Psalm 22:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.

NIV: In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.

NASB: In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You rescued them.

CSB: Our ancestors trusted in you; they trusted, and you rescued them.

NLT: Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them.

KJV: Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

NKJV: Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them.

Faith, as defined in the Bible, involves trust based on prior experience (Hebrews 11:13–16). That includes the results seen when earlier generations chose to honor God and His Word. David recalls how his ancestors trusted in God and He delivered them. Three times, in this verse and the next, David invokes the concept of trust.

In other words, David's ancestors, including the patriarchs like Abraham and Moses, kept on faithfully following the Lord without giving up, even when times were unsure. David could draw encouragement from the past. Perhaps he was recalling the Lord's deliverance of the Hebrews from the Egyptians at the Red Sea. Trusting in the Lord, their leader Moses told the Hebrews: "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent" (Exodus 14:13–14).

Psalm 22:1–21 depicts David's questioning of God's silence and estrangement from him in his desperate situation. The structure of this prayer, and the images it evokes, are prophecies of Messiah's sufferings. Isaiah 53:3–8 likewise predicts these experiences and explains that Messiah endured them for us sinners. Matthew 27:46 reports that Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 when he was suffering on the cross. First Peter 2:24 –25 refers to the sufferings of Jesus the Messiah and calls Jesus ''the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.''

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.

Accessed 5/7/2024 11:47:04 AM