The Rest of the Story: Psalm 22:22-31
The opening words of the 22nd Psalm are remembered in that Jesus spoke this verse from the cross. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Much has been said by theologians about this verse about this being the time the sin if the world was placed on Jesus so that the Father turned His back on the Son. Although I have some questions about the accuracy of this statement, Jesus certainly felt forsaken. (For Sermon Central readers, see the sermon entitled “Did God Really Turn His Back on Jesus in this archive.) The verses which follow describe the horrors of crucifixion. David who wrote this Psalm, would not have not known about crucifixion, but there were equally horrible forms of execution available in His day. But David was a prophet as St. Peter reminds us on the Day of Pentecost. These words were written one thousand years before the event. We really don’t know what David was thinking about, but it seems that they can only be properly understood by the death of Jesus. Parts of the Psalm are quoted by the gospel writers in conjunction with the crucifixion to show that Jesus’ death is the fulfillment of prophecy.
Jesus Himself told the disciples on several occasions that the Scripture and prophecy of what we call the “Old Testament” was the first witness to Jesus, This is stresses to the Emmaus disciples when he upbraids them in Luke 24:25-6, calling them foolish that they did not believe the Scriptures which prophesied of Jesus’ suffering. But this is not all. He also says that the Scripture prophesied Jesus would afterward enter His glory. What Jesus says is that both is death and resurrection are prophesied.
Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and other Scriptures testify of Jesus’ suffering? But where do we find resurrection? The answer is here in this very Psalm, Psalm 22. Psalm 22 graphically portrays Jesus’ suffering, but it does not end in his being rendered into the dust of death. Peter in that same Pentecost sermon quotes Psalm 16 to show that Jesus’ body would not suffer from the decay of death. This, too testifies of the necessity of Jesus’ resurrection.
After one final plea for deliverance, the Psalm makes an abrupt turn. It says that He would declare the name of Yahweh to the brethren, and that in the midst of the great congregation he would offer praise. Dead men do not praise. This is the work of the living. After the experience of death, it would be necessary for Jesus to rise again, which He did. We must remember that the story does not end in the sacrificial death, but in His glorious resurrection. And who is the congregation who will witness this praise. We are all brought to the dust of death, and even if we live to the coming of the Lord, we will have to have these bodies of dust transformed into a new glorious body. This Psalm also confirms that we will be raised from death, even as Jesus was raised.
Jesus who is the very Tabernacle, the presence of God in the midst of His people affirms that not only has He suffered, but the congregation has suffered as well. We must make the distinction, or course, that Jesus’ suffering was entirely for the sin of others and not His own personal sin. Our own sins have caused us innumerable and deserved suffering. But all those who call upon the name will suffer tribulation from those who oppose the gospel. Sometimes this gives us the feeling of alienation from God. Does God really care that we are suffering for no other reason than the fact we are Christians. When we add the fact that we too get discouraged by our own sin, we can feel very forsaken indeed.
Verse 24 should give us hope. God has not considered the suffering of His people as what we would call today a “nothing burger.” He is intensely aware of our suffering and takes notice of it, even as the Father noted the suffering of His son. What we read here are the comforting words that God did not turn His face from Jesus, and if He did not turn His face, neither could He turn His back on Jesus, even though Jesus was bearing the sin of the whole world on that cross. The problem with sin itself is that it makes us turn our back on God. That is why the Hebrew word for repentance “shuv” means to turn back. It is a call to stop running away from God and hiding, but rather to turn back to Him. God does not desert us even in our self-inflicted wounds from sin. Instead He beckons the sinner to turn back to Him and live.
We are called not only turn back to God, but the Psalm instructs us of our proper worship we should render to the most excellent grace of God. We have vows to pay. A vow is a settled commitment to serve and obey the LORD in all we do. This will be perfected when Jesus returns and the full glory of the kingdom seen. But we must remember that we have already been raised from the dead when we became Christians. This mortal flesh has not died or been transformed yet, but we have eternal life in us. We must strive to make the reality of who we are actualized in our life. We live in anticipation of who we will be in full at the coming of the kingdom.
The Psalm talks about the meekness of the believer as being what God desires. The meek shall eat and be satisfied. Meek is not the same as weak, however. It is the trust in God to care for one’s self and not to trust in ones own work. Indeed, meek people who wish harm on no one will become the subject of ridicule and even persecution. But even Jesus says that the meek shall inherit the earth. These are the people who praise the LORD, whose heart shall live for ever. Yes these are those who will inherit the world at the end. Wickedness and sin will be destroyed, and we shall finally come to peace.
There is a promise given not just to ancient Israel, but an invitation for all the nations (Gentiles) to come and worship the LORD, to be included among the faithful of God. Here, a thousand years before Christ is the prophecy that the Word of God would be given to the Gentiles as well. They shall turn to the LORD also and join the great chorus of praise. This is because the God of Israel is God of all the nations. These are those who will be fattened by gladness.
Even those who go down to the dust of death shall bow before Him. The dead cannot bow. This means all shall be raised. As Daniel says, some to glory and others to everlasting punishment. Paul reminds us from Scripture that “every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Yahweh to the glory of God the Father.” This resurrection is entirely by the power of God. We are reminded that no one can keep alive his own soul. The curse of every person is death, but the death of the body is not the end. There shall be judgment, some to vindication through faith in Jesus Christ, and others to condemnation. No one can save himself or escape the final judgment before the throne of God. This is not time to trample on God’s incredible offer of saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
God calls this generation as He calls every generation to serve the LORD. The seed here could represent God’s people, but can be translated in the singular as Paul does in Galatians concerning the promised seed of Abraham as referring to a particular seed who is Jesus. Indeed Jesus is the chosen seed of Abraham who served the Father in absolute faithfulness while He was on earth. This is the generation that will serve God, and we in Him. He and the Apostles would declare unto that generation that “He has done this.” His righteousness was declared by them to all the corners of the earth as it was known in that day. We continue in this work of declaring God’s righteousness as demonstrated in Jesus Christ, the justification by faith in what God has done in Him.
It is possible to take the final the final word in the Psalm. The Hebrew, asah, which is translated “he has done this” as “it is done” or even “it is finished.” We think of one of Jesus’ last cries on the cross recorded in the Gospel of John where He exclaims “It is finished” (teteleka in Greek). So does Jesus quote the end of the Psalm as wall as its beginning? If so, Jesus is telegraphing that the entire Psalm refers to Him. Whether this is the case or not, it is about Him and what He has done as well as our proper worshipful response. Are we going to lift up Jesus in our praise, not only in the congregation, but before a hungry world. The world deserves this grace no more that we deserved His grace. We think of another of Jesus’ statements on the cross: “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” The world shows it did not know what they were doing. AS Peter reminds us, if they had known, they would not have crucified the LORD of Glory.” The world in its ignorance killed Jesus rather than respond to Him in worship and thanksgiving. But God did not hold this violence against them if they would repent and turn to Jesus. This was Peter’s invitation to them by the Spirit.
We too must realize that by our proclaiming of the Good News that we might come to suffering by those who have not understood the message as well as those who have and openly reject the Christian message. We must realize that this is told us by none other than Jesus Himself. But in our meekness and loving response to hate, let us demonstrate what Jesus did so lovingly upon the cross, the power of forgiveness and the offer of their forgiveness by God if they will believe upon Jesus.
