Forsaken Kings – Psalm 22
At one point or another, we’ve all felt forsaken– the experience of loneliness, isolation, and distance from God. In Psalm 22, that forsaken feeling becomes a question and prayer, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
The First Forsaken King
“According to The Doe of the Dawn, A Psalm of David”
Psalms by David normally have two headers:
Of David, a Psalm
A Psalm of David
Psalms that start with “of David, a Psalm” are when David finds himself directly in the presence of God. As a result David picks up an instrument and plays.
Psalms that start with “A Psalm of David,” David does not find himself in the presence of God but rather picks up an instrument and begins to sing about what he is experiencing in the moment.
“My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Contrast with Psalm 139, “Where can I go from your presence?”
Not only a question, it is also an assumption by David.
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” - C.S. Lewis
The alternating themes of Psalm 22
David begins to recount the goodness of God from the past
David focuses on himself again in the third paragraph, “I am a worm”
He goes back to focusing on the goodness of God, ending with a plea to God
The danger of isolation
We can isolate ourselves from the church, family, and God as a result of our feeling abandoned.
This is damaging to our spiritual health as well as our health in general.
“The lies of the enemy thrive in isolation” - Alex Ferren
The church culture of being composed
Sometimes questioning God makes us feel like we don’t have everything together and that is okay. It is okay to not be okay.
There is value in crying out to God because by doing so we are in communication with God.
There is comfort in knowing that the God we cry out to, knows exactly what we are going through. He’s lived it.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” – Hebrews 4:15
The Second Forsaken King
The prophetic elements of Psalm 22
Psalm 22:1 Both David and Jesus say, “My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Verse 7-8 both had insults thrown their way, both mocked for their trust in God. Matthew 27, the governor’s soldiers mock Jesus as the king of the Jews. Matthew 27:43 tells us that people would walk around Jesus on the Cross almost taunting him saying “Let God rescue him now if he wants him.
Verse 16 David says his hands and feet are pierced, Jesus were as well.
Verse 18, Lots were cast for Jesus robes in Psalm 27:35.
“I am a worm”
Jesus in John 5:58 goes from saying “Before Abraham was born, I am” to quoting the same chapter that says, “I am a worm”
The crimson worm, Tola.
Immanuel, God with us
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” - Colossians 1:17
Christ feels as though God is away from him for the first time in Christ’s entire existence. In desperation, Christ cries out to the Father.
God hurts with us.
“He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” - Psalm 34:8.
“Jesus doesn’t just teach us what to believe, but how to believe.”– Heath Adamson
Spiritual Practice
“I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me against the rock of ages” – Charles Spurgeon
The lessons from the Forsaken Kings
Our first prayer and request on a daily basis should be, “God, be not far from me.”
Jesus cries out to God, why have you forsaken me? But Matthew ends with Jesus promise of “I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Who are we in proximity with? We should help carry each other’s burdens
The strength in our vulnerability helps us build community.
