Analysis of Psalm 22 - Essay Example

Exegetical Paper Psalms 22 13; 22-23 New International Version (NIV) New American Standard Bible (NASB) English Good News Translation (GNTD) Contemporary English Version (CEV) English Standard Version (ESV) Catholic Pastoral Edition (CPE) 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 1 My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. 1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I have cried desperately for help, but still it does not come. 1My God, my God, why have you deserted me? Why are you so far away? Won’t you listen to my groans and come to my rescue? 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from me, from the sound of my groaning? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night but I find no rest. 2 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have no rest. 2 During the day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer; I call at night, but get no rest. 2 I cry out day and night, but you don’t answer, and I can never rest. 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 2 My God, I call by day, but you never answer; by night and I find no rest. 3Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the one Israel praises. 3 Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. 3 But you are enthroned as the Holy One, the one whom Israel praises. 3 Yet you are the holy God, ruling from your throne and praised by Israel. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 3 Yet you are enthroned the Holy One, the praise of Israel. 4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 4 In you our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. 4 Our ancestors put their trust in you; they trusted you, and you save them. 4 Our ancestors trusted you, and you rescued them. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 4 In you our fathers trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried out and were save; in you they trusted and were not put to shame; 5 To You they cried out and were delivered; In you they trusted and were not disappointed. 5 They called to you and escaped from danger; they trusted you and were disappointed. 5 When they cried out for help, you saved them, and you did not let them down when they depended on you. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 5 They cried to you and they were saved; they trusted in you and were not overcome. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people. 6 But I am no longer a human being; I am a worm, despised and scorned by everyone! 6 But I am merely worm, far less than human, and I am hated and rejected by people everywhere. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 6 But I am a worm and not human, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 7All who see me, sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, 7 all who see me make fun of me; they stick out their tongues and shake their heads. 7 Everyone who sees me makes fun and sneers. They shake their heads. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 7 All who see me make a jest of me; they sneer and shake their heads. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” 8 “Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” 8 “You relied on the Lord,” they say. “Why doesn’t he save you? If the Lord likes you, why doesn’t he help you?” 8 and say, “Trust the [Lord]! If you are his favourite, let him protect you and keep you save.” 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 8 “He put his trust in the Lord, let the Lord rescue him! If the Lord is his friend, let him help him!” 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 9 Yet You are He who brought me froth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. 9 It was you who brought me safely through birth, and when I was a baby, you kept me safe. 9 You, [Lord], brought me safely through birth, and you protected me when I was a baby at my mother’s breast. 9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. 9 Yet it is you who drew me from the womb a kept me safe at my mother’s breasts. 10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 10 Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb. 10 I have relied on you since the day I was born, and you have always been my God. 10 From the day I was born, I have been in your care, and from the time of my birth, you have been my God. 10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 10 I have been yours from birth; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help. 11 Do not stay away from me! Trouble is near, and there is no one to help. 11 Don’t star far off when I am in trouble with no one to help me. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. 11 Be not far from me for trouble is near, and there is no one to help me. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 12 Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. 12 Many enemies surround me like bulls; they are all around me, like fierce bulls from the land of Bashan. 12 Enemies are all around like a herd of wild bulls. Powerful bulls from Bashan are everywhere. 12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 12 A herd of bulls surround me – strong of Bashan closing in on me. 13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. 13 They open wide their mouth at me, As a ravening and a roaring lion. 13 They open their mouths like lions, roaring and tearing at me. 13 My enemies are like lions roaring and attacking with jaws open wide. 13 They open wide their mouths at me; like a ravening and roaring lion. 13 their mouths open, like lions roaring for their prey. 22 I will declare you name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. 22I will tell of your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 22 I will tell my people what you have done; I will praise you in their assembly: 22 And when your people meet, I will praise you, [Lord]. 22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers, I will praise you in the assembly. 23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. 23 “Praise him, you servants of the Lord! Honor him, you descendants of Jacob! Worship him, you people of Israel! 23 All who worship the [Lord], now praise him! You belong to Jacob’s family and to the people of Israel, so fear and honor the [Lord]! 23 You who praise the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 23 “All you who fear the Lord, praise him! All you sons of Jacob, glorify him! All you sons of Israel, revere him! Translation There are six translations in the above table. From the six translations, the word “forsaken” is used by four translations in the first sentence, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These are the New International Version, the New American Standard Bible, the English Standard Version, and the King James Version. The English Good News Translation used the word “abandoned”, and the Contemporary English Version used the word “deserted” instead of forsaken. The dictionary defines forsaken as: “having renounced or turned away from entirely”. “Abandoned” is synonymous with forsaken because it means “having given up”; while “deserted” means having withdrawn or left usually without intent to return. So the words used of the different translations have the same meaning: the speaker or sufferer feels he is abandoned or deserted because of the suffering and anguish. The English version has the old English which uses suffixes like “est” for “hearest”, “inhabitest”, and words like thou, thee, art. Words used in the first verse instantly provide a description of suffering: anguish, groaning, roaring, and the phrases “desperately for help”, “come to my rescue”, “far from saving me”, all reveal a desperate situation asking for instant help and rescue. Verses 22 and 23 speak of banquet or meeting, assembly, and the phrases “I will praise you,” “I will tell of your name to my brothers,” “glorify him,” “fear the Lord”, “praise him, all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him, all ye the seed of Israel”. All these reveal that the sufferer – Jesus Christ – on the cross feels he is comforted and saved by the presence of the Father in him. After the “abandonment” feeling, there is comfort and joy. Biblical Context Psalm 22 is a collection of songs originally for the Temple of Jerusalem. The Levites had a role in compiling these songs which David composed. As time went by, the psalms were recited or sang as a form of prayer or lamentation. The psalms formed the prayer of ancient Israel, but today they are the foundation of Christian liturgical prayer, used by Christians and the laity alike.1 These are useful prayer when we would like to converse with God, or listen to him instead of talking. Reciting the psalms is a form of listening to him. God whispers to our souls through his songs. Verses 1-21 are prophecies of Jesus’ suffering in Calvary. But it was written a thousand years before it actually happened. This is a great revelation of God – the Scriptures as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Only God can tell an event a thousand years before it happens and with such an unmistakable accuracy.2 The psalm may have been written by David when Saul was about to corner him. David prayed and thought that God had abandoned him, but this was not so. The Philistines were invading Israel, and so Saul was distracted which made him to call off his pursuit of David.3 The description of David’s feelings does not only reveal his personal experience but goes far beyond. David described his actual experience in the hands of enemies. He was surrounded and caught and then tortured. The description of the wounded hands and feet manifests the torture aspect. David had no one to turn to. There were his friends not so far away, but they were outnumbered by his enemies who were strong and pitiless. The situation prolonged mental and spiritual anguish. The pain was aggravated by the feeling that God had abandoned him. Christians relate this to the suffering Christ on the cross. Christ is enduring the pain, the nails in his hands and feet, the wound on his side, the feeling of hunger and thirst. But David’s experience described in Psalm 22 is not what he really experienced, since the description is full of hyperboles. The poetic language expressed in Psalms is an example of hyperboles. This concludes that the description in Psalm 22 is the experience of the suffering Christ, and not of David.4 The hyperboles were David’s description of suffering: the mental and prolonged anguish were not what he experienced and the description was too much of a suffering. The sufferer was enduring the pain of crucifixion, and David didn’t even know that there was such a way to die, like what he described. Therefore, what he was describing was Jesus’ crucifixion. There are figurative phrases that refer to Christ’s passion, for example, the animals – the bulls, the lions, and the dogs – refer to the enemies. The humiliating situation on the cross is figured on verses 6-8. The words are: the worm, not human, scorned by others, despised by the people, all who see me mock at me. Jesus applied this psalm to himself when he cried, ‘My God, why have you abandoned me?” The sufferer is experiencing the horror of crucifixion. Christian life involves the passage from death to life, and through Jesus we can have happiness out of suffering. Grammatical issue Textual variation The different translations have differences in the grammar and syntax. We can right away see this in the first verse. The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and the New King James Version (NKJV) state: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? The second line or sentence has the difference. The New International Version (NIV) asks, Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? The opening verse addresses God’s abandonment of the sufferer, and this is followed in the second verse, “You are enthroned as the Holy One … the Holy One of Israel … the One whom Israel praises.” After declaring that the sufferer is abandoned, there is another cry, as if saying why He can’t rescue him. This is more pronounced in verse 5 which says, “To you they cried out and were saved” (NISV). The fifth verse seems to portray a feeling of blame: “In you they trusted and were not disappointed” (NASB). This is expressed in somewhat different way or sentence in English Good News Translation: “They called to you and escaped from danger.” But CEV is more emphatic: “When they cried out for help, you saved them, and you did not let them down when they depended on you.” This first verse is common to people, desperately asking for help. It’s like saying: “When others asked for help, you gave them help.” The sixth verse portrays the dehumanized feeling of being abandoned: “I am a worm and no longer a human being.” The CEV version is a more emphatic description: “far less than human, and I am hated and rejected by people everywhere.” But all translations gave a dehumanizing description: “I am a worm.” In verse 7 and 8, the instance wherein Jesus was mocked by the people and the soldiers is apparent. NIV translation states: “He trusts in the Lord… let the Lord rescue him.” But the English Good News Translation has more mocking words: “You relied on the Lord … Why doesn’t he save you?” It’s not only making fun of the sufferer but also of God. The six translations have different ways of interpreting verse 8, but the five – NIV, NASB, GNTD, CEV, and ESV – all have direct quotations while the KJV used the third person (“He trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him…”). The theme The overall theme of the book is the Passion Narrative - Jesus crucifixion and his redemptive sacrifice on the cross. We are saved because of Jesus suffering on the cross. The Passion Narrative is prophesied a thousand years before it actually happened. Jesus was to preach his Gospel and all would lead to his death on the cross and his resurrection. The very act of dying on the cross and Jesus’ resurrection is a story of redemption. Central Idea of the Theme (CIT) The central idea of the theme (CIT) is redemption by way of the cross. We are redeemed because of Christ’s suffering and death on the cross, and his resurrection. The psalm reveals the humanness of Jesus. He is appealing to God but God is not answering. It happens to us – we feel God is not answering to our pleadings, that our prayers are in vain. But Jesus on the cross, while pleading to God, knows deep in his heart that the Father is with him – a light in the soul of Jesus is with him. He knows that in spite of his situation, God provides hope inside. This is evidenced by the strength he had had while being nailed on the cross. His words and thoughts all reveal his love for humanity and the very people who maligned, beat and hurt him. Jesus cries for help: Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog. 5 The second part of Psalm 22 is a cry of triumph – the Crucified Christ is transformed into the Glorious Lord, the conqueror of death, and the saviour of humanity. All the families of the nations shall worship before him.6 This refers to God’s banquet that he has prepared for us, the chosen ones. It also refers to the ‘feast’ in Isaiah 25, verse 6, and Luke 22:30 which says, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.7 The beginning of the sum is about anguish, but the end of the psalm is this: They will come and declare his righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.8 According to John Phillips’ interpretation, the phrase ‘He has done this’ is interpreted in a single word in Hebrew, which is asah or finished. Before Jesus died on the cross, he uttered the word finished. Paraphrasing God, why have you left me? I am all alone here and you seem so far away – far away or you cannot be found. I’m about to die. You want me to die in this state? What kind of God are you? Do you know what it is to be in this state? I’m in terrible state. My limbs and my bones are broken. They are in terrible pain. You seem to have nothing to do with me. Are you really a God who cares? Are you living God, because if you are you should be able to hear me, and comfort me and bring me to your bosom? Now I know, you are a merciful God. You have brought me here because you want me to feel your presence. You are leading me to your feast, a feast of heavenly glory. I can feel it now. This is where you wanted me to be – your place in heaven. Literary Analysis My God, my God, why have You abandoned me? In another version, the Psalmist says, Why are thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not? And in the night season, and am not silent?9 This is a cry of anguish. When we try to read this verse out of our own anguish, we feel there is something, some burning Spirit whispering, ‘You are not alone, my Son!’ But we refuse to listen. In poetic parlance, night and silence refer to loneliness and abandonment. Jesus was abandoned by his disciples while he was dying on the cross. This anguish, this cry is spoken up to verse 21. Silence intervenes, like silence in a cemetery. Could it not be that the Christ is deep down in the depths of death? The second part begins with verse 22, there is a proclamation: I will declare thy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. After death, there is a resurrection. The mood is going up. The psalm begins again: My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.10 From verse 22 on there is triumph, down to the millennial age when God shall set up His kingdom on earth. Jesus could have the whole psalm quoted while he was on the cross. The dying thief surely had the strongest faith to rely on his God, Jesus on the cross. Philips said that we should read this psalm like Moses was approaching the burning bush, and we should remove our shoes because we are on holy ground.11 Application What is the proposition of the text for the contemporary hearer? The proposition of the text is that when we are in a situation of suffering, or with so many problems, we feel we have lost God, and we feel He is not with us. Sometimes, we want God to be always on our side. With the click of a finger, He must be in our side to answer all our needs. But when we feel pain and suffering, why is He not around? Why is He not answering? This is what Jesus tries to portray when He was on the cross. After his lamentation, Jesus felt down in His heart and in His soul that God was with him at that very hour He was on the cross and was about to die. What contemporary issues can be addressed based on the text? We face a lot of problems in our daily life. In many parts of the world, death and suffering are so common. In Syria, for example, there’s war going on. If we can figure ourselves like we are in the midst of the war, we think He is not in our midst, God has abandoned us. Why? Because if God is alive, then why would He permit us to be in the midst of all this suffering, or in the midst of war? The one glorious thing is that God will not allow us to be alone. He will save us all. What are some possible sermon ideas, topics and titles? In moments of suffering, God is with us. God has not abandoned us. He allows suffering to make us strong. God sends his Holy Spirit in times of suffering and distress. We have to ask Him and call Him so that we can feel his presence. Sermon topics Suffering brings a song – Psalm 22 There are times we have to endure the depths of isolation and abandonment. God allows this because this is part of His plan – to cleanse us of our infirmities. But God will always be there to meet and receive us at the other end. He wants us to know the meaning of suffering and struggle, because through this, we become stronger and be ready for the next struggle (1 Corinthians 1:4). Jesus the Suffering King – Psalm 2212 Jesus had friends, but friends only in name. He was abandoned in time of need. In fact, one of his so-called friends turned him over to his enemies. All of the activities from childhood to adulthood, up to the time he preached to the people, it was all to prepare to that great day on the cross – this is known as the Passion Narratives. He is king but he suffered as a king. He would soon die on the cross, but only to save mankind from sin. Finally, he will have an eternal reign in heaven as King. Psalm 22 talks of the suffering king, but in Isaiahs the suffering servant. Jesus admitted he was king but his kingdom is not of this world. He also identified himself as the suffering servant. According to Steve Simala Grant, this is the theme of the Old Testament – looking forward to Jesus.13 Psalm 22 – The Messianic Psalm Christ is the “Anointed One” who was to come. Psalm 22 is applicable at the time it was written, and the fulfilment or completeness in Jesus Christ. The psalm was written in reference to David’s suffering, but another meaning was a prophecy on Jesus’ suffering.14 References Austin, Daniel, http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/psalm-22-daniel-austin-sermon-on-assurance-of-salvation-143931.asp (accessed September 27, 2012). Grant, Steve Simala, http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/jesus-the-suffering-king-steven-simala-grant-sermon-on-messianic-prophecies-47027.asp (accessed September 27, 2012). Phillips, John. 2002. Exploring Psalms: An Expository Commentary, Volume 1. Michigan: Kregel Publications. The Holy Bible, New International Version, the New King James Version, and Catholic Version. Read More