SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/11/2012 9:46:39 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The Death & Resurrection of Christ
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Psalm 22
Message of the verses: We will be looking at the 22nd
Psalm in today’s SD and I will put the verses in when we are discussing them
and not put all of them at the top because of the length of this psalm.
We will see that
Psalms 22, 23, and 24 make up a trilogy on Christ the Shepherd. In Psalm 22 we see that Christ the Shepherd
dies for the sheep (John 10:1-18). Then
Psalm 23 describes the Great Shepherd lives for the sheep and cares for the
sheep (Heb. 13:20-21) Then is Psalm 24 we
will see the Great Shepherd returning for His sheep and rewarding His sheep for
their services (1Peter 5:4).
We
know that David is the author of this Psalm, yet it is hard to determine when
in David’s life that he would have written this psalm. This psalm is about the Lord Jesus Christ and
can be called a Messianic psalm as it is mentioned in the four Gospels along
with Hebrews 2:10-12.
Dr.
Wiersbe writes “The first part (vv.1-21) focuses on prayer and suffering and
takes us to the cross, while the second part (vv.22-31) announces the
resurrection and expresses praise to the glory of God. An understanding of Messiah’s suffering and
glory is basic to grasping the message of the Bible (Luke 24:25-27); 1 Peter
1:11). We will try to see both David and
the Son of David as we study the psalm.”
In his introduction to this
psalm John MacArthur writes the following:
“this psalm presents the reader with a great contrast in mood. Lament characterizes the first 21 verses,
while praise and thanksgiving describe the last 10 verses. Prayer accounts for this dramatic shift from
lament to praise. It is the story of
first being God-forsaken and then God-found and filled. It was applied immediately to David and
ultimately to the Greater David, Messiah.
The NT contains 15 messianic quotations of or allusions to this psalm,
leading some in the early church to label it ‘the fifth gospel.’”
As I begin
to prepare to write this Spiritual Diary I have come to the conclusion that
this is a very important SD because of the subject that is involved here and so
I did some more research on this Psalm and listened to a message by John
MacArthur in which he spoke mostly about Psalm 22 and a bit at the conclusion
of his message on both Psalms 23 and 24.
I mentioned above that these three psalms form a trilogy of the
Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. In his
message MacArthur goes into detail about this psalm and so I want to make sure
that I can gleam some of these points before I go on with this SD.
I believe
that the contents in this SD can be used in order to witness to others about
the truth of the Bible, for the things that David writes were written 1000
years before the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth as the sinless Son of God
and son of David through Mary. David
writes in Psalm 22 like he is at the foot of the cross looking up at the
suffering servant and yet there had to have been some point in the life of
David when he felt some of the same pain that Jesus would feel 1000 years
later. It is said in the book of Acts
that David was a prophet “29
"Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch
David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
30 "And so, because he was a
prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS
DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, 31 he looked
ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER
ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY.” (Acts 2:29-31)
In the
sermon that John MacArthur gives on this Psalm 22 he says that there are five
causes for the prayer that Jesus prays while on the cross that come from this
psalm. The first cry is that of
separation and that covers the first five verses of Psalm 22: “1 For the choir director; upon Aijeleth
Hashshahar. A Psalm of David: My God, my
God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my
groaning. 2 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I
have no rest. 3 Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of
Israel. 4 In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. 5 To
You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not
disappointed.”
This cry
from our Lord came after the three hours of darkness that came over the earth
at that time to hide what was going on as Jesus was paying for the sins of
mankind and it was at that point where Jesus was separated from His Father,
something that had never happened before and I believe that this is what
weighed so heavy on the heart of Jesus while He was praying in the garden along
with becoming sin for man’s sake. In
those three hours the Son of God took the punishment from God for the sins of
those who would accept Him for all eternity that they would spend in hell and
so it weighed so very heavily on His heart.
In the KJV of verse one the word “roaring” is used while
in the NASB the word is “groaning” is used.
The word is used at times for the roaring of lions and yet this was an
inward groaning that is spoken of here and it was because of the separation
from God. John MacArthur says: “Now let me hasten to add that this is not a lapse of
faith. This is not broken confidence. This is a cry of disorientation. Because
Jesus Christ was so used to God's familiar protective presence. He was so used
to the fact that the Father was there. And now all of a sudden the Father's
presence on the Cross is withdrawn, and in the disorientation, He cries out as
the enemy closes in, and the eternally sinless one bears all the sins of all of
history.”
In verse two we
see this turmoil still going on with the Lord while on the cross, and though He
knew His Father heard Him like He was shouting and yet there was still that
inward groaning that was going on in His heart.
This cry reached God in the “daytime” even though it was darkness while
on the cross and we can believe that God must have been aware of His groaning.
In verse three we
can see that Jesus has not lost faith and the reason is because of the history
that God had with Israel, for God is Holy and we see in verse four more of the
history of the fathers of Israel trusting in God for deliverance. This continues all the way through verse five
for the believers in Israel were never disappointed in God.
In verse three
David writes that God is holy and it is this reason that the Lord Jesus Christ
understands why He is going through what He is going through. The holiness of God demanded a death for sin
and in the book of Hebrews it states that God had prepared a body for Him in
order to pay that price for sin. God has
promised all the way back in the book of Genesis that Eve would have a seed who
would crush the head of Satan. God is a
covenant keeping God and Jesus knew this was something He had to do to fulfill
that covenant.
John MacArthur says that the second
cause for His cry was scorn and this is seen in verse six: “6 But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach
of men and despised by the people How in the world could the Son of God be
called a worm? Well we see in the book
of Isaiah this: “His appearance was
marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.” (Isa. 52:14b)
“Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a
root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see
him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” When the Romans soldiers were done with Jesus
He did not look like a man.
Henry Morris Writes this about the “Scarlet Worm:”
Bible & Science tape series
Henry Morris
Henry Morris
Look at the 22nd Psalm. This is the great Psalm of
the crucifixion of Christ written 1,000 years before it was fulfilled. It
describes in great detail the sufferings of Christ on the cross. "My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" he cries out. Then down in verse
6...he says "But I am a worm (08438), and no man; a reproach of men, and
despised of the people." What did he mean by saying "I am a
worm"?...This particular worm is different from other kinds of worms.
There are different kinds of worms, different varieties, but this is a
particular worm. It means more than just he is not a man. Isaiah 52 says,
"his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the
sons of men." He was literally made corruption personified; he didn't even
look like a man there on the cross*; it is talking about more than that here.
He says "I am a worm and no man." This is a scarlet worm and the
reason it was called that was because it had the ability to secrete a scarlet
fluid which was used in making the scarlet dye that they used in ancient days.
As a matter of fact, when you find the word "scarlet" in the bible,
it's the same word. "Though your sins be as scarlet," it's the same
word exactly. The worm was identified with the crimson color. The life cycle of
that worm is something like this: when the mother worm was ready to give birth
to the baby worms, she would find the trunk of a tree, a post or a stick
somewhere and then she would plant her body in that wood and she would implant
her body so firmly in it that she could never leave it again. And then the
young would be brought forth and the mother's body would provide protection for
the babies as long as they needed before they could get out and take care of
themselves. Then the mother would die, and in the process, the scarlet fluid
would stain her body and the body of the young and the tree and so on. The Lord
Jesus said "I am like that scarlet worm." He's making peace through
the blood of his cross; he's bringing many sons into glory through the
suffering. And this is a graphic testimony of the fact that eternal life comes
out of the suffering and death of the Son of God.
In verse
seven we read: “7 All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they
wag the head, saying, 8 “Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; Let
Him rescue him, because He delights in him.’”
39 And
those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying,
"You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
41 In the same way the chief priests
also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 "He saved others; He cannot save
Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we
will believe in Him. 43 “HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS
IN HIM; for He said, ’I am the Son of God.’”
(Matthew 27:39-43)
John
MacArthur says, “So it wasn't just the separation from which He cried
to the Father. It was the scorn as well. The form of their scorn we see in
verse 8. What do they say? "He trusted on the Lord that He would deliver Him.
Let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in Him." He trusts so much in the
Lord, let the Lord
get Him out of this mess. Now, these unbelievers had a false premise.
Their premise was God is there for our convenience. And they thought if He really knew God, He'd snap His fingers and
God, like some utilitarian genie, would come down and meet His particular
needs. By the way, the statement of Psalm 22 is exactly what the people said.
Exactly predicted 1,000 years before any of those people were ever born.”
We see the third reason that Jesus cried out in verses 9-10 and that is
solitude: “9 Yet You are He who brought
me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. 10
Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb.”
Jesus is perhaps
thinking about this when He was born and all of the things that went into the
miracle birth of Jesus, but now His Father has left Him all alone and this
makes it difficult on Him.
8 ’Your hands fashioned
and made me altogether, And would You destroy me? 9 ’Remember now, that You
have made me as clay; And would You turn me into dust again? 10 ’Did You not pour me out like milk And curdle
me like cheese; 11 Clothe me with skin
and flesh, And knit me together with bones and sinews? 12 ’You have granted me
life and lovingkindness; And Your care has preserved my spirit.” (Job 10:8-12)
This is similar to what Jesus was going through.
Verse eleven also
speaks of His solitude “11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near; For there
is none to help.” We remember that all
of the disciples of Jesus deserted Him and thus He was all alone.
In verses 12-13 we see
the next reason for the cry of Jesus and in his sermon on this psalm John
MacArthur says that this reason was because of Satanic attracts: “12
Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
13 They open wide their mouth at me, As a ravening and a roaring lion.” MacArthur writes: “You say, 'why do you
think it's demons?' Well, for one thing, Bashan is an interesting term. Bashan
was an area of the finest pastureland in that part of the world. And so in the
land of Bashan grew the biggest bulls, because it was the best pasture. But it
was also a solitary pastureland where there was no domestication of the bulls,
and so the bulls of Bashan were large, and they were totally wild. And it's
fascinating, if you study Canaanite religion you will find out this. That the
Canaanites believed that the bulls of Bashan were possessed with bull spirits.
And that the Kingdom of Bashan was literally operating or functioning from
these bull-like spirits who entered and possessed people.”
Suffering is the fifth reason for the cry of Jesus: “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 cleaves to my jaws; And You
lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded me; A band of
evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I can count
all my bones. They look, they stare at me; 18 They divide my garments among
them, And for my clothing they cast lots.”
Being crucified was one
of the most horrible ways a person could die and the effects of crucifixion are
described in these two verses. A person
is nailed to a cross with their arms spread out and their feet nailed at the
bottom and when this happens the person cannot lift themselves upright and so they
cannot breathe and that is how they eventually die from suffocation.
We see in verse 18 that
the outer garment was gambled for and this is exactly what happened while Jesus
was on the cross. The outer garment was
something that was used to keep one warm and was used for this purpose while
sleeping and that is why the OT talks about making sure when this was borrowed
to return it before night.
Verses 19-21: “19 But You, O LORD, be not far off; O You my
help, hasten to my assistance. 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, My only life
from the power of the dog. 21 Save me from the lion’s mouth; From the horns of
the wild oxen You answer me.”
Verse twenty could be
referring to the Romans with the word sword.
The dog speaks of His enemies along with the lion’s mouth. I have heard
sometime long ago that the word “dogs” referred to Gentiles and it was Gentiles
that surrounded our Lord while on the cross. And this section ends with the words “You
answer me.” The prayer has been answered
and now we will look at how it was answered in the last section of this psalm. Can you guess how it was answered? No fair looking now!
“22 I will tell of Your
name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 23 You who
fear the LORD, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand
in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from him; But when
he cried to Him for help, He heard. 25 From You comes my praise in the great
assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. 26 The afflicted will
eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart
live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations will worship before You. 28 For the kingdom
is the LORD’S And He rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth
will eat and worship, All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep his soul alive. 30 Posterity will serve Him; It will be
told of the Lord to the coming generation. 31 They will come and will declare
His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.”
What happened between
verses 21-22? There is a difference here
between these verses, a big difference. The answer to His prayer was the
resurrection. We see in verse
22-23 that He will give testimony in the assembly. That assembly is speaking of the believers in
Christ, the Church made up of Jews and Gentiles.
These are verses of
praise, praise to God for keeping His covenant and rising up the Lord Jesus
Christ from the dead. He continues His
praise by speaking of a “seed” in verse 26 and then goes on to speak of all the
earth remembering what has happened here and turn to the Lord.
This is a wonderful
psalm that was written 1000 years before the Lord Jesus came to earth to
purchase sinners out of the slave marked of sin by dying on the cross to take
their place. It was a horrible death of
suffering and shame, yet it was necessary in order to please God for it was God
who did this to Jesus as spoken of in Isaiah 53 and those who have accepted
this death as their payment to sin and have asked the Lord Jesus Christ to be
their personal Savior and Lord will one day be in His presence to thank Him and
praise Him for this wonderful gift of salvation.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: In some very small way I have
been to the foot of the cross seeing the awfulness of it, and yet seeing the
love that was poured out there. I have
to sing with the hymn writer: “Jesus
Paid It All Hymn
I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”
Refrain
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
Refrain
And now complete in Him
My robe His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.
Refrain
Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.
Refrain
When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.
Refrain
And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down
All down at Jesus’ feet.
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”
Refrain
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
Refrain
And now complete in Him
My robe His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.
Refrain
Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.
Refrain
When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.
Refrain
And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down
All down at Jesus’ feet.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Never forget what my Lord did for me.
2. Think about this amazing grace.
3. Continue to learn contentment.
4. Romans 12:1-2.
1/11/2012
2:17:20 PM
