Suggested reading: Psalm 22 verses 1-31

We have meditated on the various ways in which Psalm 22 can be viewed and seen that it speaks to us of a unique Sufferer, who is, undoubtedly, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Psalmist uses imagery that portrays for us His sufferings on the cross at the hands of God, Satan and men. He gives us an insight into the depth of His inner sufferings, which we would know nothing of, if we focused solely on the record of the crucifixion found in the four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Note, therefore, some of the graphic imagery:

• the strong bulls of Bashan, verse 12 – they are a picture of the strength, fierceness, fury and pride of the enmity of the religious leaders against Jesus – they are seen a ravening and roaring lions.
• the dogs, verse 16 – they are a picture of the unclean Gentiles that opposed Him – the ‘power of the dog’ (singular) might well refer to Pilate, the Gentile Roman Governor.
• the wild oxen / buffalo / unicorn, verse 21 – these are wild & vicious beasts, when roused, they kill with their sharp horns. The crowd at the trial of Jesus was stirred up by the religious leaders and became a dangerous and blood-thirsty mob.
• the lion’s mouth – Satan was present at the cross – he is depicted, in the New Testament, ‘like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour’, 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 8. He appeared to triumph but he was, in reality, comprehensively defeated – one hymn-writer wrote that Christ ‘trod all His foes beneath His feet, by being trodden down’.

Intense as His physical and spiritual sufferings were, Christ was totally submissive to God’s will, verses 2, 3, 9-11, 15 & 19. His cry for deliverance throughout was to God, not men. Christ never cried to be saved from death, BUT to be saved out of death. God heard His cry and raised Him out from among the dead. Praise Him!

Concluded