An Exposition of Psalm 22 (4)
Romans
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GOOD NEWS FROM THE REDEEMER
August 21, 2005 MESSAGE #594
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(Continued from preceding message) IV. Christ pleads to the One whom He has ever trusted (vv.9-11)."But ..." (v.9a). This conjunction connects what is to follow (vv.9-11) with what preceded (vv.6-8): Men denied Christ's relationship with the Father (v.8); but Christ demonstrated with four facts the utter absurdity of their charge (vv.9f) and then made His earnest appeal to His Father (v.11).
"... You are He who took Me out of the womb; ..." (v.9b). God is portrayed as performing the work of a midwife for every mortal (Psalm 71:6; Job 10:18). But God in a very special way delivered Christ from the womb: Christ was born far from home, in a cattle stall, no indication of a mortal midwife being cited.
"... You made Me trust while on My mother's breasts" (v.9c). It may be objected that it is impossible for a newborn infant to trust in God. But we here are considering no ordinary infant, but rather one whose human nature was extraordinary even from birth. He was Jehovah's "Holy One" even in His mother's womb (Luke 1:35). He was never "dead in trespasses sins" (Ephesians 2:1). He even from infancy was "filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him" (Luke 2:40). He was "anointed ... with the oil of gladness more than Your companions" (Psalm 45:7 / Hebrews 1:9). If God in His kindness could cause John the Baptist to leap for joy in his mother's womb upon hearing the voice of Christ's mother (Luke 1:41, 44), surely He could give faith to Christ while on His mother's breasts.
"I was cast upon You from birth. ..." (v.10a). This was done by His parents, who undoubtedly dedicated Him to the Lord at His birth, and formally presented Him to the Lord in accordance with the Law of Moses (Luke 2:22f). On the other hand, Herod tried to cast Christ upon the tip of a sword (Matthew 2:16), and His own townsmen tried to cast Him over a cliff (Luke 4:28f). He who has enemies such as did Christ had better hope all his lot has been cast upon God.
"... From My mother's womb You have been My God" (v.10b). Christ owned Jehovah as His God from His birth until His death, from the womb to the tomb. And Jehovah owned Christ as His Anointed through the same times. Never did Christ stray from His God, and never did His God completely forsake Him. Even when men mocked Him for doing so, Christ trusted in God. And even though all men forsook Christ, God never did. In Christ is found the greatest fulfillment of God's promise of the eternal security and holy perseverance of the saints (Jeremiah 32:40): "And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me."
"Be not far from Me, ..." (v.11a). Christ here speaks not of God's omnipresence, that of His nature, through which God is always everywhere present. Rather, Christ speaks of God's saving presence, that of His grace, through which God is near to all who call upon Him. Christ then gives in the second half of this verse two reasons why He desires the saving presence of God:
"... For trouble is near; ..." (v.11b). This trouble enclosing Him was in the form of His enemies, who were against Him as strong bulls (v.12), raging lions (v.13), mad dogs (v.16a), and a congregation of the wicked (v.16b).
"... For there is none to help" (v.11c). Even His own disciples had fled from Him.
V. Christ describes His agony on the cross (vv.12-18).
"Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me" (v.12). Wild bulls are notorious for their ferocity. The bulls of Bashan, a very fertile district (and an important granary of the Roman Empire), were proverbial for their strength (Ezekiel 39:18) and oppression (Amos 4:1). Such many strong bulls were the various parties and sects encircling Christ and bellowing against Him (see Psalm 2:1-3). These included: religious leaders, including the priests, elders, and scribes; political parties, including the Pharisees, Sadducees, Zeolots, and Herodians; civil rulers, including the Jewish Sanhedrin and princes, Herod the Jewish king, and Pilate the Roman procurator; soldiers, including the Jewish temple guard and the Roman army.
"They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion"
(v.13). Lions are as ravenous as bulls are strong. These lions were acting like Satan (cp. 1 Peter 5:8). Satan was especially ravenous at the cross of Christ, inciting his children to imitate him who is "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44)."I am poured out like water, ..." (v.14a). Christ was, in the eyes of His enemies, "like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again" (2 Samuel 14:14).
"... And all My bones are out of joint; ..." (v.14b). This would have resulted from Christ's body being nailed to the cross, and the cross then being dropped into the hole prepared for it.
"... My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me" (v.14c). Having described the physical pain He suffered at the hands of His earthly enemies, Christ here describes the spiritual pain He suffered in the fire of God's wrath against the sin He bore.
"My strength is dried up like a potsherd, ..." (v.15a). Christ in His "furnace of affliction" had every ounce of strength drained from His body, like every drop of moisture is driven out of a piece of pottery in an oven.
"... And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death" (v.15b). Not only every ounce of His strength, but also every drop of His moisture was being drained from His body, so that He would say, "I thirst!" (John 19:28).
"For dogs have surrounded Me; ..." (v.16a). Christ earlier described His persecutors of high rank as ferocious bulls and a raging lion (vv.12f). He here describes His persecutors of lower rank, the common people, as mad curs, hounds of hell. They have surrounded Him like hunting dogs do in trapping their prey.
"... The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. ..." (v.16b). The Hebrew word here translated "congregation" is generally used for "the congregation of Israel" (as in Exodus 16:1, 2, 9, 10, 22), the Old Testament church of Christ (Acts 7:38). It should have been "the congregation of the righteous" (as in Psalm 1:5). Instead, it had rejected Christ, and consequently had been by Him unchurched, and was now "the congregation of the wicked". This reminds us that rebellious New Testament congregations will be unchurched by Christ for their rebellion against Him, and will consequently be known as a "synagogue of Satan" (Revelation 2:9; 3:9). This modern congregation of the wicked will mistreat the spiritual body of Christ, the New Testament church (as in Colossians 1:18, 24), just as the Old Testament congregation of the wicked mistreated His physical body.
"... They pierced My hands and My feet;" (v.16c). These are the hands of which Christ says to His elect, "See I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands" (Isaiah 49:16). For this reason - not to mention the fact that God's elect were chosen in Christ from eternity (Ephesians 1:4) – saints may confess, "I have been crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20; 6:14; Romans 6:5f). Christ not only was crucified for His people, vicariously as their Substitute, but they were crucified with Him.
"I can count all My bones. ..." (v.17a). The body of Christ was by now emaciated by His fasting, deprivations, and sufferings. And His joints were dislocated. It is therefore no wonder that His bones could be counted.
"... They look and stare at Me" (v.17b). The compassionate eye would look upon Christ with pity (Lamentations 1:12). The obedient eye would gaze upon Christ with faith unto salvation (Isaiah 45:22). But the wicked eye stares at Christ with contempt unto damnation.
"They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots" (v.18). Christ's enemies scorned His holy person, but gambled for His earthly garments: tunic, and probably His head gear, sandals, belt, and outer garment (see John 19:23f).
1. This is so typical of Christ's enemies today. They despise Christ and His gospel; but they would give all they own for some physical artifact alleged to have been touched by Him.
2. But true believers esteem Christ's spiritual things over His earthly things. We would say, "You may have every artifact ever associated with Christ, but I would give all I am and have to own Christ! You may have his earthly head gear; but I will wear on my head the helmet of His salvation (Ephesians 6:17). You may have His earthly sandals; but I will have my feet shod with the preparation of His gospel of His peace (Ephesians 6:15). You may have His earthly belt; but I will gird my waist with His girdle of truth (Ephesians 6:14). You may have His earthly coverings; but I will wear His garments of salvation and His robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10)."
(To be continued)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~