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No.6.
Psalms 22:, 23:, 24:
pp. 141 - 146
These three Psalms form a trilogy. In Psa. 22: we have a vivid picture of the Good
Shepherd Who gives His life for the sheep. "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd
giveth his life for the sheep" (John 10: 11). In Psa. 23:, the great Shepherd in
resurrection is the One Who provides for and guides the sheep in their earthly pathway.
"Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
Shepherd of the sheep . . . . ." (Heb. 13: 20). And in the 24th Psalm the chief Shepherd
is portrayed, He Who is coming again in glory to reign and reward the faithful
under-shepherds, "when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of
glory that fadeth not away" (I Pet. 5: 3 and notice verses 2 and 3).
Psalm 22:
Psalm 22: was written by David, but this Scripture goes beyond any experience of
David's and relates to his greater Son and Lord (Matt. 22: 41-45). He Who is the "root
and offspring of David" (Rev. 22: 16). It gives an intense prophetic foreview of the
crucifixion of the Saviour. It has been said that the psalmist gives a more vivid
description of the sufferings of Christ on the cross than the authors of the gospels.
Note the following: verse 1 arrestingly gives us the exact words of His agonizing cry
"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27: 46; Mark 15: 34).
Verses 7, 8, 13 describe the mockers gathered around the cross and their taunts; the
literal piercing of the hands and feet (verse 16); the distorted body and the physical
torment (14, 15, 17); the divided garments and the untorn vesture (18). Why was there
no mention of the spear thrust? Because the Lord Jesus was already dead when that was
done, and the Sufferer could not be represented as telling what happened after He died.
All this was pure prophecy and genuine prediction under the guiding hand of the Spirit
of God and moreover was exactly describing crucifixion, a form of punishment unknown
in David's day and in the experience of Israel. No wonder the N.T. describes David as a
prophet (Acts 2: 29-31). We shall never be able to comprehend the awesome experience
of our Saviour at Calvary. The physical side was terrible enough, but infinitely worse
and beyond our understanding was the overwhelming moment when God the Father had
to turn away His eyes from His beloved Son, when the sin and guilt of His people were
`laid upon Him' and He was made abhorrent, a sin-offering, though He knew no sin
Himself (II Cor. v 21). For the first time, that perfect unity between the Father and the
Son was broken, wringing from His lips the agonizing cry, "My God, My God, why hast
thou forsaken Me?". The whole scene, too awful to see or contemplate, was shrouded in
thick darkness by God Himself (Matt. 27: 45). And if we ask why all this happened to
Christ, there is only one answer, it was because of your sins and mine and at what a cost
to Him! Who can have a light view of sin when he recognizes this?