What does Psalm 22:24 mean?
This continues a celebratory prayer to which David looks forward. He plans to pray this at the time he obtains the rescue he expects from God (Psalm 22:21–22). The psalm began by questioning why, from David's perspective, it seemed as if God had forsaken him. However, it was clear He had not forsaken David forever. In due time David anticipates an answer to this prayer. God had not ignored David's affliction, nor had He turned His back on David.In 2 Corinthians 1:8–10 the apostle Paul relates an experience that was similar to David's. He and his companions had been so severely afflicted that they despaired of life, but the experience taught them to rely on God instead of on themselves. In the end, God delivered them. Paul said that "on him [God] we have set our hope that he will deliver us again" (2 Corinthians 1:10). Then Paul called on the Corinthian believers to help them through prayer so that many would give thanks "for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many" (2 Corinthians 1:11). Our afflictions may be hard to endure sometimes, but God has promised He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
Psalm 22:22–31 focuses on David's praise to God, whereas the earlier passage focused on his prayer to God. We read there that trouble took a heavy toll on David. Here we find David thanking the Lord for the triumph he gave David over his foes. We find a similar contrast in chapters 27 and 28 of Matthew. One records the awful death of Jesus, the other His amazing deliverance out of the grave.
This psalm may be divided into two parts. The first part, verses 1–21, contains an urgent prayer, in which the suppliant questions a holy God's distance from him in his time of suffering. It also contains a graphic description of the Messiah's suffering. Messiah's suffering included humiliation, the taunts of unbelievers, a distressful sense of loneliness, and intense physical pain. The second part of the psalm continues a prayer to be delivered, and includes a glimpse of resurrection and exaltation. The psalm praises God and announces a future time when God will receive worldwide acclaim and worship.