are holy.” Christ, in the ultimate fulfillment, endured the cross without accusing the Father of injustice. Even while bearing wrath, He upheld the holiness of God. At Calvary, the holiness of God was not set aside. It was displayed. God did not ignore sin. He judged it in His Son.

The psalmist remembers that the fathers trusted in God and were delivered. Israel’s history was filled with divine rescue. Abraham was preserved, Isaac was spared, Jacob was guarded, Joseph was lifted from prison, Israel was redeemed from Egypt, and the nation was sustained in the wilderness. The fathers cried, and God delivered them. They trusted, and they were not confounded. This memory brings both comfort and sorrow. It comforts because God has delivered before. It deepens sorrow because the sufferer now cries and seems unanswered.

In Christ, the contrast becomes sharper. Israel cried in bondage and was delivered from Egypt. Jesus cried from the cross and remained there until the work was finished. The fathers trusted and were rescued from death. Jesus trusted and entered death. Yet His death would become the greater deliverance, because through His suffering, He would redeem a people from sin, death, and judgment.

3. Psalm 22:6, 8, Mocked by Men

Psalm 22:6, 8, “But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.”

The Forsaken One now describes the humiliation laid upon Him by men. “I am a worm, and no man” expresses the depth of abasement. David felt crushed, despised, and treated as less than human. Yet the words find their fullest fulfillment in Christ. The Lord of glory humbled Himself beyond all human comprehension. He was not merely rejected. He was treated as contemptible. He who created all things was mocked by creatures. He who upholds all things by the word of His power was nailed to a Roman cross and treated as powerless.

The phrase “a reproach of men, and despised of the people” directly fits the crucifixion. Isaiah 53:3, “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.” Christ was rejected by the leaders of Israel, abandoned by many, mocked by soldiers, and scorned by passersby. The people saw His suffering and interpreted it as evidence that God had rejected Him. In truth, He was suffering according to the predetermined counsel and foreknowledge of God.

The mockery in Psalm 22 is fulfilled with chilling precision at the cross. Matthew 27:39, 44, “And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; Himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, And we will believe him. He trusted in God; Let him deliver him now, if he will have him: For he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.”

The enemies of Christ unknowingly quoted the spirit of Psalm 22 when they said, “He trusted in God; let him deliver him now.” They thought His suffering disproved His sonship. In reality, His suffering proved His obedience. They thought the absence of immediate rescue meant the Father did not delight in Him. In reality, the Father delighted perfectly in the Son, even as the Son offered Himself in obedience. Their mockery revealed spiritual blindness. They saw the cross but did not understand atonement. They saw weakness but did not understand divine power. They saw shame but did not understand glory.

The words “He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him” also teach that true faith is often misunderstood by the world. A man who trusts God may still suffer. A faithful servant may still be mocked. God’s delay is not denial, and suffering is not proof of divine rejection. In Christ’s case, the mockery was entirely false. God did delight in Him, and God would deliver Him, but not by removing Him from the cross. God would deliver Him through death, resurrection, exaltation, and final triumph.

4. Psalm 22:9, 11, A Plea Grounded in God’s Care from Birth

Psalm 22:9, 11, “But thou art he that took me out of the womb: Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: Thou art my God from my mother's belly. Be not far from me; For trouble is near; For there is none to help.”

The Forsaken One now appeals to God’s lifelong care. He reasons from God’s past mercy to His present need. God had preserved Him from the womb. God had been His God from birth. Therefore He pleads, “Be not far from me.” This is faith under pressure. He does not say, “Since I feel abandoned, I will abandon God.” He continues to pray. He continues to reason with God. He continues to cling to the covenant God who had cared for Him from the beginning.

In David’s life, this reflected the providential care of God from infancy to kingship. In Christ’s life, it is even more profound. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, preserved from Herod’s murderous rage, brought out of Egypt, raised in Nazareth, and guided perfectly by the Father’s will. Matthew 1:20, 21, “But while he thought on these things, behold, The angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, And thou shalt call his name JESUS: For he shall save his people from their sins.”

The plea “For trouble is near; for there is none to help” captures the loneliness of the cross. Humanly speaking, there was no helper. Judas had betrayed Him. Peter had denied Him. The disciples had fled. The rulers condemned Him. The crowd mocked Him. The soldiers crucified Him. Yet Christ still prayed to the Father. Trouble was near, but so was the purpose of redemption.

5. Psalm 22:12, 18, The Physical and Public Agony of the Forsaken One

Psalm 22:12, 18, “Many bulls have compassed me: Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, As a ravening and a roaring lion. 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. 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. For dogs have compassed me: The assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: They pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: They look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, And cast lots upon my vesture.”

The enemies surrounding the Forsaken One are compared to strong bulls of Bashan. Bashan was known for its well fed, powerful cattle, and the image communicates brute force, intimidation, and violent hostility. Around the cross stood religious rulers, soldiers, mockers, and spectators, each in his own way adding to the suffering of Christ. They were not neutral observers. They were like wild beasts surrounding prey. Their mouths were open like a ravening and roaring lion, ready to devour.

“I am poured out like water” describes total exhaustion. The sufferer has no strength left in Himself. His life seems spilled out upon the ground. In Christ, this points to the complete self giving of the Savior. He held nothing back. His strength, blood, dignity, and life were poured out in obedience to the Father and love for His people.

“All my bones are out of joint” is an astonishing prophetic description of crucifixion. David wrote before Roman crucifixion was known in Israel, yet the language fits the physical mechanics of the cross. The body of the crucified victim was stretched and suspended in a way that could dislocate joints and produce extreme pain. “My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels” portrays inward collapse, emotional anguish, and possibly physical rupture. John 19:34, “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, And forthwith came there out blood and water.” John’s record of blood and water coming from Jesus’ side has often been understood as evidence of the physical reality and severity of His death.

“My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws” points to the dehydration and thirst associated with crucifixion. John 19:28, “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, That the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.” Jesus’ thirst was not incidental. It fulfilled Scripture and displayed the true humanity of Christ. The eternal Son of God truly took upon Himself human flesh and truly suffered.

“Thou hast brought me into the dust of death” reaches back to the curse placed upon Adam. Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, Till thou return unto the ground; For out of it wast thou taken: For dust thou art, And unto dust shalt thou return.” David may have felt near death, but Christ entered death itself. He bore the curse that came through Adam’s sin. Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, Being made a curse for us: For it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” The cross was not only Roman execution. It was covenant curse bearing. Christ bore the curse so that believers would receive blessing.

“For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me” again describes hostile men surrounding the sufferer. In the ancient Jewish context, dogs were often regarded as unclean scavengers. The image communicates contempt, danger, and uncleanness. At the cross, Jesus was surrounded by a wicked assembly. Mark 15:29, 32, “And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, And saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; Himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, That we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.”

“They pierced my hands and my feet” is one of the clearest prophetic statements pointing to crucifixion. The Masoretic Hebrew text has been disputed at this point, but the Septuagint, translated before the Christian era, supports the reading “pierced.” The prophetic force is difficult to miss. David describes wounds that correspond exactly to crucifixion, centuries before crucifixion became a common Roman method of execution. Christ’s hands and feet were pierced, and the marks remained after His resurrection. John 20:27, “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, And behold my hands; And reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: And be not faithless, but believing.”

“I may tell all my bones” indicates that although His body was exposed, strained, and afflicted, His bones were not broken. This too was fulfilled in Christ. John 19:31, 37, “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, That the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, For that sabbath day was an high day, Besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, And that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, And of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, And saw that he was dead already, They brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, And forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, And his record is true: And he knoweth that he saith true, That ye might believe. For these things were done, That the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.”

This fulfilled not only Psalm 22, but also the broader Old Testament pattern of the righteous sufferer and the Passover lamb. Psalm 34:20, “He keepeth all his bones: Not one of them is broken.” Exodus 12:46, “In one house shall it be eaten; Thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; Neither shall ye break a bone thereof.” Numbers 9:12, “They shall leave none of it unto the morning, Nor break any bone of it: According to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.” Jesus is the true Passover Lamb, whose blood delivers His people from judgment.

“They look and stare upon me” shows that the sufferer is deprived of privacy and dignity. Crucifixion was designed not only to kill, but to shame. Christ was publicly exposed, mocked, and watched. Yet even in the watching, God brought witness. Matthew 27:54, “Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, Saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, They feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” Luke 23:48, “And all the people that came together to that sight, Beholding the things which were done, Smote their breasts, and returned.”

“They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” was literally fulfilled at the cross. John 19:23, 24, “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, Took his garments, and made four parts, To every soldier a part; And also his coat: Now the coat was without seam, Woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, But cast lots for it, whose it shall be: That the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, And for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.” Matthew 27:35, “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, And upon my vesture did they cast lots.” The soldiers thought they were simply dividing property. In reality, they were fulfilling prophecy at the foot of the cross.

6. Psalm 22:19, 21a, A Plea for Help and Deliverance

Psalm 22:19, 21, “But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; My darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth: For thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.”

The sufferer returns to prayer. “Be not thou far from me” echoes the earlier plea. The central issue is not merely escape from pain, but the conscious nearness of God. David knew that if God was near, he could endure anything. Christ, in the mystery of the cross, endured the deepest sense of abandonment while still committing Himself to the Father.

“O my strength, haste thee to help me” shows that the Forsaken One has no strength but God. The enemies are pictured as sword, dog, lion, and wild oxen. These images communicate violence, uncleanness, ferocity, and unstoppable power. Yet the sufferer does not surrender to them. He prays. His hope is the Lord.

“Deliver my soul from the sword” may be understood in David’s experience as deliverance from violent death. In Christ’s experience, it points beyond human swords to the sword of divine justice falling upon the Substitute. The wrath due to sinners was borne by Christ. He was not saved from death in the sense of avoiding it. He was saved through death by resurrection, vindication, and exaltation.

B. The Answer to the Forsaken One

1. Psalm 22:21b, 23, The Forsaken One Praises God Among His People

Psalm 22:21, 23, “Save me from the lion's mouth: For thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. I will declare thy name unto my brethren: In the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. 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 turning point of the psalm comes with the words, “For thou hast heard me.” The sense of forsakenness gives way to the certainty that God has answered. The crisis itself may not yet be outwardly removed, but the deeper agony of divine silence is answered. For David, this meant renewed confidence that God had heard his cry. For Christ, it points to the completion of atonement and the restoration of conscious fellowship as He entrusted Himself to the Father.

This may connect with Jesus’ final words from the cross. John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: And he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” Luke 23:46, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: And having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” The movement from “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” to “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” suggests that the work of sin bearing was complete and that the Son knowingly placed His spirit into the Father’s hands.

“I will declare thy name unto my brethren” is quoted in the New Testament and applied to Christ. Hebrews 2:12, “Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.” This proves that the second half of Psalm 22 belongs to Christ just as surely as the first half. The psalm does not merely predict His suffering. It predicts His triumph, His praise, and His identification with His redeemed brethren.

Jesus also prayed before the cross concerning the declaration of the Father’s name. John 17:26, “And I have declared unto them thy name, And will declare it: That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, And I in them.” Christ went to the cross to glorify the Father, reveal the Father, obey the Father, and redeem the people given to Him by the Father. The cross was not only about rescuing sinners from hell, though it certainly does that. It was first about the glory of God. Christ declared the Father’s righteousness, holiness, mercy, love, and faithfulness through His obedient death.

“In the midst of the congregation will I praise thee” shows Jesus leading the redeemed in worship. He is not ashamed to call them brethren. He gathers the praises of His people and presents them acceptably before God. The command follows naturally, “Ye that fear the LORD, praise him.” Those who understand the cross should praise, glorify, and fear the Lord. The seed of Jacob and the seed of Israel are called to respond rightly to the God who answers the Forsaken One. In its first setting, this call is directed to Israel. In its fuller redemptive scope, the praise will expand to the nations.

2. Psalm 22:24, 25, Praising the God Who Answers the Afflicted

Psalm 22:24, 25, “For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Neither hath he hid his face from him; But when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.”

The psalm now interprets the suffering properly. God did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted. This is crucial. Some people wrongly assume that all affliction means divine displeasure. Sometimes suffering may be discipline for believers or judgment upon unbelievers, but not all suffering is punishment for personal sin. In Christ’s case, His suffering was not because He had sinned. He suffered as the righteous substitute for sinners.

Isaiah 53:10, “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.” The Father did not despise the affliction of the Son. He ordained it, accepted it, and used it for the redemption of sinners and the glory of His name. The bruising of the Servant was not meaningless cruelty. It was the accomplishment of atonement.

“Neither hath he hid his face from him” must be held together with the earlier cry, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” The sufferer truly felt forsaken, yet God had not ultimately abandoned Him. The Father heard the Son. The resurrection proves that the Son was heard, vindicated, and exalted. Romans 1:4, “And declared to be the Son of God with power, According to the spirit of holiness, By the resurrection from the dead:”

“My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation” shows that answered prayer leads to public praise. Private deliverance becomes public testimony. “I will pay my vows before them that fear him” shows that true gratitude is not merely emotional. It is obedient. Those delivered by God should praise Him openly and keep their commitments faithfully.

3. Psalm 22:26, 27, Others Rejoice in the God Who Answers

Psalm 22:26, 27, “The meek shall eat and be satisfied: They shall praise the LORD that seek him: Your heart shall live for ever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.”

The blessings of the answered Forsaken One now extend outward. “The meek shall eat and be satisfied.” The faithfulness of God to the afflicted becomes hope for the poor, the meek, and the needy. Those who seek the Lord will praise Him because those who truly seek Him will find Him. The result is life, joy, and worship.

“Your heart shall live for ever” points to more than temporary encouragement. It points to enduring life in the presence of God. Because Christ was heard, His people live. Because Christ was forsaken as the sin bearer, believers are received as sons. Because Christ died and rose again, the hearts of His redeemed shall live forever.

The vision then expands worldwide. “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD.” The cross is not a local Jewish tragedy. It is the foundation of worldwide redemption. The Messiah suffers in Jerusalem, but the saving effect reaches the ends of the earth. “All the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee” anticipates Gentile salvation and kingdom worship. This fits the promise to Abraham that all families of the earth would be blessed through his seed. Genesis 12:3, “And I will bless them that bless thee, And curse him that curseth thee: And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

This also explains the joy set before Christ. Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, Despising the shame, And is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The joy before Him included obedience to the Father, the glory of God, the salvation of His people, the gathering of His brethren, and the eventual worship of the nations. Christ did not stumble blindly into the cross. He endured it intentionally, knowing the glory and redemption that would follow.

This section therefore shows a second great reason Jesus went to the cross. He went first to glorify and obey the Father. He also went because of His love for those who would believe on Him. He thought of His redeemed. He loved them. He died for them specifically and effectually. The cross was personal. The Good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep.

John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

4. Psalm 22:28, 31, Enduring Praise for a Faithful God

Psalm 22:28, 31, “For the kingdom is the LORD'S: And he is the governor among the nations. 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. A seed shall serve him; It shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness Unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.”

The final section rises to the reign of God over the nations. “For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.” The suffering of the Forsaken One does not weaken confidence in divine sovereignty. On the contrary, the cross becomes the means by which God’s saving purpose extends to all nations. The Lord rules over Israel, and He rules over the Gentiles. His kingdom authority is universal.

This points ultimately to the reign of Jesus Christ. The crucified Messiah is the coming King. He will not rule merely over one corner of the earth. He will reign over the nations. Philippians 2:10, 11, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, Of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, To the glory of God the Father.” Every knee will bow. Some will bow in salvation and worship. Others will bow in judgment and compelled acknowledgment. But all will bow.

“All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship” speaks of the prosperous and powerful humbling themselves before the Lord. “All they that go down to the dust shall bow before him” includes the weak, the dying, and mortal humanity under the curse. The phrase “none can keep alive his own soul” is a sobering reminder that man is not sovereign over life and death. Wealth cannot preserve the soul. Power cannot defeat mortality. Human strength cannot escape the grave.

Yet Christ is unique. John 10:17, 18, “Therefore doth my Father love me, Because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, But I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, And I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” No ordinary man can keep alive his own soul, but Jesus had authority to lay down His life and take it again. He truly died, but He died voluntarily and victoriously. He was not a helpless victim. He was the obedient Lamb of God.

“A seed shall serve him” means that the fruit of the Forsaken One’s suffering will continue through generations. There will be a redeemed people who serve the Lord. “It shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation” shows that God will claim a people for Himself. “They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born” means the message will not die with the first witnesses. Future generations will hear what God has done.

This includes Israel, the Gentiles brought into the redeemed assembly, and generations not yet born. Jesus thought of His brethren. He thought of the great congregation. He thought of the nations. He thought of future believers. The suffering of Christ was not wasted. Every drop of agony served the glory of God and the salvation of His people.

The final phrase, “that he hath done this,” is the triumphant ending of the psalm. The psalm begins with “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” and ends with “he hath done this.” That final declaration stands very close in meaning to Jesus’ cry, “It is finished.” John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: And he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” The work was accomplished. The debt was paid. The wrath was borne. The Scripture was fulfilled. The righteousness of God was declared. The people of God were redeemed.

Doctrinal Summary

Psalm 22 is one of the clearest Messianic psalms in Scripture. David wrote from real suffering, but the Holy Spirit carried his words beyond his own experience to the crucifixion of Christ. The psalm presents the Messiah as forsaken, mocked, pierced, exposed, surrounded by enemies, brought to the dust of death, and yet heard by God. It then presents Him as declaring God’s name to His brethren, leading praise in the congregation, bringing blessing to the meek, turning the nations to the Lord, and securing worship through future generations.

The psalm teaches substitutionary atonement. Jesus was forsaken so His people would be received. He bore wrath so believers would receive mercy. He entered death so His people would live forever. The psalm also teaches the faithfulness of God. The Father did not despise the affliction of the Son. He accepted the sacrifice, answered the Son, raised Him from the dead, and will bring all nations under His rule.

Psalm 22 also teaches that suffering is not always a sign of divine rejection. The most righteous sufferer who ever lived was Jesus Christ. His suffering was ordained by God, endured in obedience, and used for the greatest good in all history. Therefore the believer must not interpret affliction by appearance alone. God may be accomplishing eternal purposes in the very place where He seems most hidden.