My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?… All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; He trusts in the Lord; let him [the Lord] deliver him; let him [the Lord] rescue him, for he delights in him [the Lord]!
Psalm 22
In this Messianic Psalm of David, we see some of the words Jesus spoke during His crucifixion, sometimes called the seven last words of Jesus. When David wrote this psalm, he instructed the “choirmaster” to put the words to a certain tune, The Doe of the Dawn. As with most prophecy, in the Bible, there is a near time fulfillment and a far time fulfillment. David was the king of Israel, the greatest king Israel ever had who was a warrior. As a result, he had many enemies, both in Israel and among the kingdoms that surrounded Israel. Thus, David wrote Psalm 22 to express his distress at those who hate him and look for ways to hurt him or remove him from his God-appointed position of king of Israel. In his psalm, David goes from woes his enemies bring upon him to praises to God for His holiness, His deliverance, His trustworthiness and, His great Love. David ends his psalm with glorifying God and saying that all the nations of the earth shall worship God. For the Christian today, we may not face the same troubles as David but, Christians do face persecutions, negative bias from non-Christians, social antagonism and, discrimination in the workplace. Our God is immutable, never changing, in all His attributes and promises to His chosen ones. Like David, Christians can take their tribulations and worldly woes to the Lord and, in the process, Christians can offer up thanksgiving and praise to God for His steadfast Love while placing upon God the tribulations and troubles they are experiencing. God already knows all things, including the tribulations and trials of His children. He wants His children to tell Him their tribulations and woes. That is what David did all through this psalm and many others David authored. Let us learn that our God, through the in-dwelling Holy Spirit, comforts His children, cares for them and, loves them with an everlasting love. One day, we will be with Him and there will be NO sin to corrupt and cause woes for His children.
Source: S C Ball May 11, 2023
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