“For God’s sake, where is God?”
And from within me, I heard a voice answer:
“Where is He? This is where – hanging here from this gallows…”
(from Elie Wiesel’s Night) See Tony Roberts book review for more (you really should read this) or better yet read the book Night and let us know what you thought of it.
The idea of a God who suffers is beyond human comprehension. How does the Creator enter into the pain that was experienced because of rejection of Him by His “Createe”? John 11.35, “Jesus wept.” Jesus tell us in Matthew 16.24 to take up our cross…. There is a Psalm 22.1 element to being a Christian.
I find it intriguing that this is a Messianic psalm of lament– I think this is rather unusual in the psalms. While this is obviously a prophecy about Christ, it is contextually the personal experience of King David (the man after God’s own heart). This makes for interesting hermeneutics.
The first part of verse 1 is quoted by Jesus in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34.
verses. 1 – 2 are asking God “Why?” and tell God that he has been calling him and that he has not answered.
verses. 3-5 tells what God has been to Israel in the past.
verses. 6-8 David brings his shame to the Lord.
verses. 9-11 tell what God has been to the psalmist in the past-
verses. 12-18 tells David’s great distress.
verses. 19-21 the psalmist in prayer recalls in reverse order the four figures by which he portrays his attackers in verses. 12-13 and 16 -18: “swords,” “dogs,” “lions,” and “wild oxen.”
verses. 22 – 31 is the promise of praise when the Lord’s sure deliverance comes.
This psalm reminds us of the tremendous price Jesus paid for our redemption. This is a foretelling of Jesus’ betrayal, the accusations by false witnesses, and how he would die — even though crucifixion hadn’t been invented until long after Psalm 22 was written.