Psalm 22

[Meditator]

(Sorry, it's that pesky heathen again with all his questions!)
It seems to me that so much of what happened in the NT was there to fulfill the prophesies of the OT.
When Jesus was on the cross, he was reciting Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?...." etc.
This shows that his treatment and crucifixion is also a fulfillment of prophesy.
It must be that that particular Psalm and prophesy must have a particular significance as to the ultimate purpose of Christ's mission.

Reading Psalm 22 myself (taking account of me not being even a Christian, never mind a scholar!), it seems to me that here is a story about terrible suffering and a sense of abandonment, but that there is no giving into despair, but there is a faith and a belief that God does hear, and salvation is at hand.

Q.
So if Jesus recited this Psalm at his crucifixion, doesn't that emphasise the central importance of faith and trust in the face of feeling alone and suffering for Christians?

 

[Journeyman]

(Sorry, it's that pesky heathen again with all his questions!)
It seems to me that so much of what happened in the NT was there to fulfill the prophesies of the OT.
When Jesus was on the cross, he was reciting Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?...." etc.
This shows that his treatment and crucifixion is also a fulfillment of prophesy.
It must be that that particular Psalm and prophesy must have a particular significance as to the ultimate purpose of Christ's mission.

Reading Psalm 22 myself (taking account of me not being even a Christian, never mind a scholar!), it seems to me that here is a story about terrible suffering and a sense of abandonment, but that there is no giving into despair, but there is a faith and a belief that God does hear, and salvation is at hand.

Q.
So if Jesus recited this Psalm at his crucifixion, doesn't that emphasise the central importance of faith and trust in the face of feeling alone and suffering for Christians?

It does, but we must remember that Jesus did the things as an example to us.

My friend, Psalm 22 is a psalm of hope, not abandonment. When Jesus spoke the 1st words of that psalm, the people mocking him were the ones who thought God had abandoned him. God could never for one second deny himself. And I'll tell you this Mediator. If you ever grasp that what was really happening to Jesus on the cross, is that men were rejecting God, not God rejecting himself, you'll discover how distorted Jesus's teaching has become.

 

[JaumeJ]

(Sorry, it's that pesky heathen again with all his questions!)
It seems to me that so much of what happened in the NT was there to fulfill the prophesies of the OT.
When Jesus was on the cross, he was reciting Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?...." etc.
This shows that his treatment and crucifixion is also a fulfillment of prophesy.
It must be that that particular Psalm and prophesy must have a particular significance as to the ultimate purpose of Christ's mission.

Reading Psalm 22 myself (taking account of me not being even a Christian, never mind a scholar!), it seems to me that here is a story about terrible suffering and a sense of abandonment, but that there is no giving into despair, but there is a faith and a belief that God does hear, and salvation is at hand.

Q.
So if Jesus recited this Psalm at his crucifixion, doesn't that emphasise the central importance of faith and trust in the face of feeling alone and suffering for Christians?

You have the order mixed up. Psalm 22 is foretelling the cross. All of the Bible, the Word, is Jesus Christ.

 

[Adstar]

(Sorry, it's that pesky heathen again with all his questions!)
It seems to me that so much of what happened in the NT was there to fulfill the prophesies of the OT.
When Jesus was on the cross, he was reciting Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?...." etc.
This shows that his treatment and crucifixion is also a fulfillment of prophesy.
It must be that that particular Psalm and prophesy must have a particular significance as to the ultimate purpose of Christ's mission.

Reading Psalm 22 myself (taking account of me not being even a Christian, never mind a scholar!), it seems to me that here is a story about terrible suffering and a sense of abandonment, but that there is no giving into despair, but there is a faith and a belief that God does hear, and salvation is at hand.

Q.
So if Jesus recited this Psalm at his crucifixion, doesn't that emphasise the central importance of faith and trust in the face of feeling alone and suffering for Christians?

Well short answer Yes..

Once a person has come to the knowledge that they are assured of a place in eternity with God in His perfect eternal existence all the suffering that we face and may face in this life in this world pails into insignificance.. As long as we maintain an Eternal focus / perspective we know that the duration of this life on this earth is as nothing compared to the Eternal duration of our future perfect lives in Gods perfect existence..

Oh and PS: It was wonderful to read your post.. Jesus was giving those that where executing Him a clue.. Those who had serious Torah learning ( some of them could recite whole books in the Torah ) would have been prompted to go and open the local Synagogues Torah scrolls to read the entire passage.. When they did they would have been rocked to their core.. Imagine one of them reading the following verse after watching the Roman soilders casting lots for the purple cloak the roman solders had earlier put on Jesus to mock Him as the king of the Jews..

Psalms 22: KJV
18 "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture."

John 19: KJV
23 "¶ Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. {24} They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did."

 

[Starflower7]

Q.
So if Jesus recited this Psalm at his crucifixion, doesn't that emphasise the central importance of faith and trust in the face of feeling alone and suffering for Christians?

I think that's a fair assumption. Faithful Christians can take heart knowing that God does not abandon them even when they feel abandoned. And just as significant--if not more so--the Psalm was a prophecy that had its fulfillment in Jesus' death, and His words at His death. This helped people realize what Jesus' mission really was, and sparked their faith that He was the Messiah.

 

[oldethennew]

Christ 'never' felt alone' - how could He???

 

[Dino246]

(Sorry, it's that pesky heathen again with all his questions!)
It seems to me that so much of what happened in the NT was there to fulfill the prophesies of the OT.

Yes... exactly! You're on the right track here. There are many prophecies in the OT that Jesus fulfilled... many were not recognized as prophetic until the fulfillment.

There is a saying that Christians sometimes share; it's not written in the Bible, but it's a reasonably sound summary of Scripture: "The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, and the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed."

It's an interesting study to find the prophecies in the New and then locate their source in the Old. Related to that is the study of "types and shadows" - less-specific foreshadowing of New Testament events such as Abraham's almost-sacrifice of his son Isaac.

 

[MattforJesus]

(Sorry, it's that pesky heathen again with all his questions!)
It seems to me that so much of what happened in the NT was there to fulfill the prophesies of the OT.
When Jesus was on the cross, he was reciting Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?...." etc.
This shows that his treatment and crucifixion is also a fulfillment of prophesy.
It must be that that particular Psalm and prophesy must have a particular significance as to the ultimate purpose of Christ's mission.

Reading Psalm 22 myself (taking account of me not being even a Christian, never mind a scholar!), it seems to me that here is a story about terrible suffering and a sense of abandonment, but that there is no giving into despair, but there is a faith and a belief that God does hear, and salvation is at hand.

Q.
So if Jesus recited this Psalm at his crucifixion, doesn't that emphasise the central importance of faith and trust in the face of feeling alone and suffering for Christians?

Jesus did not recite Psalm 22, but Psalm 22 recited what Jesus would say in the future.

And God did not abandon Jesus, and the Bible says that Jesus will never leave us, or forsake us, and if Jesus was a sinless man at all times then God did not abandon Him, which Jesus told the disciples that the Father will never leave Him.

The sins of the world placed upon Jesus as He took away the sins of the world did not affect Him one bit of His stature as a sinless man, and then He laid down those sins.

Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, and could speak as God, or man, when He was on earth.

A man approached Jesus according to His humanity, and called Him good, and He said there is only one good, and that is God.

In another place He spoke as God when He said, before Abraham was, I am, and called Himself Lord and Master.

The only thing that makes sense with Jesus saying My God why have you forsaken Me, is it was the man Christ Jesus that spoke those words, and He knew the Father would never leave Him, or turn His back on Him, for there was no reason for Him to do that, but when the sins of the world were placed on the man Christ Jesus, for He is the Lamb, He must of felt what it was like to be separated from God for a short while, but He knew God did not abandon Him for He said, Father in to your hands I commend My spirit, small s for human spirit, which all spirits go back to God.

 

[Nehemiah6]

(Sorry, it's that pesky heathen again with all his questions!)

You do have some interest in the Bible, and Psalm 22 is a key prophetic and Messianic Psalm.

1. This prophecy was fulfilled at the cross, as you noted. It was written about 1,000 years before it happened, and is another evidence that the Bible is the Word of God.

2. The significance of this Psalm is that it shows the excruciating agonies and sufferings of Christ (body, soul, and spirit) while He made Himself an offering for sin. It also describes in advance the events which occurred during the crucifixion.

3. Since Christ was literally made SIN for us (He who knew no sin) He was also literally abandoned (forsaken) by the Father during those three dark hours on the cross, while He paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world. Both the Hebrew and Greek words means "forsaken" and indicate God pouring His wrath against sin upon Christ.

4. You are correct about the central importance of faith and trust in the midst of suffering when Christians suffer.

 

[Lanolin]

Jesus trusted His Father yes in the midst of his suffering. And He was delivered.
david wrote this psalm when he was on the run from Saul who tried to kill him cos he was jealous.

In the same way many of the rulers and the current king Herod was jealous of Jesus and tried to have him killed. Of course we know that Jesus triumped over the grave.

 

[pottersclay]

(Sorry, it's that pesky heathen again with all his questions!)
It seems to me that so much of what happened in the NT was there to fulfill the prophesies of the OT.
When Jesus was on the cross, he was reciting Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?...." etc.
This shows that his treatment and crucifixion is also a fulfillment of prophesy.
It must be that that particular Psalm and prophesy must have a particular significance as to the ultimate purpose of Christ's mission.

Reading Psalm 22 myself (taking account of me not being even a Christian, never mind a scholar!), it seems to me that here is a story about terrible suffering and a sense of abandonment, but that there is no giving into despair, but there is a faith and a belief that God does hear, and salvation is at hand.

Q.
So if Jesus recited this Psalm at his crucifixion, doesn't that emphasise the central importance of faith and trust in the face of feeling alone and suffering for Christians?

I think your missing the point of the 22nd psalm. When David penned this there was no such thing as crucifixion. In fact that temple was destroyed again.
The psalm itself has alot of history in it leading up to this event.
The details alone are evidence enough to show that the Lord God was behind the writing. For he knows the end from the beginning.
Imo Jesus was not reciting the psalm itself but was pointing it out to the religious leaders as a last attempt to show who he was.
The Jews of that day till now refuse to teach of the suffering Messiah. They have even gone so far as to tear out scripture in the old testament that points to it.
Jesus fulfilled over 320 prophecy's in the old testament . God has placed specific details in the prophecys so they cannot be disputed easily. In fact not at all. Showing that there is a God in control that knows the end from the beginning.
I encourage you to look at those prophecies and ask yourself who else can do and know this.
Besides the word of God which is truth and can only be understood by the spirit prophecy can be a more sure word for a true seeker.

My in-laws are Buddhist so I am familiar with the teachings and traditions so I ask you after reading and studying the prophecies of this book......can your Buddah do this???