Psalm 22:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.

NIV: For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

NASB: For He has not despised nor scorned the suffering of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.

CSB: For he has not despised or abhorred the torment of the oppressed. He did not hide his face from him but listened when he cried to him for help.

NLT: For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard.

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.

This psalm of David should be understood in association with Psalms 23 and 24. Psalm 22 describes the sufferings of the Good Shepherd, Jesus, for His sheep. Psalm 23 describes His care for His sheep. Psalm 24 describes His return in glory to reward His sheep. Psalm 22 includes prophetic sayings which Jesus uttered from the cross. It also predicts the afflictions he endured there (Matthew 27:27–56; Luke 22:63–65; 23:18–49). Isaiah 53 also prophesies the sufferings that Jesus suffered on the cross.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.