Spurgeon on Psalm 22

Around New years I put a lot of thought in to "how" I wanted to read my bible this year. Two years ago I invited my youth leadership team to read through the bible with me in 2009. Last year I picked a book at a time and read through a few books more slowly and carefully with one of RC Sproul's suggested commentaries.

This year I decided to continue my commentary aided, in-depth study, but planned to accompany that with a reading of a Psalm or Proverb each day.

I am currently working through the Gospel of Luke and spending time in the Psalms because I recently heard John Piper say that we should always have a good dose of the gospels and psalms in our daily in taking of the word... for it is in the gospels we see Christ most clearly, and it is in the psalms we see ourselves most clearly.

Today i was reading Psalm 22,, where there is a healthy dose of both sights. I was reflecting on some words I found of Spurgeon's on this text:

"For plaintive expressions uprising from unutterable depths of woe we may say of this Psalm, there is none like it. It is the photograph of our Lord's saddest hours, the record of his dying words, the lachrymatory of his last tears, the memorial of his expiring joys. David and his afflictions may be here in a very modified sense, but, as the star is concealed by the light of the sun, he who sees Jesus will probably neither see nor care to see David. . . . We should read reverently, putting off our shoes from off our feet, as Moses did at the burning bush, for if there be holy ground anywhere in Scripture, it is in this Psalm" (CHS).

I agree with Spurgeon that this psalm, even though it may speak of David's personal experience, is Messianic, pointing to Christ.

The opening words of the psalm are found on the lips of Jesus as he hung on the cross in Matthew 27:46. The taunt of the scorners, "... those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads", (Matt. 27:39) is from v. 7. They also challenged him in Matthew 27:43)with the very words of verse 8. And Jesus cried out from the cross, "I thirst" (John 19:28), in fulfillment of verse 15. Finally, his garments being split among those who pierced him is seen in verses 186to 18.

There comes a time, when reading certain passages of God's Word, that commentary must yield to contemplation.

For me, the psalms are a portion of scripture I am so used to seeing the depths of my own sin... and in this psalm in particular I see the suffering of my saviour and see myself in the portraits of those surrounding him on the cross.

He died for me, he suffered for me, and I will never be grateful enough for it...

Thank you Lord.