Psalm 22 (2)

The Psalm of the cross Part Two

Psalm 22:19-31

The tittle of the message tonight is the Psalm of the cross, part two. Tonight, I want to finish Psalm 22. The previous Vs. were prophecy of the thoughts of Jesus as He hung on the cross, dying for the sin of the world. Part one, taught us Jesus is our example of how to approach God during times of intense suffering in life.

Part two continues the prophecy, but we see a change in the tone and the atmosphere as Jesus rises from the grave, and is seated on the throne, at the right hand of God. What we learn from part two is how to celebrate Christ and the victory He achieved. (Read Psalm 22:19-31)

19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off!

O you my help, come quickly to my aid!

20 Deliver my soul from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dog!

21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!

You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers.

in the midst of the congregation, I will praise you:

23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,

and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

24 For he has not despised or abhorred.

the affliction of the afflicted,

and he has not hidden his face from him,

but has heard when he cried to him.

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation.

my vows I will perform before those who fear him.

26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied.

those who seek him shall praise the Lord!

May your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember.

and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

shall worship before you.

28 For kingship belongs to the Lord,

and he rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship.

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

even the one who could not keep himself alive.

30 Posterity shall serve him.

it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;

31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,

that he has done it. (Pray)

In our passage tonight we are continuing the prophecy of David. Many of the psalms that were written contain portions of prophecy within them. But most scholars believe Psalm 22 is entirely a messianic Psalm, because there are no events like this in David’s life.

In the first eighteen verses we are given incredible detail of the very words and thoughts of Jesus as He hung on the cross, and the actions of those surrounding Him.

First, we saw the Separation in Vs. 1-5, As the Father placed the weight of the sin of the world on His Son, for the first time in eternity, Christ was separated from the Father.

Then we saw the Scorn, Vs. 6-10. As Jesus became the object of scorn. He was rejected and ridiculed by the people. And finally, we saw The Suffering, Vs. 11-18. David described for us, in incredible detail, the execution of the cross hundreds of years before it was invented.

Tonight, we are going to look at the rest of these verses, and we begin with Jesus still on the cross, but then we see a shift. We see Jesus exalted in the heavens and God’s plan unfolding in the earth, and what we learn from this section is how to celebrate the victory Christ achieved.

The first thing I want you to see is the supplication, Vs. 19-21. Here Jesus is still hanging on the cross and He offers a silent prayer to the Father. He says, “O Lord, do not be far from me” Beyond the suffering Jesus endured the worst part of it all was for the first time, He was separated from the Father.

I want you to notice the singular use of the word “dog” in Vs. 20. Jesus asks to be delivered from the dog. Earlier in Vs. 16 He spoke of the dogs surrounding Him on the cross. He was talking about the angry mobs. Those who were shouting at Him and watching Him die. Now, he uses the word “dog” in the singular. This is an obvious reference to the one dog who is behind it all. He is talking about Satan himself.

Satan is the enemy of God who has opposed all that is good from the beginning. We are told in Genesis 3:15, Satan would bruise the heal of the Messiah, but the Messiah would crush the head of the serpent. And maybe here in Psalm 22 Christ is aware that the dog has bruised His heal.

Notice Vs. 21, “Save me from the mouth of the lion.” We know Satan is referred to as a lion in 1 Peter 5:8. Peter calls him the adversary who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. And at this moment Satan is circling the cross trying to bring everything he can, from the pits of hell against the Son of God.

Then at the end of Vs. 21 everything shifts and begins to pivot. Jesus says to the Father “You have rescued Me.” God has heard His cries, and even though there is no physical sign of His deliverance, His faith is unwavering. Jesus knows His victory is just moments away on the other side of the cross.

What an example for us to follow. Jesus teaches us what it means to trust God and walk by faith. Even when we can’t see what God is doing and we don’t hear an answer from heaven. We can know He hears our prayers, and His timing is perfect. He will deliver us. That is certainly true of Christ on the cross, He was not going to die in vain, but His death would be the victory that would provide salvation for the world.

The next thing I want you to see in this Psalm is the Salvation, Vs. 22-31. Here we see the work of redemption is complete. Jesus declares His victory on the cross, and the disciples will go proclaim it to the world.

Notice Vs. 22 “I will tell of Your name to my brothers.” The “brothers” here is referring to the disciples. This is describing what took place when Jesus rose from the grave and walked into the upper room. This is describing what Jesus did when He met with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. This speaks of the moment Jesus stood before doubting Thomas and said come and touch my wounds and see that it is me. See the glory of God and what He has done.

Notice Vs. 22 -24 “in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.”

Here we see the triumphal victory of the resurrection taking place, recorded for us in this Psalm 1000 years before it happened. Jesus is the worship leader speaking to the disciples. All you descendants of Jacob is a reference to the Jews converted after the resurrection, beginning at Pentecost.

The Gospel was proclaimed to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles, and the first church was planted in Jerusalem. And the fact that He did not “abhorred the affliction of the afflicted” speaks of God the Father approving of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.

I love what it says in Vs. 25, “From You comes My praise in the great congregation.” The great congregation is a reference to heaven where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father. When Christ returned to heaven, He was praised by the Father, and in return Christ praised the Father for what He did.

In Vs. 26 we see a shift in the speaker and David takes over and records the other side of the cross and the accomplishments of Christ. I am not going to walk through these verses in detail, but I want to highlight a couple of things for you that are important.

Vs. 26 says, “Those who seek Him will praise the Lord, may your hearts live forever.” This is a reference to those who come to faith in Jesus Christ. They are given eternal life. Vs. 27 and 28 speak to the salvation of the Gentiles. “All the families of the nations will worship before You and He will rule over the nations.”

Notice Vs. 29 speaks of the general grace of God that goes out to all the world and the day when every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. It says, “All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship, before Him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.” Finally, Vs. 30-31 speak of the spread of the gospel and those who serve God by proclaiming Him to the coming generations, even those who are not yet born.

What we learn from this Psalm is how important the cross of Jesus Christ is to the life of a believer. It is important to our worship. It is important to our walk, and it is important to our witness.

That’s why Christ instituted the Lord’s supper as a regular time of remembrance. It’s a time we reflect on the incredible gift God has given us through the sacrifice of His Son. That is the purpose of communion at the Lord’s table. It is a time to keep the cross central in the life and heart of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to live as Jesus died; selflessly and sacrificially completely sold out to the will of God. As Jesus remained faithful to the end we are to endure in our commitment to God.