Psa 22:22-31 | KingComments | STEP | After His resurrection, His first thought is to tell the Name of His God to His brethren and then to praise God together with those where He is in the midst ( ). He is the Son Who knows the Father and reveals and declares Him ( ; ). His “brethren” are His disciples to whom He lets Mary make known their new relationship with His Father and His God ( ). Because He is risen, He can give His disciples His resurrection life ( ), placing them in the same relationship to His Father as He Himself has. Yet He does not make them fully one with Himself in His position before the Father, but maintains a distinction therein. He does not speak to them of ‘our’ Father and ‘our’ God, but of “My Father and your Father” and “My God and your God” ( ). On resurrection morning we see Him appearing in the midst of them ( ) and again a week later ( ). His disciples are prophetically the remnant of Israel, the true Israel in the future. In our time they form the core of the church that originates on the day of Pentecost. The church is a mystery in the Old Testament. Through the quotation of this verse in the New Testament, ‘the assembly’ acquires the higher meaning of ‘church’ in the New Testament ( ). ‘In the midst of the church’ then is the New Testament church (cf. ). He reveals His presence where the church gathers. He starts the song of praise in the hearts of His own. That is why it is so important for every believer to be present, because He is present there. Then we hear about “all you descendants of Jacob” and “all you descendants of Israel” ( ). Here the Lord Jesus says to the believers from Israel that they will honor and fear the LORD. They are not merely hearers of the praise of David, but are called to join in this praise. Those who honor Him, fear Him. Reverence and awe go together. The Lord Jesus speaks of Jacob and of Israel. The name Jacob recalls failure, the name Israel refers to what God made of Jacob. We will also never forget what we were and always honor Him in awe for what He has done for us and made of us. In , the remnant speaks. What they say proves that they are aware that they owe all blessing to Him, Whom they here call “the afflicted”. They have an understanding that God “has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted”, which His people has done. God did have to hide His face from Him, but He did not keep it hidden. He heard the Afflicted when He called to Him and raised Him from the dead ( ). In , He who was the Afflicted speaks. All the praise He utters with His own to the glory of God comes from God, He says. Even after His resurrection, He gives all glory to God, as He always did in His life ( ). The “great assembly” is the earthly people of God in the realm of peace after the period of the New Testament. In that great assembly, Christ will fulfill all the vows He made in His trouble. His vows included praising God after His salvation from His affliction. These vows of praise to God He fulfills “before those who fear Him”. His vow is a peace offering in the form of a votive offering. It may, unlike the ordinary peace offering, also be eaten on the second day ( ). The afflicted are invited to do this ( ). Those who fear God are “the afflicted” or better “the humble”. They are believers who have been burdened by injustice in the hard times, but have set their expectation on God. The word “humble” has the meaning of being “humble in spirit” ( ) because they tremble before God’s Word ( ). Precisely those who have suffered much hardship because of their faithfulness to the Savior are given abundant food and will be satisfied. They inherit the earth with Him ( ) and, like Mephibosheth, may eat from the King’s table ( ). This is the company of “those who seek Him”. There is every reason for them to praise Him exuberantly. They have prayed much to Him in their distress and they too have been heard. Now they praise Him to Whom they owe all blessing. They do not do this just for a moment or for a period of time, after which their praise weakens and disappears again. No, their hearts, which are full of praise, will “live forever!” This means that they will have eternal fellowship with the One Who is “alive forevermore” ( ) and Who has so wondrously turned everything for the better. After the remnant and the whole people have joined in the song of praise begun in by the Lord Jesus in the midst of the assembly, the circle becomes even wider: all the ends of the earth are now included ( ). Here the promise of Genesis 22 is fulfilled ( ). The fulfillment takes place because the Lord Jesus has become King over the entire earth. The votive offering also appears to be a peace offering for the nations to inaugurate the King of kings and Lord of lords. Also among the nations Christ has fruit of His work, also there people will turn to God. They “will remember” that the LORD is the Most High “and will turn” to Him. The “families of the nations” had forgotten God and served their idols. Therefore, “in the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways” ( ). This has now come to an end. Of them, the remnant says to God that they will bow down in worship before Him. Then the promise made to Abraham is fulfilled, that in him all the generations of the earth will be blessed ( ).

‏ Psalms 22:22-31

Heard and Song of Praise

After His resurrection, His first thought is to tell the Name of His God to His brethren and then to praise God together with those where He is in the midst (Psa 22:23). He is the Son Who knows the Father and reveals and declares Him (Mt 11:27; Jn 1:18). His “brethren” are His disciples to whom He lets Mary make known their new relationship with His Father and His God (Jn 20:17).

Because He is risen, He can give His disciples His resurrection life (Jn 20:22), placing them in the same relationship to His Father as He Himself has. Yet He does not make them fully one with Himself in His position before the Father, but maintains a distinction therein. He does not speak to them of ‘our’ Father and ‘our’ God, but of “My Father and your Father” and “My God and your God” (Jn 20:17). On resurrection morning we see Him appearing in the midst of them (Jn 20:19) and again a week later (Jn 20:26).

His disciples are prophetically the remnant of Israel, the true Israel in the future. In our time they form the core of the church that originates on the day of Pentecost. The church is a mystery in the Old Testament. Through the quotation of this verse in the New Testament, ‘the assembly’ acquires the higher meaning of ‘church’ in the New Testament (Heb 2:11-12). ‘In the midst of the church’ then is the New Testament church (cf. Mt 16:18 ; Mt 18:15-20). He reveals His presence where the church gathers. He starts the song of praise in the hearts of His own. That is why it is so important for every believer to be present, because He is present there.

Then we hear about “all you descendants of Jacob” and “all you descendants of Israel” (Psa 22:23). Here the Lord Jesus says to the believers from Israel that they will honor and fear the LORD. They are not merely hearers of the praise of David, but are called to join in this praise. Those who honor Him, fear Him. Reverence and awe go together.

The Lord Jesus speaks of Jacob and of Israel. The name Jacob recalls failure, the name Israel refers to what God made of Jacob. We will also never forget what we were and always honor Him in awe for what He has done for us and made of us.

In Psa 22:24, the remnant speaks. What they say proves that they are aware that they owe all blessing to Him, Whom they here call “the afflicted”. They have an understanding that God “has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted”, which His people has done. God did have to hide His face from Him, but He did not keep it hidden. He heard the Afflicted when He called to Him and raised Him from the dead (Heb 5:7-8).

In Psa 22:25, He who was the Afflicted speaks. All the praise He utters with His own to the glory of God comes from God, He says. Even after His resurrection, He gives all glory to God, as He always did in His life (Jn 7:18 ; Jn 17:4). The “great assembly” is the earthly people of God in the realm of peace after the period of the New Testament. In that great assembly, Christ will fulfill all the vows He made in His trouble.

His vows included praising God after His salvation from His affliction. These vows of praise to God He fulfills “before those who fear Him”. His vow is a peace offering in the form of a votive offering. It may, unlike the ordinary peace offering, also be eaten on the second day (Lev 7:15-16). The afflicted are invited to do this (Psa 22:26).

Those who fear God are “the afflicted” or better “the humble”. They are believers who have been burdened by injustice in the hard times, but have set their expectation on God. The word “humble” has the meaning of being “humble in spirit” (Isa 57:15) because they tremble before God’s Word (Isa 66:2). Precisely those who have suffered much hardship because of their faithfulness to the Savior are given abundant food and will be satisfied. They inherit the earth with Him (Mt 5:5) and, like Mephibosheth, may eat from the King’s table (2Sam 9:13).

This is the company of “those who seek Him”. There is every reason for them to praise Him exuberantly. They have prayed much to Him in their distress and they too have been heard. Now they praise Him to Whom they owe all blessing. They do not do this just for a moment or for a period of time, after which their praise weakens and disappears again. No, their hearts, which are full of praise, will “live forever!” This means that they will have eternal fellowship with the One Who is “alive forevermore” (Rev 1:18) and Who has so wondrously turned everything for the better.

After the remnant and the whole people have joined in the song of praise begun in Psa 22:22 by the Lord Jesus in the midst of the assembly, the circle becomes even wider: all the ends of the earth are now included (Psa 22:27). Here the promise of Genesis 22 is fulfilled (Gen 22:18). The fulfillment takes place because the Lord Jesus has become King over the entire earth. The votive offering also appears to be a peace offering for the nations to inaugurate the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Also among the nations Christ has fruit of His work, also there people will turn to God. They “will remember” that the LORD is the Most High “and will turn” to Him. The “families of the nations” had forgotten God and served their idols. Therefore, “in the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways” (Acts 14:16). This has now come to an end. Of them, the remnant says to God that they will bow down in worship before Him. Then the promise made to Abraham is fulfilled, that in him all the generations of the earth will be blessed (Gen 12:3b ; Gen 18:18 ; Gen 22:18 ; Gen 26:3).

The Messianic Realm

The final verses of the psalm describe the general reign of the Messiah, “for the kingdom is the LORD’s” (Psa 22:28). After the suffering and deep humiliation comes the glorification in the realm of peace. We see here again the wonder that the Messiah and Yahweh are the same Person. The kingdom is attributed to the LORD, while the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, is the King. Christ does not exercise the kingdom on behalf of God, for He is Himself the true God (Heb 1:8). He asserts His absolute right over the nations, for “He rules over the nations” (cf. Dan 7:13-14 ; 27).

In Psa 22:29, three categories of people are mentioned which include all classes of persons.

1. “All the prosperous of the earth” are the rich people, those in esteem. Although it is difficult for them to be saved, it is not impossible, for with God all things are possible (Lk 18:25-27; cf. Mt 27:57; 1Cor 1:26). They “will eat and worship”. This seems to refer to the eating of the peace offering, the fellowship meal of God’s people, of which all who were clean were allowed to eat (Lev 7:11-21; cf. Isa 25:6). It is a meal at which God was given thanks and people worshiped before Him.

2. The second category is that of “all those who go down to the dust”. These are those who have been oppressed, who have been in trouble and sorrow. They have despaired of life, of which “go down to the dust” speaks. They felt “the dust of death” as very near.

3. The third category, which has much in common with the second, are those who “cannot keep” their souls “alive”. They lacked the most necessary necessities of life and had nothing with which they could keep themselves alive. They are the poor, the weak, the sick, the helpless.

The second and third categories, like the first category, will share in the blessing of the realm of peace as a result of the work of the Lord Jesus. For this they will “bow down before Him” in worship.

The blessing of the realm of peace, in which all the generations described above share, will be passed on to “posterity” (Psa 22:30). That posterity “will serve Him” (cf. Isa 59:21). It will be “told of the Lord to the [coming] generation”. Every coming generation born in the realm of peace will be His. This makes clear the name by which God is mentioned here. The name “Lord” is Adonai, which means the Commander, the sovereign Ruler. The posterity spoken of here belongs to Him and will not be sacrificed to idols, as was done in earlier generations (Lev 18:21 ; Lev 20:2-3; 2Kgs 16:3; 2Kgs 21:6; Jer 7:31).

All who have passed through the terrible time of the great tribulation will declare the impressive salvation of God and His righteousness to those who are born in the time of the realm of peace (Psa 22:31). They will speak of what the Lord Jesus has performed. We may also tell it to our children.

Each generation “will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born”, that is, the next generation. The realm of peace is founded on the righteousness of God fulfilled by the Lord Jesus on the cross. The declaration that is passed on is: “He has performed” it. It recalls the Savior’s last word on the cross: “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30). This last word will resound throughout eternity (cf. Rev 21:6a).