May 8 - Psalm 22-26

Good morning everyone,

Both Jewish and Christian faiths have long believed that many of the psalms refer as much to the return of Jesus the Messiah as they did to current circumstances, with many verses describing in detail the events that took place in the life of Jesus. We begin our reading this morning with one of the most quoted Psalms in New Testament. 

The 22nd Psalm begins with David crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” Familiar words? Of course they are. Matthew 27:46 reads, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Jesus quoted this psalm to draw attention to it. Why? Well before we get to that, go back and read verses 11-18, you’ll see they speak directly to Jesus and his death on the cross. The psalm was written a thousand years before Jesus was even born, crucification was a Roman means of torture and death and it hadn’t even been invented yet. So while yes it’s true, Jesus was expressing excruciating pain from being separated from His Father while taking on the sin of the world, He was also wanting anyone who heard Him to go back and read the scriptures, and see that He is the fulfillment of them. He is the Messiah.

The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians that “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” There is no possible way we will ever be able to comprehend or appreciate the utterly horrific experience of having ALL sin for all time heaped upon us. No kidding, think about how you feel when you take the blame for one little thing someone else did, when you have to suffer the consequence of their choice. It feels heavy. Right? Sometimes you do it willingly, sometimes not so much, but nonetheless it weighs. Jesus did that for us for every sinful act, for every sinful thought for every moment of your life, of my life and of the lives of every single person ever born of all of the yesterdays, today and all of the tomorrows until He returns. And as heavy and as awful as that was for Him the worst part was the separation in Spirit from the Father. We’re told in Habakkuk 1:13, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.” God had to turn His back on Jesus and at that time the Son, the Lamb of God cried out. David was feeling that deep loneliness that accompanies separation from God.

So while the physical pain and torture was crazy beyond anything I have ever and I pray you have ever experienced, the spiritual pain was far worse. How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that He should give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure ……

The second major portion of the psalm turns to praise and assurance that God has heard and answered. The rest of the psalm then promises praise to God. David praised God publicly as should we. We can not let “society” suppress us in our worship and praise of God. We have to be seen by our children reading God’s Word,  worshiping and praising our God, making it known to them that He is our Hope. Our Truth, our Light, our Way. Amen?

Have a great day, to God be the glory.

God bless you all …