Psalm 22 | The Cry and The Praise | The Hope of the Cross in Song

✨ Psalm 22 is one of the clearest prophecies of the cross in the Old Testament. David wrote it about 1,000 years before Jesus, yet the details point directly to the crucifixion, then turn into worldwide praise and victory. As you read or sing along, notice how the psalm shifts: from anguish → petition → rescue → triumph.

🎶 Original Text / Lyrics + Teaching Commentary

Verse 1 (Plea – The Cry of Abandonment)
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
My God, I cry in the day, but you don’t answer;
In the night season, and am not silent.”

➡️ David felt abandoned by God, yet these are the exact words Jesus cried from the cross (Matthew 27:46). The psalm begins in darkness.

Verse 2 (Remembrance – God Has Always Been Faithful)
“But you are holy—
You who inhabit the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in you, and you delivered them.
They cried and were delivered, they trusted, and were not disappointed.”

➡️ Even in despair, David remembers God’s past faithfulness. Jesus, too, trusted His Father completely, even when surrounded by suffering.

Verse 3 (Sorrow – Mocked by Men)
“But I am a worm, no man—
Despised and mocked by the people.
All who see me shake their heads, saying:
‘He trusts in Yahweh, let Him deliver him—
Let Him rescue him, since He delights in him.’”

➡️ This perfectly describes the mockery Jesus endured (Matthew 27:43). The crowd repeated David’s words without realizing they were fulfilling prophecy.

Verse 4 (Appeal to God – From Birth You Were With Me)
“But you brought me out of the womb,
Made me trust at my mother’s breasts.
Thrown on you since birth,
You are my God from my mother’s womb!”

➡️ David remembers that God has been present since his birth. In Jesus’ case, the Father’s presence and Spirit were with Him from conception to the cross.

Verse 5 (Danger Closing In – The Weight of Death)
*“Don’t be far—trouble is near,
No one to help, many bulls surround me.
Mouths open wide like lions roaring,
I am poured out like water,
Bones out of joint, heart like wax within me.

Strength dried up like pottery clay,
Tongue sticks to my mouth—
You’ve brought me down to the dust of death.”*

➡️ This imagery matches the agony of crucifixion: joints pulled out, dehydration, weakness, and heart failure. David’s cry foreshadows Christ’s suffering.

Verse 6 (The Cross Foreshadowed)
“Dogs surround me, evildoers enclose me,
They pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count my bones, they stare at me,
Divide my garments, cast lots for my clothing.”

➡️ Crucifixion wasn’t even invented yet, but here it is described. John 19:23–24 shows soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ clothes, directly fulfilling verse 18.

Verse 7 (Cry for Rescue – The Turning Point)
“But you, Yahweh—don’t be far!
You are my help, hurry to me!
Deliver my soul from the sword,
My life from the power of the dog.
Save me from the lion’s mouth,
From the horns of the oxen—
You have answered me!”

➡️ After despair, there is a breakthrough: “You have answered me.” This turning point foreshadows the resurrection—God did not abandon His Son to death.

Verse 8 (Praise Rising – From Cry to Celebration)
“I will declare your name to my brothers,
In the assembly I will praise you!
You who fear Yahweh, praise Him!
All descendants of Jacob, glorify Him!
Stand in awe, all you of Israel!”

➡️ Hebrews 2:12 quotes this verse, showing that Jesus Himself fulfills it. Out of suffering rises praise, and the focus shifts from pain to worship.

Verse 9 (Joyful Declaration – God Hears the Afflicted)
“For He has not despised the afflicted,
Nor hidden His face from him;
But when he cried, He heard.
My praise comes in the great assembly,
The humble shall eat and be satisfied!”

➡️ God does not despise the broken. Just as He heard David and Jesus, He hears us when we cry out.

Verse 10 (Worldwide Praise – The Gospel to the Nations)
“All the ends of the earth shall remember,
All nations shall worship before You!
For the kingdom is Yahweh’s,
He rules the nations!”

➡️ The vision broadens: God’s kingdom is not just for Israel but for all nations. This points to the spread of the gospel after Christ’s resurrection.

Verse 11 (Final Proclamation – Victory Secured)
“Posterity shall serve Him,
Future generations told of the Lord!
They shall declare His righteousness
To a people yet unborn—
For He has done it!”

➡️ The psalm ends with victory. The Hebrew phrase “He has done it” mirrors Jesus’ final cry: “It is finished” (John 19:30). From the cross came completion, and through the resurrection came eternal hope.

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