12/09/2008 Psalms 22:1

12/09/2008

Psalms 22:1 (HCSB) ¹My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
_ëWhy are You_û so far from my deliverance
and from my words of groaning?

Psalms 22:16 - 18 (HCSB) ¹⁶For dogs have surrounded me;
    a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;
    they pierced my hands and my feet.¹⁷I can count all my bones;
    people look and stare at me.¹⁸They divided my garments among themselves,
    and they cast lots for my clothing.

===

Some of these verses may seem familiar and yet out of place. King David wrote this psalm. It is easy for us to think of King David as a king, one who had servants, advisors, and the finest of everything, but we must also remember that he was human with human needs and emotions. At times he was running for his very life – as a youth from King Saul, and as an elder from his own son, Absalom.

Yet, as David – a man after God’s own heart – cries out in his anguish, he utters these profoundly prophetic words: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” The same words Jesus would utter as he hung on the cross. Later on in the psalm, David described being surrounded by dogs. In that day, dogs were not domesticated pets, but rather mongrels that roamed the streets stealing food, rummaging through garbage heaps and harassing family livestock. They were good for nothing and were always seeking their own benefit. They traveled in packs and would attack smaller animals with ruthless efficiency.

David says of these dogs: “They have pierced my hands and feet.” We can also see the prophetic nature of this as the hounds of the Sanhedrin arrested, tried, and sentenced Jesus in the most biased and unjust legal case in history. Jesus was nailed to a cross; his feet and hands were pierced with nails in a grotesque display of Roman punishment.

And finally, As Jesus hung on the cross, the guards who had placed him there gambled for his clothing. This form of death was so common to them that it did not even warrant a second thought as they played games beneath three men dying agonizing, humiliating deaths.

Yes, David was human and he felt moments of frustration when his prayers seemed to go unanswered, but can you see how even in those most destitute moments, the spirit of God was with David as he prophesied about our Lord? David, himself never lived to see the fulfillment of these prophecies and so, he never knew that the spirit of God had been with him so intimately at that very moment.

We too will find moments when we think God has completely abandoned us. We may feel as if we are banging our hands against the locked and barred doors of heaven with our petitions. It may seem if we are all alone.

But in the later verses of the same psalm, David writes:

Psalms 22:22 - 24 (HCSB) ²²I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;
    I will praise You in the congregation.²³You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him!
    All you descendants of Israel, revere Him!²⁴For He has not despised or detested
    the torment of the afflicted.
    He did not hide His face from him,
    but listened when he cried to Him for help.

When my son was just learning to crawl, I would encourage him to walk. He would balance up on his tiny feet, teeter and sometimes fall. The jarring of the fall would upset him and sometimes he would cry. I did not pick him up, but rather encouraged him even more to try to stand. Now, walking is as natural as breathing to him.

Had I never let him try and fall, he would still be crawling 15 years later. Falling was all part of the learning experience, although at the time, he may have been very frustrated with me for not running over to catch him.

I cannot give an answer as to why some prayers seem to go unanswered, but what I can assure you is that you have not been abandoned. God finds no pleasure in the suffering of any. My encouragement to you is, in every situation, Praise the Lord, and persevere. Like David, the spirit of God is with you, even though you may not be aware of it.

Terms of Usage: This devotional may be copied or forwarded for personal use without permission, but must include the author, publisher, web link, and copyright notice. Use in another published work must obtain permission first.

[ Previous ] [ Up ] [ Next ]