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The Suffering Savior In Psalms 22
The Suffering Savior in Psalm 22
One of the mystifying aspects of the Old Testament's prediction of the coming Messiah was that he was pictured both as the conquering King and the suffering servant. Without the story of Jesus this seems like an irreconcilable conflict. Psalm 22 provides one of the most complete pictures of this difficulty.
The Psalm itself is quoted several times in the New Testament and applied to Jesus. On the cross, Jesus himself voices verse 1 and in effect applies it to himself: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Then in the Hebrews 2:12 we see verse 22 being quoted to show that Jesus partook of flesh being made in all things like us (read Heb. 2:9-14 for context).
There are other allusions to this Psalm that are not quotations yet one finds it difficult to deny the parallel. They divided his garments among them by casting lots (Matt. 27:35 / Ps. 22:18). They derided him, wagging their heads (Matt. 27:39 / Ps. 22:7). The people derided him saying "He trust in God; let God deliver him now" (Matt. 27:43 / Ps. 22:8). This Psalm clearly pictures the Messiah and pictures him as a suffering servant rejected by men.
While the Messiah was forsaken in the sense that he was given over to the crowd to do with him as they wanted; yet such was only temporary. Notice as you read the rest of this Psalm that God DID hear him and DID deliver him. The deliverance was not from experiencing the cross or death but by the resurrection and glory that followed. After this opening anguish cry, we see that verse 11 has him saying: "Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help" (Psalms 22:11). Then in verse 19 he continues to petition God saying: "But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!" (Psalms 22:19). He continued: "Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! "(Psalms 22:20-21).
This continues and actually elevates in hope when he proclaims in verse 22 that "I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you…" (Psalms 22:22). This is then followed with him stating that "…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" (Psalms 22:24). This sentiment was said of Jesus as the writer of Hebrews says of him: "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence" (Hebrews 5:7).
Rather than disproving Jesus as the messiah the suffering of death shows that he is the suffering servant that in the end prevails even over death.
