Psa 22:8 | KingComments | STEP | In His complaint, the Lord Jesus compares Himself to a worm ( ; cf. ; ). He feels Himself to be “not a man”, as someone that people don't care about. There is nothing in Him that would allow Him to count on any respect as a Man. In addition, a worm is the deepest expression of defenselessness. A worm has no legs to run away with, no teeth or horns to defend itself with. He also has no thick skin or spines for protection. It is also noteworthy that the Hebrew word for worm is related to crimson, the blood red color, which is made from this worm. To obtain this dye and to feed the young larvae and keep them alive, the mother crimson worm (a type of scale insect) must die. It reminds us of the blood for atonement that He shed. The Lord Jesus was despised and sneered at on the cross because of His trust in God ( ). He was despised by the people, His people. What He says here is found in the account given of His crucifixion in the Gospels ( ; ). The sneering was expressed through words and gestures. In the first half of the psalm, we hear only the vain cries of the Righteous One and the scorn and ridicule of evil men, while God remains silent. In the second half, we hear songs of praise. The Gospels show that the Jews understood well what the Lord always pointed out and what He Himself always did. He has always stressed that they should trust in God, or, as it is translated here, commit everything to God. He demonstrated this in His own life as well. This the bystanders at the cross were now using against Him, making His suffering that much harder. God seemed to be on the side of sinful man. The Lord repeated the mocking words. He did this not to reproach God for it, but as confirmation that it was true, despite the appearance He had against Him. In the Lord turns away from His mockers and turns to His God. He speaks of His earliest Childhood and of Mary. From His earliest existence as a Man He was “cast” upon God“, He was completely dependent upon Him, upon His care and protection. Immediately after His birth there were already attempts to kill Him. The poor conditions in which He grew up also strengthened this position of dependence. All the care and protection He had always enjoyed were completely gone. He calls God “my God from my mother’s womb”. With this the Lord Jesus says that from His birth on earth He had a relationship with God and that therefore there was no reason to forsake Him. Also, we see here that He calls God “my God” only from the moment He became Man. Previously, this was not the case either. Before He became Man, He was Himself God ( ), which, of course, He also remained when He became Man. Since He became Man, as Man He assumed a position of submission to God. When we read that God is the Head of Christ, it is of Christ as Man ( ). He lay at the breasts of His mother, a place identified in as a place of trust. This place is of great importance to a child from his earliest days. Breastfeeding is important not only for nourishment, but also, as shown here, for providing the sense of security, trust, and acceptance.

‏ Psalms 22:8

Mocked and Challenged

In His complaint, the Lord Jesus compares Himself to a worm (Psa 22:6; cf. Job 25:6; Isa 41:14). He feels Himself to be “not a man”, as someone that people don't care about. There is nothing in Him that would allow Him to count on any respect as a Man. In addition, a worm is the deepest expression of defenselessness. A worm has no legs to run away with, no teeth or horns to defend itself with. He also has no thick skin or spines for protection.

It is also noteworthy that the Hebrew word for worm is related to crimson, the blood red color, which is made from this worm. To obtain this dye and to feed the young larvae and keep them alive, the mother crimson worm (a type of scale insect) must die. It reminds us of the blood for atonement that He shed.

The Lord Jesus was despised and sneered at on the cross because of His trust in God (Psa 22:7-8). He was despised by the people, His people. What He says here is found in the account given of His crucifixion in the Gospels (Mt 27:39 ; 43; Lk 23:35). The sneering was expressed through words and gestures. In the first half of the psalm, we hear only the vain cries of the Righteous One and the scorn and ridicule of evil men, while God remains silent. In the second half, we hear songs of praise.

The Gospels show that the Jews understood well what the Lord always pointed out and what He Himself always did. He has always stressed that they should trust in God, or, as it is translated here, commit everything to God. He demonstrated this in His own life as well. This the bystanders at the cross were now using against Him, making His suffering that much harder. God seemed to be on the side of sinful man. The Lord repeated the mocking words. He did this not to reproach God for it, but as confirmation that it was true, despite the appearance He had against Him.

In Psa 22:9-10 the Lord turns away from His mockers and turns to His God. He speaks of His earliest Childhood and of Mary. From His earliest existence as a Man He was “cast” upon God“, He was completely dependent upon Him, upon His care and protection. Immediately after His birth there were already attempts to kill Him. The poor conditions in which He grew up also strengthened this position of dependence. All the care and protection He had always enjoyed were completely gone.

He calls God “my God from my mother’s womb”. With this the Lord Jesus says that from His birth on earth He had a relationship with God and that therefore there was no reason to forsake Him.

Also, we see here that He calls God “my God” only from the moment He became Man. Previously, this was not the case either. Before He became Man, He was Himself God (Jn 1:1), which, of course, He also remained when He became Man. Since He became Man, as Man He assumed a position of submission to God. When we read that God is the Head of Christ, it is of Christ as Man (1Cor 11:3).

He lay at the breasts of His mother, a place identified in Psa 22:9 as a place of trust. This place is of great importance to a child from his earliest days. Breastfeeding is important not only for nourishment, but also, as shown here, for providing the sense of security, trust, and acceptance.