To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David

1 My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me? why art Thou so far from helping Me, and from the words of My roaring?

2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but Thou hearest not: and in the night season, and am not silent.

3 But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

4 Our fathers trusted in Thee: they trusted, and Thou didst deliver them.

5 They cried unto Thee, and were delivered: They trusted in Thee, and were not confounded.

6 But I am a worm, and no man: a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

7 All they that see Me laugh Me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8 He trusted on the LORD that He would deliver Him: let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in Him.

9 But Thou art He that took me out of the womb: Thou didst make Me hope when I was upon My mother’s breasts.

10 I was cast upon Thee from the womb: Thou art My God from My mother’s belly.

11 Be not far from Me: for trouble is near: for there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have compassed Me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset Me round.

13 They gaped upon Me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax: it is melted in the midst of My bowels.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd: and My tongue cleaveth to My jaws: and Thou hast brought Me into the dust of death.

16 For dogs have compassed Me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed Me: they pierced My hands and My feet.

17 I may tell all My bones: they look and stare upon me.

18 They part My garments among them, and cast lots upon My vesture.

19 But be not Thou far from Me, O LORD: O My strength, haste Thee to help Me.

20 Deliver My soul from the sword: My darling from the power of the dog.

21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth: for Thou hast heard Me from the horns of the unicorns.

22 I will declare Thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee.

23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise Him: all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify Him: and fear Him, all ye the seed of Israel.

24 For He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted: neither hath He hid His face from him: but when he cried unto Him, He heard.

25 My praise shall be of Thee in the great congregation: I will pay My vows before them that fear Him.

26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek Him: your heart shall live for ever.

27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee.

28 For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and He is the governor among the nations.

29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before Him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

30 A seed shall serve Him: it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

31 They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this.

The Point:

The Messiah suffers at the hands of men but salvation and ultimate victory is assured.

How do we feel in the recitation of this psalm?

This psalm carries the deepest expressions of human sadness that can be found anywhere in all of literature, divinely inspired or not. It is the sadness of our Savior. We can feel the heaviness of sorrow that comes in suffering and oppression. But at the end we are assured of the sovereign hand of God in salvation and in the government of His kingdom and the nations. The soul of the righteous man does not soak in faithless self-pity. We do not sit and stare at our miserable condition all day long. By faith we look into the eyes of our Savior-God and we worship Him. We declare victory with exaltation, praising our God for His great power and dominion (rule), and His salvation. This psalm moves emotionally from sadness to a victory cry.

What does this psalm teach us?

Verses 1–5. The psalm begins with the startling, piercing cry from the tree on Calvary. “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Nothing is more torturous to the human soul, to the soul of the Son of God, than separation from His Father. Such cries presume that God does withhold Himself from helping His children for a time. But the question constituting this cry is, “Why?” Those facing intense, grinding, prolonged trials know what it is to turn to the sovereign, powerful God of the universe who claims to love us and ask the question, “Why won’t you help me?” In so doing, they enquire into the purposes of their heavenly Father. He does what He does for a purpose and when He chooses to withhold His hand of deliverance for a time, it is for a reason. We are not always given the reason and we must rest content that He is wise and He has a very good reason for His reticence to help. Still, we presume that He is both wise and loving. Without giving way to foul ingratitude or bitter complaining against His providential workings, we turn to Him as His children and ask in a simple, plaintive tone, “Father, why have You forsaken me? Why won’t You help me?” This was the cry of Jesus on the cross. Of course, the reason the Father did not help Him in this hour of trouble was because it was the purpose of the heavenly Father for His precious, only begotten Son to suffer and die for the sins of His people.

Sometimes there is a thin line between an honest cry for help and ungrateful railing. But in the inspired writings of this psalm we can see the difference. The Psalmist does not impugn God with evil for withholding His help from His Son. He will not blame God as if He were an evil father. In verse 3, he quickly acknowledges that God is the holy One who is surrounded by the praises of Israel. Then he speaks of God’s track record of kindness and mercy in the deliverance of His people in history. He also underscores the importance of faith in verse 4, as he notes twice that they trusted in Him as He saved them. This is an Old Testament reference to salvation by faith.

Verses 6–10. Now our suffering Savior speaks of Himself as one who is both oppressed and trusting. The Messiah is despised of men (Is. 53:3). Though He is the eternal Son of God, in this humbled state he has become less than a worm in the estimation of men—oppressed, downtrodden, and crushed. He argues from historical precedent. Indeed, God has saved others who trusted in Him even in a most desperate predicament (such as the threat of immanent destruction at the hands of the Egyptian armies). If God has had mercy on those who trusted in Him in the past, why wouldn’t He have mercy on him now? He has trusted in God from His mother’s womb. Will His hopes be crushed and His trust be in vain?

It is a mystery how a little child can trust in God when he is in the womb or nursing on his mother’s breasts. The mind of a little child is active, but nobody knows what thoughts he can think in relation to God, his Creator. Here, at least, we have reference to David (and, in a prophetic sense, our Lord Jesus Christ) trusting in Yahweh even as little babies trust.

Verses 11–21. The following text continues a description of his weakness and helplessness under severe persecution. You can picture one solitary man, surrounded by bulls, lions slavering over his tortured body, wolves taking turns slashing at his wounded flesh. And there is nobody left to help him. He is surrounded by his enemies. Using several astounding prophetic references to the crucifixion, David speaks of the piercing of his hands and feet and the casting of lots for his coat. When your enemies are dividing up your clothes, you have pretty much lost the battle. It is a picture of defeat, depicting an extraordinarily hopeless condition and a desperate and pitiable cause. In his despair, he cries out to God to save his life.

Verses 22–31. Verse 22 marks the key transition point of the psalm. The transition is sharply abrupt, as David shifts from the sufferings and oppression of men to the purposes and praises of God. His salvation is more about God’s glory than it is about his own salvation. By means of these words of praise, David commits to a God-centric and God-glorifying life.

Hebrews 2:12 quotes verse 22 as the words of Jesus Christ. Again, we are amazed that David writes the testimony of Jesus about 1,000 years before He was even born. By calling us His brothers, Jesus identifies Himself with the church and declares the name of God in the midst of His church (congregation). He Himself commits to praising God (vs. 22, 25). Then He turns to His church in verse 23 and says, “You who fear the Lord, praise Him!” He gives four reasons for offering this holy praise to our God:

a. God does not forever neglect the poor and afflicted who cry to Him.

b. God is a wonderful Savior. He brings eternal sustenance and life to the meek.

c. God is victorious over the hearts and institutions of men in history. God’s kingdom is sure to grow and fill the whole earth.

d. Many from around the world will worship and serve the Lord. Not only will one generation be faithful to Him but their children will also serve Him (something that was almost unheard of in Old Testament times).

How do we apply this psalm?

Jesus is our example of suffering. Often we suffer under the oppression of men, the abandonment of friends, and the devastating sense that God is very far away from us. During such times, we should suffer as Jesus suffered. Of course, we may cry out to God and present our argument to Him. We plead for His return to us, His help and salvation. But our sufferings do not lead us to despair, because we are more focused on the purposes of God and the praises of God than we are on ourselves and our own condition. Our prayer for deliverance ends with confident hope in God and praise for His salvation and victory over sin, death, and the Devil.

How does this psalm teach us to worship God?

We remember our suffering Messiah in our worship. We remember His groans and cries. But we also remember His triumphant victory over our enemies. We know that the triumph is rooted in His suffering. Both are necessary. Jesus calls us to praise God in the congregation of the saints and that is what we must do in our corporate worship on Sundays. No inhibitions should keep us from loudly and enthusiastically exalting His name, His salvation, His kingdom and His dominion with shouts of praise.

Questions:

1. Give three examples of Messianic psalms.

2. What are the references to Jesus’ crucifixion in this psalm?

3. How does the Psalmist speak of his faith in God?

4. How does this psalm begin?

5. Where is the transition verse in this psalm and what is the transition?

6. What reasons or motivations are given in this psalm for praising God?

Family Discussion Questions:

1. Do you identify with Jesus in this psalm?

2. How do you suffer? What can we learn from Jesus’ suffering to help us when we suffer from sickness or loss?

3. Do our children trust in God from the time they are nursing on their mother’s breasts? Can little children trust in God?