Read Psalm
22-24 & Acts
20:1-16
To discover:
As you read note why God is to be
praised in each psalm.
To ponder:
Jesus
applied Psalm 22 to himself (22v1, Mat 27v46, 22v16, 18, Jn 19v23). But it was
first of David and sung in Israel.
However it is clear that because the Christ was to be a descendent of David,
God inspired David in such a way that the psalm portrays a pattern in his
experience that more profoundly and exactly fits the experience of Jesus. We
shouldn’t therefore jump too quickly to Christ. It is because his life patterns
that of David to which the psalm originally applied, that he is proved to be
the long awaited Davidic king.
The psalm expresses a sense of
God-forsakenness at unanswered prayer (22v1-2). Obviously, by the time Jesus
prayed these words, God had answered him by strengthening him in Gethsemane.
By quoting them, he was however identifying with how David felt, pointing us to
the wider truths of the psalm, and vocalizing the horror of separation from God
that was rightly the penalty for sin.
David is confused as his fathers
trusted God and were delivered, yet despite the fact that he has trusted God
from “the womb,” he is being mocked and despised like a “worm” (22v3-11). So
the righteous king is suffering as the unrighteous should. And his sufferings
are vividly portrayed as the attack of wild animals and the disintegration of
the body (22v12-21). In the original context “they have pierced my hands and my
feet” may be metaphorical (as 22v14-15), describing David’s enemies had kept
David from acting. In Christ, however, this was experienced literally.
Likewise, with the dividing of David’s garments, which may have originally
referred to the plundering of his royal wardrobe.
As “the afflicted one,” David calls
on God to rescue him (22v19-21). And he is so confident he has been heard that
he commits to praising God to the congregation of Israel, calls on all who
“fear” God to praise him for the deliverance, and promises to fulfil his vows
by feeding the poor (22v25-26), who will in turn praise God – no doubt for
giving them such a righteous king. Again, praise is to the fore. For us, this
is because God rescued Jesus by raising him from death, and has established him
as his perfectly righteous king for our benefit.
As we’ve
seen with previous psalms, this one ends in wider focus. Reflecting God’s
promise to Abraham (Gen 12v1-3), David sees God’s ultimate purpose through the
davidic line is that all nations come to worship him as the divine ruler. So
David expresses confidence all peoples will turn to God and bow down, the rich
will hold religious feasts in celebration, the dead will kneel too, and future
generations will proclaim God’s saving righteousness to those who come after
them (22v27-31). It seems a somewhat excessive response to God’s deliverance of
David, but entirely fitting when one considers Jesus. As his death and
resurrection is proclaimed generation by generation, those of all nations come
to worship the Lord.
Psalm 23 is
equally famous. David was a shepherd, making this a model for kingship, in
which the king would care for, lead and be ready to die for the good of his
people. But God is David’s shepherd. He leads him in a way that refreshes him,
and guides him in righteousness (no doubt by his law). This is for God’s
“name’s sake” as the righteousness of the king brings honour to God as the one
who gave him to Israel.
And David can say that even facing death he does not fear as his shepherd is
with him. The “rod” was to protect the sheep from wild animals (1 Sam 17v35),
and the “staff” to gather and direct them. 23v5-6 probably portrays confidence
of a victory celebration in the presence of enemy captives, the “anointing”
with oil to God’s welcome and perhaps reaffirmation of David’s authority, and
the overflowing “cup” to his abundant provision and blessing. So in the face of
battle, David is certain because God is his shepherd, that “goodness and love”
will always follow him, and he will remain in God’s house (ie. a worshipper at
the tabernacle). Once more, the psalm patterns the experience of Christ who was
rescued from death to dwell with his father in the heavenly temple forever. And
because we are united to him, it rightly comforts us too as we battle with
evil, sin and death. Indeed, Jesus is now our shepherd, and so will lead us to
where he is (Jn 10v11-18, 14v1-4).
Psalm 24
includes similar sentiments to Psalm 15 (see notes there). Only those who “seek
God” by seeking to obey and please him, can enter his presence and be blessed
and vindicated (ie. declared to be righteous). As Jesus said: “Blessed are the
pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Matt 5v8). But here, their privilege is
to welcome the return of the LORD himself as he enters Jerusalem
after battle (24v7-10). He is no-one less than the creator of the earth
(24v1-2) and so glorious, strong and mighty. One can imagine this sung by the
faithful as the ark was carried in to the city. One can also imagine the praise
of heaven as Christ ascended after his victory, and the praise of us all that
will greet him on his return.
Praying it home:
Praise God that he is victorious
over all that stands against him. Pray for God’s help in proclaiming Christ’s
death and resurrection to the next generation.
Thinking
further:
None today.
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