Psalm 22: The Psuffering Psalmist
Christians like to attribute this very generic “poor me” Psalm to Jesus but as we will read, it doesn’t exactly fit.
Psalms 22:1-18
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [Why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my groaning?
(Quoted by Christ on the cross - not a prophecy.)
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou answerest not; And in the night season, and am not silent.
(I don’t remember God NOT answering Jesus when he prayed.)
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in thee: They trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: They trusted in thee, and were not put to shame.
(Jesus' Father trusted in.... Himself?)
6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people.
(According to the Bible the people loved him, it was the priests that hated him.)
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, [saying], 8 Commit [thyself] unto Jehovah; Let him deliver him: Let him rescue him, seeing he delighteth in him.
(Shouldn’t it say something along the lines of “You are the Messiah or Son of God or King or Great Prophet or something… save yourself.” The only accusation is that the victim trusts in God.)
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb; Thou didst make me trust [when I was] upon my mother's breasts. 10 I was cast upon thee from the womb; Thou art my God since my mother bare me. 11 Be not far from me; For trouble is near; For there is none to help. 12 Many bulls have compassed me; Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 13 They gape upon me with their mouth, [As] a ravening and a 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 me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; And thou hast brought me into the dust of death. 16 For dogs have compassed me: A company of evil-doers have inclosed me;
(Pstandard psalm pstuff. This could apply to any victim of persecution.)
They pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I may count all my bones; They look and stare upon me. 18 They part my garments among them, And upon my vesture do they cast lots.
(Ah - the prophecy! Surely we can do a little better than this… say add in the floggings, the crucifixion, the carrying of the cross, the darkness, the sarcastic jeerings of King and Messiah and oh… maybe the death and resurrection! Obviously the piercing of hands and feet is meant to show the impotence of the psalmist not a crucifixion without the cross!)
The rest of the Psalm, 22-31 is just a pile of supplications and praises where the Psalmist pleads with Jehovah to deliver him and then promises him all this Praise if He does. Of my ten point prophecy challenge, Psalm 22 fulfills none of them and only, maybe gives a couple specifics on #8.