I Tell You The Truth,

(continued…)

If you want to know Jesus, you must read more than just the Gospels. You must read more than just the New Testament. God’s word, both Old and New Testaments were designed with a focus upon Christ. The Old Testament reveals much about who Jesus was, who He is and who He will be. The story of the cross is no stranger to the Old Testament.

Psalm 22 is a vivid depiction of the man who suffered on the cross. Jesus was even heard quoting Psalm 22:1 from the cross…

Psalm 22:

For the director of music. To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning." A psalm of David.

1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from the words of my groaning?

2O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, and am not silent.

3Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;

you are the praise of Israel.

4In you our fathers put their trust;

they trusted and you delivered them.

5They cried to you and were saved;

in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

6But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by men and despised by the people.

7All who see me mock me;

they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

8"He trusts in the LORD;

let the LORD rescue him.

Let him deliver him,

since he delights in him."

9Yet you brought me out of the womb;

you made me trust in you

even at my mother's breast.

10From birth I was cast upon you;

from my mother's womb you have been my God.

11Do not be far from me,

for trouble is near

and there is no one to help.

12Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13Roaring lions tearing their prey

open their mouths wide against me.

14I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint.

My heart has turned to wax;

it has melted away within me.

15My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16Dogs have surrounded me;

a band of evil men has encircled me,

they have pierced my hands and my feet.

17I can count all my bones;

people stare and gloat over me.

18They divide my garments among them

and cast lots for my clothing.

19But you, O LORD, be not far off;

O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

20Deliver my life from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dogs.

21Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;

save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

David’s song brings great agony. Not only is this man suffering at the hands of other men, he also suffers from a separation from God. His cries of help turn to a description of the endured torture. This man truly is in need of help. Now, imagine with me. Put yourself in this position. All who surround you oppose you. Your pain is unimaginable. And the God that you’ve known and loved has turned His mighty back to you and can no longer look at you. You are now in a hopeless situation. What would you do? Where would you find any comfort? Comfort seems so far away. You and I might give up. Like Job, we might cry, "Please let me die!" But this man is different. In his agony, pain and torture, his pleas turn to something surprising. Just when things look bleak, the song turns to a hymn of praise…

22I will declare your name to my brothers;

in the congregation I will praise you.

23You who fear the LORD, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

24For he has not despised or disdained

the suffering of the afflicted one;

he has not hidden his face from him

but has listened to his cry for help.

25From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;

before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.

26The poor will eat and be satisfied;

they who seek the LORD will praise him--

may your hearts live forever!

27All the ends of the earth

will remember and turn to the LORD,

and all the families of the nations

will bow down before him,

28for dominion belongs to the LORD

and he rules over the nations.

29All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;

all who go down to the dust will kneel before him--

those who cannot keep themselves alive.

30Posterity will serve him;

future generations will be told about the Lord.

31They will proclaim his righteousness

to a people yet unborn--

for he has done it.

Yes, He has done it. He has endured. And the praises are due to the victory that is His. The victory is over death. Death has no victory with those in Christ. That mere fact alone is enough for you and I to be obedient no matter what our circumstance, our problems in life, our battles. His victory over death is our strength. His victory is our victory.

1 Corinthians 15:

54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

55"Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?"

56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

(to be continued…)

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