Good morning.
We’re continuing looking at Psalm 22.
Ever since Satan has been kicked from heaven he felt he was right and God was wrong and wanted to get back at God. The way he does it is to get at God’s loved ones. When he saw that God sent Jesus to earth, he realised that that was the chance of a lifetime. He was going to get Jesus killed. From the first moment of Jesus’ life on earth Satan had stirred up the authorities, Herod and the religious leaders, to arrange for Jesus to be killed. At the cross he at last managed, as he’d thought, to break through God’s protection and get to this Son of God who had, for that time on the cross, taken all our sins upon Him (Isaiah 53:5), which gave Satan the right to attack. Can you to imagine the vengeance with which the evil forces attacked and tortured Jesus – snapping at Him and teasing Him? Remember, He was very aware of the spiritual realm. I’ve often wondered whether the darkness that came over from the sixth hour wasn’t related to the overwhelming presence of demon spirits.
The Psalmist also referred to the people around the cross who had a go at Jesus and described how He experienced the state of His body after the whipping and torturing that preceded the crucifixion. “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws”, “I can count all my bones” (V15-17).
Why do we focus on this? Why did the Lord consider this account important enough to put in the Bible? Simply because Jesus did it on our behalf and we were meant to be in His place, had He not gone through it innocently because of His love for us. If we had real appreciation for what Jesus went through for us and that it could have been us that had to go through it, we would not so easily yield to sin and disobedience. We would live less selfish and more Christ focused lives.
From Psalm 22:22 onwards the Psalmist declares the outcome of Jesus’ sacrifice. “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you, you who fear the LORD, praise him, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, the afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD, may your hearts live forever, all the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you, for kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations, all the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive, posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that He has done it! (Extracts from V22-31)” He has saved those who would believe!
Jesus had a real hard time on the cross, but in appreciation for what He has done His loved ones will lift up His name!
Lord, I need to realise that you died for me so I could live for you.
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