Psalm 20:1-5 - The Psalm of the Cross

Today we begin study and meditation on Psalm 22. This Psalm has been rightly called by many commentators, “The Psalm of the Cross”.  We know that this Psalm was written by King David but as to when he wrote it or the conditions under which he was when it was written, we have no idea and can only speculate. This Psalm stands above all the other Psalms when it comes to the prophesies concerning the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.   David is called a prophet in Acts 2:30 and for sure in Psalm 22, he looked ahead one-thousand years and clearly saw the Lord Jesus Christ dying on the cross. This definitely is in the category of the Messianic Psalms.   Notices some of the verses that we know directly relate to the cross of Christ: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me” (v. 1).  Christ spoke these very same words on the Cross (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).  “But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, "He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!" (vv. 6-8).  This was fulfilled in Matthew 27:39-44. “They pierced My hands and My feet” (v. 16). This was fulfilled in Matthew 27:35. “They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots” (v. 17). This was fulfilled in John 19:23-24. We will look at these, and several more of these verses, in greater detail as we go through the Psalm over the next few days.   There are many Bible teachers and scholars that believe that Jesus quoted this entire Psalm as He hung on the cross. As we read and meditate on this Psalm, we will find we are on holy ground, and like Moses, we should take off our spiritual shoes and worship our Lord!  The Psalm begins with, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me”.  This Psalm ends with, “That He has done this”.  Some believe in the original Hebrew that this actually is, “It is finished”.   In this Psalm, we see both the darkness of the Cross and the glory of the Cross.  We see the suffering of Christ and the glory that should follow.  No other place in the Bible do we get a better picture of the physical, emotional, phycological, and spiritual suffering of Christ on the cross!  We see the inner soul of Jesus as He dies on the Cross in our place for our sins.  Taking the penalty and curse of our sin upon Himself on the Cross.   A companion prophetic passage to this Psalm in the Bible would be Isaiah 53.  I would encourage you to also read it over the next few days as we continue to think about this Psalm.  It is my prayer as we think and meditate on the sufferings of Christ on the Cross that we will be more grateful and thankful and more willing to give our lives to Him for His service and His glory!   God bless!