"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring?" — Psalm 22:1
Perhaps no verse in the Old Testament is more clearly connected to the gospel than this one, the first clause literally on the lips of the Savior from the cross (cf. Matt. 27:46). When the psalm and the gospel are brought together, we are confronted with one of the most amazing events in history.
It is amazing first of all because of the prophetic precision involved. Long before the event, David was moved by the spirit of the Lord to utter words that would be precisely on the lips of the suffering savior nearly a thousand years later. That is extraordinary insight, and a great confirmation of the uniqueness and inspiration of the holy scriptures.
Even more astonishing, in my judgment, is the identification of the Person to whom this cry ultimately belongs: the Son of God. It is no ordinary mortal Who utters this anguished cry. It is God's "only begotten Son," "Made of no reputation… obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." It is the Lord of glory, the engineer of all creation and the Author of life, hanging on the precipice of death. It is the most incongruous situation imaginable, the eternal Son of God in a position of incomparable humiliation and suffering.
The second thing that impresses me is the essence of the plaint itself. It is the forlorn cry of the Son forsaken by the Father. It is a cry of anguish brought about by by the rupture of the loftiest, most enduring relationship conceivable. It is the most incredible "why?" imaginable: "Why hast THOU forsaken Me?" When the disciples "all forsook Him and fled," there is no record of despair on the part of the Lord Jesus, but when the Father forsook Him, there was heartbreak and perplexity that has no equal in history, because it has no parallel in history.
That leads to a third thing deserving of consideration as one reflects on this remarkable text, and that is the purpose which justified, in the mind of God, this terrible event. That purpose was to provide a remedy for the ruin wrought by Adam's sin and its ratification by every son of Adam since. "… Christ died for our sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God… [cf. I Pet. 3:18]." And scripture elsewhere declares, "… If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law [Gal. 3:21]." The larger significance of this latter statement is that there was no other way a just and holy God could have provided life and righteousness for lost sinners, "dead in trespasses and sins."
Our salvation was His purpose, and the agony of the cross, both in earth on the part of the Son and in heaven on the part of the Father, was the only way to implement it. From this two things emerge; the enormity of sin, and the magnitude of the love of God for sinners. The human mind and heart, in our present condition, cannot appreciate the dimensions of either, but our text illustrates it, and gives us a little insight. And given the implications of this verse, any attempt to suggest that salvation can be obtained by human effort— "good works"— is an insult to Deity!
There is nothing new in these thoughts, but it is truth worth remembering and frequently reviewing, "lest we forget!" One's only regret is that mere words cannot make a greater impact.
For God's glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
Perhaps no verse in the Old Testament is more clearly connected to the gospel than this one, the first clause literally on the lips of the Savior from the cross (cf. Matt. 27:46). When the psalm and the gospel are brought together, we are confronted with one of the most amazing events in history.
It is amazing first of all because of the prophetic precision involved. Long before the event, David was moved by the spirit of the Lord to utter words that would be precisely on the lips of the suffering savior nearly a thousand years later. That is extraordinary insight, and a great confirmation of the uniqueness and inspiration of the holy scriptures.
Even more astonishing, in my judgment, is the identification of the Person to whom this cry ultimately belongs: the Son of God. It is no ordinary mortal Who utters this anguished cry. It is God's "only begotten Son," "Made of no reputation… obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." It is the Lord of glory, the engineer of all creation and the Author of life, hanging on the precipice of death. It is the most incongruous situation imaginable, the eternal Son of God in a position of incomparable humiliation and suffering.
The second thing that impresses me is the essence of the plaint itself. It is the forlorn cry of the Son forsaken by the Father. It is a cry of anguish brought about by by the rupture of the loftiest, most enduring relationship conceivable. It is the most incredible "why?" imaginable: "Why hast THOU forsaken Me?" When the disciples "all forsook Him and fled," there is no record of despair on the part of the Lord Jesus, but when the Father forsook Him, there was heartbreak and perplexity that has no equal in history, because it has no parallel in history.
That leads to a third thing deserving of consideration as one reflects on this remarkable text, and that is the purpose which justified, in the mind of God, this terrible event. That purpose was to provide a remedy for the ruin wrought by Adam's sin and its ratification by every son of Adam since. "… Christ died for our sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God… [cf. I Pet. 3:18]." And scripture elsewhere declares, "… If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law [Gal. 3:21]." The larger significance of this latter statement is that there was no other way a just and holy God could have provided life and righteousness for lost sinners, "dead in trespasses and sins."
Our salvation was His purpose, and the agony of the cross, both in earth on the part of the Son and in heaven on the part of the Father, was the only way to implement it. From this two things emerge; the enormity of sin, and the magnitude of the love of God for sinners. The human mind and heart, in our present condition, cannot appreciate the dimensions of either, but our text illustrates it, and gives us a little insight. And given the implications of this verse, any attempt to suggest that salvation can be obtained by human effort— "good works"— is an insult to Deity!
There is nothing new in these thoughts, but it is truth worth remembering and frequently reviewing, "lest we forget!" One's only regret is that mere words cannot make a greater impact.
"Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shut his glories in
When Christ the mighty Maker, died for man, the creature's sin!"
For God's glory,
"Pastor" Frasier
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