Genesis 36:1-37:1/Psalm 22

READ: Genesis 36:1-37:1 / Psalm 22

Verses chosen for meditation:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Psalm 22:1

“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;

    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

Psalm 22:8

they have pierced my hands and feet—

¹⁷ I can count all my bones—

they stare and gloat over me;

¹⁸ they divide my garments among them,

    and for my clothing they cast lots.

Psalm 22:16-18

REFLECT

This Psalm was written by King David, though it is unclear when or how some of the wounds and insults mentioned in his lament were inflicted. For example, were his hands and feet ever pierced v16? There is no biblical or historical evidence that such an event ever happened, though such an eventuality is not inconceivable.

Notably, many incidents in this psalm have found parallels in the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. For example, in the opening lines of Psalm 22, the Psalmist cries out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This too was the cry of our Lord Jesus Christ while on the cross (Matt 27:36). In Psalm 22:7 and 8, the psalmist laments that “all who see me mock me; they wag their heads; ‘He trusts in the Lord; let Him deliver him’”. Matthew 27: 39 and 43 record a similar mocking of Jesus. Most telling was the physical cruelty and humiliation in Psalm 22:16-18 where the psalmist complains that “they have pierced my hands and feet; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” Matthew 27:35 records an event so similar to the psalmist’s lament. Jesus’ hands and feet were pierced and his garments were divided. Because his coat was seamless, they cast lots for it.

The similarities are so stark that the Gospel writers and subsequent commentators conclude that this psalm is a prophecy of the crucifixion of our Lord. Indeed it is. But more than being a prophecy, the crucifixion of our Lord was also God identifying with the suffering of His beloved servant David, and of all of humankind.

The psalmist was facing such persecution and injustice, it seemed as if God had abandoned him. God had always been David’s shield and strength. Even as a young man, God helped him overcome lions bears and even the powerful enemy giant Goliath. David had won battle after battle through God’s empowerment. But this time it was different. His enemies continued from one onslaught to another, leaving him broken and helpless. And looking at his plight, his enemies even mocked his trust in God: “he trusts in the Lord, let Him deliver him!” Not only were his enemies encircling him, they had ‘pierced his hands and his feet’. As an idiom, this would suggest that he was rendered helpless to defend himself, or even to run. His hands were injured and he could not fight; his feet were pierced and he not flee. And they humiliated him. To strip a man naked would be a great humiliation. His enemies callously removed his clothes and distributed his inner clothes and tossed a coin for his outer clothes. They sacrificed his dignity for a small profit.

Instead of striking His enemies, God in Jesus subjected Himself to feel His beloved’s pain. One would have thought that God would have stayed aloof and just struck His enemies. Why then did He experience the pain that the psalmist lamented about?

RELATE

In the Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen writes about the essential quality of a healer being the healer’s ability to feel the patient’s pain. How wonderful it would be if we had a surgeon who does not just operate on us, but has experienced the surgery themselves. They would be more careful in making each cut, and would be slower in giving advice. They would know better what hurts and what heals.

Our Lord Jesus does not sit in heavenly splendour prescribing to us what we should do, or judging us over what we have or have not done. Instead He comes alongside us and feels our pain. He has felt the anguish of being attacked relentlessly by our enemies, or mocked for our helplessness. He knows what it feels like to be made helpless by our powerful enemies, or to be humiliated or robbed of what should have been ours. And it is while feeling our pain and anguish that He says, “follow me, and I will lead you home. I will give you life”.

REST

Lord Jesus, thank you for willingly submitting yourself to suffer the pain that we experience. Thank you that you do not just give us solutions to our problems, but you say to us, “follow me”. Lord, please hold my hand as you lead me through one painful experience after another, and help me rest in you. Help me believe that you know exactly where you are leading me, because you have gone through the same ordeals that I am going through. Amen.

 

Chiu Ming Li