Psa 22:17 | KingComments | STEP | In these verses we hear expressions of the Lord’s trouble. He found Himself in it because God had forsaken Him, although according to there was no reason for that. Instead of being in the presence of His God, God was far from Him, for He had forsaken Him ( ; cf. ). In contrast the trouble is near, the distress of death, the being separated from God. He is all alone in suffering, with no prospect, “for there is no helper”. This loneliness is beyond our comprehension. We do not know what the enormous contrast is between perfect, undisturbed, uninterrupted fellowship with God and being forsaken by God, having no fellowship with God, and instead having to suffer the strokes of God’s sword. Added to that, He is surrounded by “many bulls” ( ). Bulls are clean animals and can be seen as a picture of the Jews, who considered themselves clean (cf. ). They rejected the Lord Jesus with many, a great multitude. They are also “strong [bulls]”. This points to the pride, the unbending proudness of the Jews, which has been evident in their attitude toward the Lord Jesus. These are strong bulls “of Bashan”. Bashan was a very fertile area. The Jews are also compared here to well-fed, unfeeling animals. The prosperous, distinguished religious leaders rejected Him. They boasted of being God’s people, but were like these animals, who also have no connection with God. Then we hear the complaint from His mouth that they had opened “wide their mouth” in enmity at Him “as a ravening and a roaring lion” ( ). This means that they displayed the character of their father, the devil ( ), who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” ( ). Satan stood behind those who are described as bulls. In , the suffering Messiah begins to speak of Himself. He feels how His life has flowed away. He compares Himself to water and His heart to wax. Water and melted wax are without form and have no power and offer no support. They are pictures of fear and death ( ; ; ). Enemies become as wax by the anger of God ( ). That is also the thought here, for the Lord Jesus was in the heat of God’s anger. Wax melts in the heat (cf. ). Again, it is clear that over David we hear the Lord Jesus. His strength was broken to pieces by dehydration like the sherds of a broken pot ( ). A dried-up sherd can easily become grit. Another consequence of dehydration was His unspeakable thirst, which caused His tongue to stick to His palate. In the last part of the Lord turns to His God and speaks plainly of His death. He accepts His death from the hand of God. He says to God: “You lay me in the dust of death.” His physical death was an act of Himself after the three hours of darkness, when He “crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT”. Having said this, He breathed His last” ( ). Certainly, His own people killed Him ( ), but He died at the time God had determined, surrendering His Spirit into the hands of the Father. But not only the Jews are guilty of Christ’s death. The nations also have their share in it. We see this in , where the Savior speaks of “dogs” that have surrounded Him. Dogs are unclean animals that we can see as a picture of the nations, represented in the Romans at the crucifixion (cf. ). The dogs referred to here are probably African wild dogs. These dogs are known to march in groups, surround their prey, and in a short time tear it apart and devour it completely. The Romans were in charge in Israel and had pierced His hands and His feet in that land. When the Lord Jesus returns, the remnant will ask: “And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will say, ‘[Those] with which I was wounded in the house of my friends’” ( ). The house of His friends is the land where Israel lived. When He returns, “every eye” – of Jews and Gentiles – “will see Him, even those who pierced Him” ( ). That the Lord Jesus could count all His bones ( ) means that He was hanging on the cross at least with His upper body bared. It also means that His body was emaciated and had been stretched by hanging on the cross. It aroused no pity in those who stood around it or past by it. To all of them He was a spectacle, they observed it and looked at Him Who was so broken, so miserable (cf. ). His garments had been taken from Him, as was customary with people who were given the death penalty on the cross ( ). The soldiers who had taken His clothes from Him divided them among themselves. For one garment they cast lots. That was the tunic which was woven seamlessly, in one piece in its entirety from the top. That we have here a scene that took place at Christ’s cross, and that it involves His garments, the evangelist John tells us, for he quotes this verse in his account of the cross ( ).

‏ Psalms 22:17

The Trouble

In these verses we hear expressions of the Lord’s trouble. He found Himself in it because God had forsaken Him, although according to Psa 22:9-10 there was no reason for that. Instead of being in the presence of His God, God was far from Him, for He had forsaken Him (Psa 22:11; cf. Psa 22:1b). In contrast the trouble is near, the distress of death, the being separated from God.

He is all alone in suffering, with no prospect, “for there is no helper”. This loneliness is beyond our comprehension. We do not know what the enormous contrast is between perfect, undisturbed, uninterrupted fellowship with God and being forsaken by God, having no fellowship with God, and instead having to suffer the strokes of God’s sword.

Added to that, He is surrounded by “many bulls” (Psa 22:12). Bulls are clean animals and can be seen as a picture of the Jews, who considered themselves clean (cf. Jn 18:28). They rejected the Lord Jesus with many, a great multitude. They are also “strong [bulls]”. This points to the pride, the unbending proudness of the Jews, which has been evident in their attitude toward the Lord Jesus.

These are strong bulls “of Bashan”. Bashan was a very fertile area. The Jews are also compared here to well-fed, unfeeling animals. The prosperous, distinguished religious leaders rejected Him. They boasted of being God’s people, but were like these animals, who also have no connection with God.

Then we hear the complaint from His mouth that they had opened “wide their mouth” in enmity at Him “as a ravening and a roaring lion” (Psa 22:13). This means that they displayed the character of their father, the devil (Jn 8:44), who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1Pet 5:8). Satan stood behind those who are described as bulls.

In Psa 22:15, the suffering Messiah begins to speak of Himself. He feels how His life has flowed away. He compares Himself to water and His heart to wax. Water and melted wax are without form and have no power and offer no support. They are pictures of fear and death (Eze 7:17; 1Sam 7:6; 2Sam 14:14). Enemies become as wax by the anger of God (Psa 68:2). That is also the thought here, for the Lord Jesus was in the heat of God’s anger. Wax melts in the heat (cf. Jos 2:11). Again, it is clear that over David we hear the Lord Jesus.

His strength was broken to pieces by dehydration like the sherds of a broken pot (Psa 22:15). A dried-up sherd can easily become grit. Another consequence of dehydration was His unspeakable thirst, which caused His tongue to stick to His palate.

In the last part of Psa 22:15 the Lord turns to His God and speaks plainly of His death. He accepts His death from the hand of God. He says to God: “You lay me in the dust of death.” His physical death was an act of Himself after the three hours of darkness, when He “crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT”. Having said this, He breathed His last” (Lk 23:46). Certainly, His own people killed Him (Acts 2:23b), but He died at the time God had determined, surrendering His Spirit into the hands of the Father.

But not only the Jews are guilty of Christ’s death. The nations also have their share in it. We see this in Psa 22:16, where the Savior speaks of “dogs” that have surrounded Him. Dogs are unclean animals that we can see as a picture of the nations, represented in the Romans at the crucifixion (cf. Mt 15:21-28). The dogs referred to here are probably African wild dogs. These dogs are known to march in groups, surround their prey, and in a short time tear it apart and devour it completely.

The Romans were in charge in Israel and had pierced His hands and His feet in that land. When the Lord Jesus returns, the remnant will ask: “And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will say, ‘[Those] with which I was wounded in the house of my friends’” (Zec 13:6). The house of His friends is the land where Israel lived. When He returns, “every eye” – of Jews and Gentiles – “will see Him, even those who pierced Him” (Rev 1:7).

That the Lord Jesus could count all His bones (Psa 22:17) means that He was hanging on the cross at least with His upper body bared. It also means that His body was emaciated and had been stretched by hanging on the cross. It aroused no pity in those who stood around it or past by it. To all of them He was a spectacle, they observed it and looked at Him Who was so broken, so miserable (cf. Isa 52:14).

His garments had been taken from Him, as was customary with people who were given the death penalty on the cross (Psa 22:18). The soldiers who had taken His clothes from Him divided them among themselves. For one garment they cast lots. That was the tunic which was woven seamlessly, in one piece in its entirety from the top. That we have here a scene that took place at Christ’s cross, and that it involves His garments, the evangelist John tells us, for he quotes this verse in his account of the cross (Jn 19:23-24).