Christ, the Afflicted Man

Sermon 6 in Series

Psalm 22

[1] My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
[2] O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.

[3] Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
[4] In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
[5] To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

[6] But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
[7] All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
[8] “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

[9] Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
[10] On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
[11] Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.

[12] Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
[13] they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.

[14] I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
[15] my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.

[16] For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
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.

[19] But you, O LORD, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
[20] Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
[21] Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

[22] I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
[23] 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!
[24] For 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.

[25] From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
[26] The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD!
May your hearts live forever!

[27] All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
[28] For kingship belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over the nations.

[29] All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
[30] Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
[31] they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.   The Psalms of the Savior are not messianic in the same way. What are some of the various ways we have seen the Psalms point to Christ? How does this help you see Christ in Old Testament in your own Bible reading?
2.   What is the significance of David’s oscillating back and forth between the reality of his affliction and his trust in God to deliver him? How have you experienced God’s “smiling face” behind a “frowning providence?”
3.   How does verse 1 function on Jesus’ lips? What do we do with the suggestion that God has forsaken his anointed?
4.   Consider vv.12-18 and observe the connections to the crucifixion event. How does this section seem to culminate in death?
5.   How and why does the author of Hebrews quote Psalm 22? What purpose does this have to usher in the celebration of God’s deliverance of the Afflicted Man?
6.   What does it mean that this Psalm maps onto Philippians 2:6-11? How does the connection to that passage help us apply Psalm 22 to our lives?

References:  2 Corinthians 4:8-9; Deuteronomy 31:16; Matthew 27:46; Isaiah 49:7; Matthew 27:39-46; John 19:34, 19:28; Matthew 27:35; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:9-12; Philippians 2:6-11, “God Moves In Mysterious Ways” by William Cowper.