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For the choirmaster. According to the tune: The Doe at Dawn. A Psalm of David.
(22-2) My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? I cry out, but You remain far away and do not help me.
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(22-3) My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer; and by night, but I find no rest.
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(22-4) Yet You are the Holy One, enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
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(22-5) In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and You delivered them.
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(22-6) To You they cried out, and they were delivered; in You they trusted, and they were not put to shame.
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(22-7) But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind, despised by the people.
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All who see me mock me; they curl their lips and shake their heads:
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“He trusts in the LORD; let Him deliver him, let Him rescue him! Since He delights in him, let Him save him!”
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(22-10) Yes, You brought me out of the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.
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(22-11) I was entrusted to You from birth; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.
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(22-12) Do not be far from me, for trouble is near, and there is no one to help.
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(22-13) Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me;
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(22-14) they open their mouths against me like a lion tearing and roaring.
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(22-15) I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax, melted within my chest;
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(22-16) my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; and You lay me in the dust of death.
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(22-17) For dogs surround me; a band of evildoers encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.
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(22-18) I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me.
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(22-19) They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
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(22-20) But You, O LORD, be not far away; O my strength, make haste to help me!
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(22-21) Deliver me from the sword, my life from the power of the dog.
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(22-22) Save me from the lion’s mouth, and from the horns of the wild ox. You have answered me!
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(22-23) I will declare Your name to my brothers, and I will praise You in the midst of the assembly:
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(22-24) You who fear the LORD, praise Him; all you offspring of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you offspring of Israel!
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(22-25) For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and He has not hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
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(22-26) From You comes my praise in the great assembly; I will pay my vows before those who fear Him.
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(22-27) The humble shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD shall praise Him; may your heart live forever!
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(22-28) All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall bow down before Him.
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(22-29) For the kingdom is the LORD’s, and He rules over the nations.
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(22-30) Yes, all the proud of the earth shall bow down before Him; all who go down to the dust shall kneel before Him, and those who cannot keep themselves alive.
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(22-31) Posterity shall serve Him; they shall tell of the LORD to the coming generation.
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(22-32) They shall proclaim His righteousness to a people yet to be born, for He has done it.
🕊️🙏📖 Summary of Psalm 22 – “A Cry of Distress and a Messianic Prophecy”
Psalm 22 is one of the most powerful and prophetic psalms, beginning with a cry of despair: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” — which was later quoted by Jesus on the cross. This psalm describes the suffering of a faithful servant of God, mocked, surrounded by enemies, and near death, yet ending with a cry of trust and hope.
This psalm is messianic, foretelling the suffering, crucifixion, and victory of Christ, while also teaching that the affliction of the righteous is not in vain, but becomes a path of glory and blessing for many.
📌 1. Lament of Despair (verses 1–2)
➡️ “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”
➡️ The psalmist feels that his prayer is unanswered and that the Lord is far from him.
🎯 Even the righteous may experience a time when God seems silent — yet faith can still cry out.
📌 2. The Contrast between the Holy God and the Sufferer (verses 3–11)
➡️ The Lord is exalted in the praises of Israel and has saved their ancestors.
➡️ Yet the psalmist feels like a worm, not a man, mocked and ridiculed.
➡️ Even so, he still hopes and calls the Lord his Helper from the womb.
🎯 Suffering does not erase trust in God; rather, it deepens it.
📌 3. A Picture of Crucifixion and Physical Suffering (verses 12–18)
➡️ “I am surrounded by dogs… they pierce my hands and my feet.”
➡️ “I can count all my bones.”
➡️ “They divide my garments among them…”
🎯 This is a remarkably precise prophecy of Christ’s crucifixion, hundreds of years before the cross was used as a method of execution.
📌 4. A Plea for Deliverance and a Cry of Faith (verses 19–24)
➡️ He asks for the Lord’s help so that his life may be spared from the sword.
➡️ Then he says: “I will proclaim Your name to my brothers.”
🎯 From suffering, praise and confession of faith arise among the people of God.
📌 5. Hope and the Confession of the Nations (verses 25–31)
➡️ The nations will remember the Lord and bow down in worship.
➡️ “About the Lord it will be told to the coming generation…”
➡️ “They will declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born.”
🎯 The suffering of the righteous bears fruit in salvation and the knowledge of God across the world and through the generations.
📖 Main Teaching
- The Lord seems far away in the midst of suffering, yet He remains present
- The suffering of the righteous can become the path for the fulfillment of the Lord’s great plan
- True faith keeps crying out to the Lord even in despair
- From suffering comes praise and the proclamation of salvation
- What Christ experienced was foretold and has become the foundation of the world’s hope
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
📖 Matthew 27:46 & Mark 15:34
“Jesus cried out: My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
➡️ Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 on the cross — showing that He is the fulfillment of this prophecy.
📖 John 19:23–24
“They divided My garments among them and cast lots for My tunic.”
➡️ Exactly as in Psalm 22:18.
📖 Hebrews 2:12
“I will proclaim Your name to My brothers.”
➡️ A direct quotation from Psalm 22:22, showing that Christ is the true Psalmist.
📖 Philippians 2:8–11
“Christ was obedient unto death… therefore God highly exalted Him.”
➡️ Suffering on the cross brought glory, just as at the end of Psalm 22.
🕊️ “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” – Psalm 22:1
🕊️ “They pierced my hands and my feet.” – Psalm 22:16
🕊️ “They divided my garments among them.” – Psalm 22:18
🕊️ “About the Lord it will be told to the coming generation.” – Psalm 22:30
