Psalm 22:1-10 "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God."
Many times we here this Psalm read around the day we commemorate the death of Jesus' and some of His final words. This Psalm was written by David. A King, a prophet and a poet/song-writer. A man who the Lord says 'was after His own heart' as implied in 1 Samuel 13:14.
The fascinating aspect of this Psalm is that David is writing prophetically, but he's also writing about himself. There are many similarities between David and Jesus, but David was 'just' a man, whereas Jesus was man and God. David was born in Bethlehem... we know this because that is where Jesse, his dad lived. Maybe the last couple lines of the portion of the Psalm above referred to his position as the youngest and therefore was given the menial jobs - kind of insignificant in the eyes of his family - especially his older brothers. How many of us have felt insignificant in the eyes of family or our jobs or church or any authority figure in our lives? Yet, He was chosen as King.
He tended sheep (Jesus is the Great Shepherd - Hebrews 13:20), so he had a lot of time to be alone with God. I wonder what his conversations were. I mean his love of God and the God's love for him came from somewhere, right? Maybe it came from all that time that he was considered somewhat of an outcast. Then, Samuel came along and when all his brothers were somewhat not really who the Lord wanted as King and asked if there were any other brothers in the household. Jesse was like - yeah, there's David - but he's the youngest - besides, his job is tending the sheep. They brought David in and the Lord told Samuel, 'This is the one.' He anointed him as King and in 1 Samuel 16 it says that he was basically filled with the Spirit powerfully. Hmmmm... he was filled with the Spirit of God before the Spirit was even given to man. Sorry if I just messed up your theology, but it's kind of there in the Word.
He played music (the lyre - a kind of a harp) and he would play it for King Saul when his soul was troubled. Then he became Saul's armor-bearer, a somewhat menial task - but important in it's own way. He killed a giant, that most everyone was afraid of and was promoted quickly to commander of Saul's warriors. Then after some time, he was finally given the Kingship. While he was King, he (like all of us) was tempted and gave in to that temptation, then to cover up his mistake, he gave in to the sin of murder. I don't know, but it's my opinion that this Psalm was written maybe during the time the David was convicted of his sins. That conviction led to repentance and humility in the deepest places of his heart.
You're wondering what was the point of me writing all of that, right? My point is this: David loved God. David recognized the holiness of God by doing whatever the Lord called him to do. Whether it was tend sheep or play a harp or be an armor-bearer or a soldier or King, he did whatever was set before him. He was humble and really wasn't looking for a 'position'. He knew His God and held Him in deep reverence and awe (the Fear of the Lord). So when he screwed up and his sin was revealed to him, he humbled himself before the Lord. All the while, still praising the Lord for His goodness - not wallowing in self-pity or self-condemnation.
He knew he stood before a Holy God and repented before Him. He was King, but he brought himself down as dust before King of Kings. The One who sits on the Throne of Heaven itself - the Creator of all, but also the lover of all. Holy, yet merciful.
Thank You, Father.
Holy God - Brian Doerksen
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