1My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from
helping Me,
And from the words of My
groaning?
2O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and
am not silent.
3But You are holy,
Enthroned in the praises of Israel.
4Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted, and You delivered them.
5They cried to You, and were delivered;
They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.
6But I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and
despised by the people.
7All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They shoot out the lip, they
shake the head, saying,
8“He trusted in the Lord,
let Him rescue Him;
Let Him deliver Him, since He
delights in Him!”
9But You are He who took Me out of the womb;
You made Me trust while on My
mother’s breasts.
10I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother’s womb You have been My God.
11Be not far from Me,
For trouble is near;
For there is none to help.
12Many bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have
encircled Me.
13They gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring
lion.
14I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of
joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.
15My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And My tongue clings to My
jaws;
You have brought Me to the
dust of death.
16For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked
has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My
feet;
17I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
18They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast
lots.
19But You, O Lord, do not be
far from Me;
O My Strength, hasten to help
Me!
20Deliver Me from the sword,
My precious life from the
power of the dog.
21Save Me from the lion’s mouth
And from the horns of the wild
oxen!
You have answered Me.
22I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I
will praise You.
23You who fear the Lord,
praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob,
glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you
offspring of Israel!
24For 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.
25My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
I will pay My vows before
those who fear Him.
26The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise
the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!
27All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the
Lord,
And all the families of the
nations
Shall worship before You.
28For the kingdom is the Lord’s,
And He rules over the nations.
29All the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
All those who go down to the
dust
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep
himself alive.
30A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the
Lord to the next generation,
31They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be
born,
That He has done this.
Commentary
Vs.
1
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from
helping Me,
And from the words of My
groaning?”
This Psalm was given us by God through His holy servant David for one purpose, to foretell of His Son Jesus Christ's Sacrifice and Suffering Death for us all on the Cross! From the outset then when the Lord Jesus Christ became a Man, the Son of Man, He came with one purpose, to bear the punishment of mankind’s sins on Himself (John 1:29). To be then the only Atoning Sacrifice that could satisfy the Righteousness, Justice, and Judgment of God. To do then what sinful man through the Law of Moses (or any other law) could never accomplish nor do for themself, or anyone else, and that is be the finial and full Atonement for all our sins and transgressions, and thus be able to justify everyone of us who now believes in Him! This Psalm then begins by foretelling of the darkest Day in history where the Lord Jesus Christ suffering our sins punishment on the Cross is now left by God the Father to bear all our sins alone. These words then which were first given through David are the very words spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. This Most Prophetic Psalm then makes a very clear mark in the O.T. Scripture of what God was going to do (and now has done) to save us from His Just wrath and Judgment through His own Sons Suffering His Wrath, Punishment and Judgment of all of our sins on the Cross. Therefore, in Psalms opening verse we see His love for us all, His Sons own love for us all, which required His silence in that very heart crushing moment so that the Atonement could be made for us all. For if God the Father would’ve responded as He most dearly wanted to do to His Sons cries for help, then there could’ve been no salvation for anyone, all of us would’ve been lost forever!
Vs. 2 “O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and
am not silent.”
Though verse two is easily connected with verse one, here I’ve separated them as this verse more clearly reflects David’s own cries that his prayers be soon answered. And such is prophecy in Scripture, for it often moves from then current time to future or vice versa.
Vs. 3 “But You are holy,
Enthroned in the praises of
Israel.”
Even though David’s own cries for answered prayer had not yet been answered, he has a steadfast faith and trust in the Lord, acknowledging that God is holy, that He is enthroned in the praises of His people Israel; and now all who trust and know the Lord; because God is always perfect when He answers and He is always perfect when He refrains.
Vs. 4-5 4Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted, and You
delivered them.
5They cried to You, and were delivered;
They trusted in You, and were
not ashamed.
David now in remembering the Lord’s Righteous works amongst men, now recalls that his forefathers; the founders of our faith; all trusted in the Lord, in good times and bad, when His works could be seen and when they could not. From Abraham when he offered up his only and beloved son Isaac at the Lord’s command, to Isaac who bestowed his blessing upon Jacob (even though Esau was the firstborn and his favored son), because it was he whom God had chosen. To Jacob who trusted the Lord when He commanded him in his old age to go to the land of Egypt and set his tent there, so God could grow and establish His people there; to Joseph who endured the hostility of his brothers before becoming their savior in a sense. To Moses who having fled Egypt to save his life, would return again at the Lord’s command and be God’s prophet and leader of His people. All these, and so many others who came after them, also trusted in the Lord, and none were ashamed, or put to an open shame for their doing so!
Vs. 6 “But I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and
despised by the people.”
The Psalm now moves from David's own seeking faith back to the scene at Calvary. In David’s own words here we then we clearly see the despising and rejection of Christ by those whom He came to save. Indeed, all of unbelieving humanity views our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the lowest possible light. How else then could anyone mock such a Righteous and caring Man, the Son of Man, when He was dying on the Cross for us all.
Vs. 7-8 7All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They shoot out the lip, they
shake the head, saying,
8“He trusted in the Lord,
let Him rescue Him;
Let Him deliver Him, since He
delights in Him!”
David’s words here then most clearly foretell of just what occurred at Calvary: how the onlookers mocked and jeered Jesus, how the leaders of the people took delight in His then willful helpless state, mocking Him for trusting in the Lord to save Him (Matt. 27:43; Luke 23:35). And yet Jesus was trusting Him to save Him, but not from the Cross, but from His deliverance of His Person from it. For Jesus was trusting the Father that even in their separation, when all our sins punishment came upon Him, He would be restored to Him, to the place He always has with Him. And of that sort of courage and faith no one outside of the Lord Jesus Christ has ever known or done.
Vs. 9-10 9But You are He who took Me out of the womb;
You made Me trust while on My
mother’s breasts.
10I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother’s womb You have been My God.
In the emptiness of their jeering faces eyes, He now looks upward, recalling that it was the Lord whom we also trust, who took him out of the womb, who thus brought him to life, and who has sustained His life all his life even while He nursed upon his mothers’ breasts, for the Lord has been His God (our God) from conception onward!
Vs. 11-13 11Be not far from Me,
For trouble is near;
For there is none to help.
12Many bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled
Me.
13They gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring
lion.
Here again in vivid detail David is not only asking God to help him then, but in his deep seeking prayer he foresees the suffering Messiah on the Cross, he sees Him hanging before the people, the strong people, the ones whose confidence always originates and radiates from within themselves. With stern and indifferent, and most certainly some smiling arrogant faces he sees them all, watching the Lord slowly suffering death on the Cross. Now as to the reference of them being the strong bulls of Bashan, this indicates that these were not all common folks per say, but these were well off people; (for Bashan was an a area noted in ancient times for its rich fertile land and great abundance, consider Amos 4:1, BBC). These then were the “power brokers” in Israel, the wealthy, the rich, the influential, all the ones who either yielded rule and authority, (whether secular or religious) or had by their status and stature in life were associated with the same. These all then surround the Suffering Savior when He is at His weakest, (for He had spoken against them, against their abuse of wealth and power and privilege, (consider Matthew 11:20-24; 23:14; Luke 6:24-26, 11:32; 42-27 etc.). Therefore, they are the ones who have surround Him, who are now eagerly and joyfully watching His suffering death.
Vs. 14-15 14I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of
joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.
15My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And My tongue clings to My
jaws;
You have brought Me to the
dust of death.
The Savior now turns His face away from the evil looks on their faces, and once again tries to draw near to His Father, but His Father cannot draw near Him while He is Suffering our punishment on the Cross. In this passage then we once again get a vivid picture of His Suffering, of his strength being poured out like water, of His loosing the ability to lift Himself anymore to try to find some relief; of His broken body and not just of the broken bones from His previous pre-Cross beating, but the dislocation of them which the Cross brings, even His heart was failing, and yet His life remained in Him, with all strength gone, and yet fully experiencing the pain of His broken bodies anguish, His last cry would be for something to quench His thirst (John 19:28).
The congregation of the wicked
has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My
feet;
17I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
From the strong bulls of Bashan to now the lowest amongst men. The Scripture now reveals to us just what kind of people have surrounded Jesus while He is on the Cross, here described prophetically for us through David as dogs, wild and dangerous dogs, not pets to coddle like we now know them, but wild scavengers, who feed on garbage and scraps of food, and who morally do the same. During His Ministry life they were not near Him, indeed they did everything they could to avoid seeing or hearing Him. But now they encircle Him like ravenous wolves seeking to devour their wounded prey. Along with them, or mixed amongst them, is the congregation of the wicked; all those who from whatever factions of Judaism they came from that opposed Him, (who only saw Him as a “threat”, John 11:48), who then conspired this Day, who by their own devious cunning have now brought it to pass. The scene here is so vividly and unmistakably described that no one can not see the Lord Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion; the piercing of His hands and feet; with large and roughly forged square shaped nails to hold Him to the Cross. Now so frail and thin was our Lord and Savior that while hanging on the tree (i.e., the Cross), He with His head bowed down, he could see His on bones pressing against His flesh, and even while in this dreadful state, and when He could find the strength to lift His head and look out, all He could see were their staring and glaring faces; but not the faces of the disciples who were far off in the distance mourning this dreadful event; but rather the faces of the dogs (evil and heartless men and women) along with the congregation of the wicked (cruel plotters and schemers) who were watching Him suffer and slowly die like this. Now some were watching with great satisfaction in seeing Jesus’ like this, like the chief priests, rulers, scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 27:42; Mark 15:31; Luke 23:35), while others were only watching Jesus with a heartless curiosity about all of this, only wanting to see if God would send Elijah to rescue Him (Mark 15:36). These then are the kind of people that draw near to car accident scenes, and other horrific tragedies' with little or no regard for those maimed or injured, who only enjoy watching such horrific scenes. And yet for all of them, for all of their heartless cruelty, this worlds evil cruelty, the Lord Jesus Christ was suffering and dying for them, and us all.
Vs. 18 “They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast
lots.”
And even while looking down right at the Lord Jesus’ feet, were the Roman soldiers, squabbling amongst themselves about who should get what from His clothing, and when they couldn’t decide, they decided to cast lots for it (Mark 15:24). All this then the Scripture most clearly foretells.
Vs. 19-21 19But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me;
O My Strength, hasten to help
Me!
20Deliver Me from the sword,
My precious life from the
power of the dog.
21Save Me from the lion’s mouth
And from the horns of the wild
oxen!
You have answered Me.
In David's prayer and words here we might have some of the last inner cries of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (because starting in verse twenty-two on out the Psalm radically changes from defeat to Victory!), though clearly these are David’s own prayers and pleadings for the Lord’s deliverance from those who were opposing him. For leadership is never without opposition, and here it is wicked and evil opposition that is seeking to destroy David and our Jesus Christ Lord and Savior. And yet his faith is steadfast that his prayer has been answered even before it has been answered!
Vs. 22 “I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I
will praise You.”
From here on out this Psalm takes on a completely different tone, and that of a song of victory! For the Lord Jesus Christ having accomplished eternal Redemption for everyone who believes in Him, there should now be great joy and delight from us all! Here then is the Lord Jesus Christ’s own declaration, (seen through the prophetic words of David), praising the Father for what He has now done for us all! For it was through the Lord’s deliverance of David that he prophetically brought forth these words for us, foretelling what He was going to do for us all! Therefore, the Lord has brought more than just him to victory, but He has now brought us all who believe in Him, believe in His Crucifixion death and Resurrection from the dead for our eternal redemption, out of our own spiritually dead and lost state to a victorious new and everlasting life with Himself! That then is a Victory which nobody can now overthrow or defeat! Therefore, we too will openly and boldly declare the Lord’s Most Holy Name, in the midst of the assembly I will praise you! This then is why congregations need to be evangelical in their outreach, because as new believers are brought into their fold the worship is once again reinvigorated by them.
Vs. 23-24 23You who fear the Lord, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify
Him,
And fear Him, all you
offspring of Israel!
24For 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.
Therefore, the call goes out to all who fear the Lord, (that is regard Him in reverence), to praise Him! To worship Him in the beauty of holiness! Especially then should (and one day will) the descendants of Jacob, the Israelites, to whom, and through whom God’s Promises came also worship Him for what He has done.
“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.”
For just as God didn’t forsake His servant David neither did He forsake His Servant and Son the Lord Jesus Christ, and neither will He now forsake you if you too put your faith and trust in Him!
I will pay My vows before
those who fear Him.”
David now sees that his praise of the Lord is not just an earthly worship, but there is a heavenly element to it all, were he and all of us who believe in the Lord along with him will praise the Lord in the great assembly, that is forever there!
Vs. 26-29 26The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise
the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!
27All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the
Lord,
And all the families of the
nations
Shall worship before You.
28For the kingdom is the Lord’s,
And He rules over the nations.
29All the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
All those who go down to the
dust
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep
himself alive.
In these verses we get a clear foretelling of the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly Reign, during which their will be no more social injustice or inequity (Psalm 72:2-4), indeed both poor and rich alike will live in a just harmony with each other (vs. 29). And people who seek the Lord will no longer be outcasts or persecuted, for our prayers will be swiftly answered (vs. 26; Psalm 72:12-14). Indeed, all the ends of the earth, all nations shall remember (remember what He has done) and they shall turn to the Lord (vs. 27). For then the Lord will be King on earth and He will rule over the nations (vs. 27), thus the kingdom that God established through David, will be turned over to His Son (Ezek. 21:27; 34:24 etc.). In His Reign then He will always be highly reverenced and regarded, by both the poor and wealthy alike, and they shall all worship Him (vs. 29, Psalm 72:5, 10-11, 15).
Vs. 30-31 30A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the
Lord to the next generation,
31They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be
born,
That He has done this.
In all prophetic truth the Psalm now closes with a declaration that their will be a posterity, i.e., future generations of peoples that shall serve Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, in the generations to come what He has done will be declared to them, that His Righteousness alone has achieved our eternal salvation, that through His Crucifixion death we can have everlasting life the moment we believe in Him! What then are you waiting for, call upon the Name of the Lord and be saved! (Rom. 10:9-10, 13).
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
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