23. A cry of anguish and a song of praise - The Twenty-Second Psalm

A cry of anguish and a song of praise - The Twenty-Second Psalm

I am grateful to God that in a letter to John’s sister Mary has been preserved the following ex- position and comment on this wonderful Messianic psalm. I am adding the full text of the Psalm where he has given only the reference to verses. I have changed a little the arrangement, but the notes are from the hand of dear John himself. Psa 22:1-31 :

Verses 1-2: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent."

David is here praying in some deep and terrible trial, but the prayer is of agony—experience so real and awful as to reveal to David Christ’s prayer. Jesus in the awful agony and desolation on the cross used the words of the first verse. God seemed to answer in these words: "For a small moment have I hid my face from thee, but with everlasting kindness will I gather thee." Here in these verses are the sufferings of the lost and the victory of the saved. The Spirit of Christ in David witnessed clearly the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. This prayer in verse i is the cry, the voice of the sufferings of hell, but by a person with the praise of heaven in his heart.

Verses 3-5: "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: They trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered. They trusted in thee, and were not put to shame." This man was a Jew, and said "Our fathers."

Verses 6-8: "But I am a worm, and no man, A reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn. They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, Com- mit thyself unto Jehovah, let him deliver him. Let him rescue him, seeing he delighteth in him."

Here he is taking the sinner’s place and enduring what came to him on the Cross of Calvary. The sinner’s place and reproach, yet himself without sin.

Verses 9-11: "But thou art he that took me out of the womb; Thou didst make me to trust when I was upon my mother’s breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb. Thou art my God since my mother bare me. Be not far from me; for trouble is near. For there is none to help." Here is "trust." He says, "My God." Here is the right in himself to be helped—no cry for mercy—just help which is his by right—the sinless Christ. Yet in his greatest sufferings, "There is none to help."

Verses 12-15: "Many bulls have compassed me; strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gape upon me with their mouth, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like wa- ter, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, it is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws, and thou hast brought me into the dust of death." Surrounded by enemies and by fiercest adversaries brought into "the dust of death"—still unhelped, God has become as it were his adversary: "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him, he hath put him to grief." (Isa 53:10.)

Verses 16-18: "For dogs have compassed me: A company of evil-doers inclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet. I may count all my bones. They look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and upon my vesture do they cast lots."

What a picture of the cross! "I may tell all my bones." How this tells of three years—yes, a life- time, but especially of three years of sorrow over our, my, sin, of prayer and fasting and watch- ing, sometimes whole nights; and then days and nights of work—teaching, healing, preaching, and of grief as he saw sin and its hold and havoc—as he saw the weaknesses and sins of God’s own disciples!

"They look and stare upon me." How this tells of a human soul, sensitive and shrinking from the gaze of men. This tells of the indignities heaped upon him which only the most refined and holy can feel in all their power!

It tells too of astonishment: "Many were astonished at thee—his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men" (Isa 52:14). They were surprised, he was so emaciated and worn. How this all tells of his sorrow over sin. "Whose sorrow is like unto my sorrow ?" "Oh! thou Man of Sorrow!"

Verses 19-21: "But be not thou far off, O Jehovah: O thou my succor, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword, my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth. Yea, from the horns of the wild-oxen thou hast answered me."

Here again is a cry for help unheard, yet in faith heard. Thou hast "answered me." "It is finished," "Into thy hands I commend my spirit."

Here end these wonderful notes except that he points out that in the remaining verses, 23-31, are revealed "The glory that shall follow."

These words have been wonderfully blessed of God in giving me a new vision of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, who is worthy "to receive power, and riches, and wisdom and might, and honor, and glory, and blessing" (Rev 5:12). And then it has seemed to me that in no other writings have I seen such a likeness of the dear brother himself. I have said, "John Hyde has here unconsciously given us a portrait of John Hyde."