Whereas Psalm 21 was titled “Outside Looking In” written from the viewpoint of the author/observer observing the King’s actions and reactions to a coming battle, Psalm 22 gives us the “Inside Looking Out” point of view i.e. the kings own point of view.

I doubt if they are talking about the same conflict – but the contrasting points of view just struck me. 

Here is the video link:

Psalm 22…”Inside Looking Out”

The Audio Links to Spotify and iTunes are to the right.

Here is the transcript the podcast was based on:

Bookends Part 2: Psalm 22

Inside Looking Out

First…. this is a dark Psalm, about someone who is in the absolute depths of despair, and it is sung to the tune of a song called “The Doe of the Morning”. I have no idea what that tune is, but as a songwriter myself, I personally got a chuckle out of this. I was immediately reminded of a parody I did to the “Christmas Song” years ago – you know… 

“Chestnuts roasting on the open fire… Jack Frost nipping at your nose;” 

I took that tune and re-wrote the lyrics as 

”Chipmunks roasting on an open fire… their screams are wafting through the air;”

I find it comforting, as a musician, that a musician three millennia or so ago was doing the same thing. Musicians are NEVER done with messing with a tune.

All humor aside, this Psalm is a VERY serious and dark Psalm. Whereas Psalm 21 was titled “Outside Looking In” written from the viewpoint of the author/observer observing the King’s actions and reactions to a coming battle, Psalm 22 gives us the “Inside Looking Out” point of view i.e. the kings own point of view.

I doubt if they are talking about the same conflict – but the contrasting points of view just struck me. 

Shadows of the Crucifixion

The first verse should sound familiar to you – these are some of the words Jesus uttered on there cross as he was dying.  Other verses also invoke different aspects of the crucifixion. Compare the following:

Compare Psalm 22: 1  

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

with

Mark 15: 33 

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

Compare

Psalm 22:8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

with

Mark 15:31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”

compare

Psalm 22:18  They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.

with 

Mark 15:24 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.

So we can see there are shadows of the crucifixion of Jesus hiding in this Psalm.

God, Where Are You?

Setting that aside for a moment, though it is obvious to me that this is a Messianic Psalm i.e. a Psalm that is prophetically linked to Messiah, it is also the cry of a man who is in the depths of despair, who cannot understand why God has not delivered him. There is a future component to this Psalm i.e. a picture of the future Messiah’s suffering, and there is an immediate component where the Psalmist is in the middle of it and sees no way out.

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?

2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.

This is an age-old question – “Lord, where are you? It’s like you’re not even there!” I have been there, and anyone who is a believer has been there as well. It’s an age-old question – “Lord where ARE You? I need you… NOW.” Yet He does not show up.

The only example that might make sense to me is that sometimes we get infected by a virus, and the only way to kill that virus is to suffer through a high fever, because it is the fever that kills the virus. That suffering is not fun – but it is necessary. I think that sometimes our suffering is linked to something that needs to be “burned out” of our lives, so suffering in the immediate is necessary in order to kill off the thing inside us that causes us harm.

After I had gone through the bankruptcy ordeal in 2002, I noticed that I was still waking up feeling guilty and unworthy, even though I had experienced an incredible deliverance from God. I asked Him why I was still feeling this way and His response to my hearts cry was, in essence, the following:

“Son, your father didn’t just die last January (2002) – he had been dying for a long time (cancer, heart attacks, strokes). You are dying to the sin of being foolish with money. Death is rarely instantaneous or painless. You will be dying to this sin for awhile. But I guarantee you that at the end of it all, you will look at money the way I do.”

That “virus” had to be burned out of me through the pain, suffering, and humiliation of the trials I experienced.

Looking to the Past

The Psalmist feels the full brunt of what appears to be total abandonment by God. Does he react with bitterness or anger? No! What follows next is the true response from a TRUE child of God. Folks – THIS is faith.  In the next three verses we see the words of a man who has put his trust in a God that he cannot see at the moment. He knows he might not be delivered NOW… but he will see deliverance.

3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.

4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.

5 To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

Though he does not see God in the present, he looks to past for reassurance of the will and ability of God to save.

Abandoned, Mocked, and Tormented

The Psalmist returns to an honest and blunt assessment of himself in light of the current circumstances. This David was abandoned by everybody, mocked and tormented.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.

7 All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.

8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”

 Compare David’s self-assessment in these verses with the Prophet Samuel’s assessment as  described in 1 Samuel 13:14…

“…the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people…”

Abandoned

I have never been THAT abandoned, yet I understand a bit about what David was experiencing. When our family moved to a new town in Southeast Alaska – Sitka – I was thrust into a new school midyear in the third grade. I was a strange kid that acted out in the classroom, said inappropriate things – and this invited unwanted attention by those who liked to bully others. There were times when I was literally surrounded by by kids who would push me back and forth, making fun of me. I know what verses 6 and 7 feel like.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.

7 All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.

Again – Look to the Past

David’s response? “Yet….” In verses 3 thru 5, the Psalmist gets his assurance of deliverance by looking at God’s past history with Israel. In these verses (v9-11) he looks to his OWN past for assurance.

9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
    you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.

10 From birth I was cast on you;
    from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11 Do not be far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is no one to help.

Many folks see elements of the crucifixion in the following passage. Jesus, surrounded by His enemies, bones out of joint – on display, hands and feet pierced, others gambling for his clothes suffering from dehydration etc. The horrors of crucifixion are stunning.

12 Many bulls surround me;
    strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13 Roaring lions that tear their prey
    open their mouths wide against me.

14 I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me.

15 My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
    you lay me in the dust of death.

16 Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce[e] my hands and my feet.

17 All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.

18 They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.

Faithful through Trials

I have never been crucified. But I HAVE been surrounded, mocked, and beaten. I know what it is like to have others point and stare, and make fun of me.

Watch what happens next. In the midst of all of this – from the enemies who are making the Psalmist’s life a living Hell to the apparent absence of God in the midst of this trial, the Psalmist can STILL pray, expectantly, for God’s salvation.

Trials separate the true believers from the false “fair-weather” believers. False believers will turn their backs on God and walk away in times of trial. True believers are steadfast in their faith, standing firm in their faith in God even when it appears He is not near. And this is what we see from David.

19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
    You are my strength; come quickly to help me.

20 Deliver me from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of the dogs.

21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly I will praise you.

This isn’t David bargaining with God. He isn’t saying “deliver me and THEN I will declare Your Name to my people.” He goes right from “rescue me” into “I will declare Your Name…” He will praise God no matter what current circumstances seem to dictate.

Amping up the Praise

23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
    Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

24 For he has not despised or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.

Still in the midst of harrowing circumstances, surrounded by his detractors, David proclaims the following:

25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
    before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.

26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—
    may your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,

28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
    all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.

30 Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord.

31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!

Seeing through Suffering to Our Future with God

Wow. Seeing as where we started in this Psalm, David ends up shouting his praises of God to the Heavens. His faith allows him to see past the incredible suffering he is in to the incredible future God has for him. You can just sense the darkness lifting from David’s heart. He is still PHYSICALLY where he started, Still surrounded, still mocked, still suffering…. yet he praises.

Lord, may this be my heart’s cry – to see You in the midst of my suffering, to praise you midst the cacophony of my enemies.

In His Grip,

Paige