Are You A Friend To Those Who Innocently Suffer?

Being Faithful in our Circumstance

English Standard Version Psalm 22

1  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

2  O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

3  Yet you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

4  In you our fathers trusted;

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5  To you they cried and were rescued;

in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

English Standard Version Psalm 22

6  But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

Sometimes, we do not know exactly why we would feel distancing from the Lord. Sometimes, it may be some test. We at times, as believers have to face very vile and stiff attacks from Satan himself and the powers of darkness similar to how (maybe not to the extent) of the sufferings of Job. Job, in his suffering actually did what was right, and was pleasing to God, but still suffered. And could possibly also ask why God was far from his supposed grace to be evident in his life. (we see in verse 6)

In the life of David, this Psalm could be during a time, when he was suffering due to a sin he committed, like the time of his adultery with the wife of one of his military servants.

Anyway, we see here that David is suffering.

He also explains and declares God to be immovable from his place, in the middle of David’s circumstance.

This is where believers can follow David. In the midst of our lives, whether good or bad, God remains the constancy of a never faulting and never stopping and unwavering (as one commentary said) source that we can cling to.

David looked even to how God rescued the fathers of Israel as well. He took comfort that God will act now, because he has done it before. And that God has a purpose in this time.

The Embarrassment of Being Wrong

English Standard Version Psalm 22

7  All who see me mock me;

they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

8  “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;

let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

9  Yet you are he who took me from the womb;

you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.

10  On you was I cast from my birth,

and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11  Be not far from me,

for trouble is near,

and there is none to help.

If we are wrong, which is similar to Jobs situation as well. But if we are those, who would, be the blind ones, to make fun of and reject righteous, or a righteous person in their time of suffering, like David. A time will come, when we will be embarrassed. God’s light shines, and it really cannot be resisted when God judges the world. Everyone will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God. Everyone who ever lived, will be forced, by the Spirit of God, to confess that Jesus is true.

Here, even the enemies of David, mock God. “He is suffering - he trusts in God”. It is a blindness. Similar to what we see in culture today, who DECAY into sin, and hardness of heart and become more established in society as having debased thinking.

But David, despite his circumstance, recalls God’s care from the womb. And calls on God to be near to his situation - or really that David would know that somehow God is near, even when God seems to be the one to even cause this suffering. TESTING. It is difficult. And who wants it? Anyway, we need to be like David and Job, and see that we can find the purpose of God.

This leads us to the next point...

A Prophecy of Christ

English Standard Version Psalm 22

12  Many bulls encompass me;

strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

13  they open wide their mouths at me,

like a ravening and roaring lion.

14  I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax;

it is melted within my breast;

15  my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16  For dogs encompass me;

a company of evildoers encircles me;

they have pierced my hands and feet—

17  I can count all my bones—

they stare and gloat over me;

18  they divide my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.

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!

Here as what I see, and also a commentary, that David was resembling Christ’s suffering.

David is:

poured out like water

his hands and feet were pierced

evildoers surround him

they divide his clothes, and cast lots

THIS IS a prophecy of Jesus.

There are wild people that David asks for being saved from, similar to that possibly, like of Judas.

If you are able to have insight from God. Scriptures like this can be rich for your soul.

People will cause harm emotionally and psychologically to those who do what is right, and yet face sufferings. The embarrassment will be a bad experience. So, our job, is to come to people as they suffer, if it is for nothing they have done wrong. And it is also, if they have done something wrong, to seek their restoration.

What kind of friend are you, to those who suffer?

Does your mocking of a person suffering show you to be like one of the people’s in the story and testimony of Jesus?

People carry with them today, Christ’s testimony? Are you being a friend to Jesus today?

What about the sufferer? Empathy, can also be a trap. Empathy can cause you to be tempted to be unfaithful in suffering, and unfaithful in your cross as a follower of Jesus.

A friend who shows empathy, is not your friend either and is a form of a monster or a lion as stated in verse 21. Self pity is unbelief. And we see David, not pitying himself. But that God would work in his situation!

My encouragement to you, is to find the path of the Lord, and to cry out to God!

Cf. PROVERBS 2:2-4

if you incline your ear to wisdom

and direct your heart to understanding,

3if you truly call out to insight

and lift your voice to understanding,

4if you seek it like silver

and search it out like hidden treasure,

In one sense, God won’t give you some treasures of understanding, if you don’t want it. The majority of the population, is satisfied with only a taste, or a look, or a “brush-by”. But they do not want to do the hard work, of what is required to attain godly understand and wisdom and insight.

It exists, but people just do not ultimately want to make the efforts that are required.

Next week we will continue to finish Psalm 22.

God bless!