Joel M Bradshaw

18they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.–Psalm 22

Today’s reading is hard to digest. David was going through something tremendously difficult. And the psalm doesn’t tell us what it was. We know that for the first half of his adult life, David was chased like a vigilante around the country by King Saul. In a later time of his life, David ran from his son Absalom who had rebelled and established himself.

By the time of the New Testament, this psalm must have taken form differently. Certainly Jesus saw himself in this psalm. As he hung on the cross, Jesus had Psalm 22 on his mind.

1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?–Psalm 22

33At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)–Mark 15

Psalm 22 also contains heartbreaking lines like these…

a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
17I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me…

The Psalm even concludes with a variation of Jesus’ last words.

31they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.

Jesus cried out David’s lament. Jesus literally lived David’s poetry about piercing and enemies. They cast lots for Jesus’ clothing (see John 19:24). Jesus even concluded with “It is finished.” He has done it, indeed.

So from the perspective of salvation history, we look back. We see God’s faithful hand to provide for David. We read his proclamations and think of his later descendant, and see God’s faithful hand as through Jesus, he provided for us.

The very Messiah that would be called the Son of David brought ultimate meaning to David’s hardest moments. Looking back at Psalm 22, we appreciate God’s plan. Looking back at the cross, we cry tears of thanksgiving.

Look back at your own life and recognize the faithful work of God. How he led you. How he moved those chess pieces behind the scenes. How he provided for you. How he drew you to himself and how he has used your story–no matter how broken or messy–for his glory. There is no greater joy than that. David’s greatest pain anticipated something far greater. And on the cross, Jesus prayed David’s prayers and brought meaning to that pain.–JMB