Q4. Psalm 22. Comparisons

[Rosesam]

Q4. (Psalm 22) What similarities do you see between the words of Psalm 22 and the events of Jesus' crucifixion? Do you think Jesus understood Psalm 22 as referring to himself? Why do you think the Spirit inspired David to pen these words?

There are so many similarities in this psalm for it foreshadows the event of Jesus’ crucifixion like Jesus crying out to the Father in the very first verse, gentiles mocking Him, all left Him and there was none to help, His bones out of joint, casting lots and parting garments of Jesus at the cross etc.

But I want to dwell on verse 6 of this psalm which says that I am a worm which in Hebrew is translated “tola’ath”. Tola’ath stands for a scarlet worm from which red dye was produced in biblical days. The tola’ath reproduces by attaching itself on a limb of a tree, becomes a hard crimson shell and lays her eggs beneath its body. The eggs hatch and the baby worms get protection and food from the mothers body, for it eats the mother’s body. This worm reproduces only once in its lifetime. When the babies are big enough they emerge out of the shell leaving a scarlet spot on the tree as well as on the young ones. In the process of reproducing its young the tola’th dies and its offspring remains crimson all their life. After about three days, the red spot would turn into white flakes and fall off like snow. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though your sins be as crimson they shall be as wool” Isaiah 1:18 and the word that Isaiah used for scarlet is tola’ath. Great is the mystery of the Son of God who became a Man and greater still is the mystery of the Lamb of God becoming a worm for us that as we believe in Him, His blood which ran red washed our sins so that we are as white as snow.

 Jesus understood very well that this psalm spoke of His crucifixion. That’s why He quoted this psalm on the cross, thus fulfilling prophecy. Jesus knew the purpose of His birth as a Man. He came to die and save the mankind from the slavery of sins. That’s why the Bible declares in Isaiah, that His face was set like a flint towards Jerusalem. He knew His crucifixion would happen at Jerusalem and He did not deter or slow down His journey to Jerusalem. Moreover, the three recorded incidents of the Father speaking in the gospels all relate to His death. First at baptism, which was a picture of His death. Then at the Mount of Transfiguration where Elijah and Moses spoke of His decease, and in John 12:29 we hear it the third time after Jesus spoke of His coming agony.

 Biblical prophecy is all about patterns. In minds that have been trained in the Greek way, prophecy is all about prediction and its fulfillment. But Biblical prophecy is all about a replay of patterns. When the Spirit inspired David to pen this psalm, he would have very well thought that it related to his circumstances and it did. But its ultimate fulfillment was in the Son of David on the cross of Calvary. This would have been inspired by the Holy Spirit to put to rest every doubts in the cynic’s mind that He indeed came into the world and died just as it was prophesied. He is the God who declares the end from the beginning and thus is a sure way of knowing that it was indeed inspired by God Himself.

[Krissi]

The manner in which Pastor Ralph paralleled the 22nd Psalm and various other writings in scripture clearly shows similarities in word and phrase between them. 

I do not know if Jesus was aware that the psalm referred to Himself. My hunch is that He had imbibed so much scripture that it's words and phrases naturally tumbled out of his mouth; he didn't have to "memorize" or recall, that is. I find it interesting that at the point of death, Jesus was thirsty. This seems like He's asking for the Holy Spirit to return to Him, that he knew His horrible execution was almost complete and He was eager to return to heaven ... thirsting for God.

I'm also not sure David had any idea that the words he was writing prefigured Christ. I rather doubt he was aware of anything but his own pain and suffering. Yet, the same Spirit that is Christ was in David as he penned these words, thus the continuity between earlier and later scriptures.