Psalm 22

1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 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.
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Key Verse:
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

Key Outline:
The crucifixion psalm
Christ is pictured on the cross

Key Observation:
Many commentators feel that all seven cries from the cross are in this psalm.

Memory Verse:
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

Devotion:
This psalm drips with the blood of our savior on the cross. McGee says “It has been the belief of many scholars that actually the Lord Jesus, while on the cross, quoted the entire twenty-second psalm. I concur in this, because the seven last sayings that are given in the Gospels either appear in this psalm or the psychological background for them is here.”

My my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He forsook Jesus because my sins were there, nailing Him to the cross. Figuratively that is true, but literally what happened was God the Father, for the first time in all eternity, turned His back on God the Son. The sins of the world were poured out upon Him there, and Christ cries, “but thou hearest not”. I know of nothing at all that should be more compelling for me to fall on my knees afresh and give thanks to God for the price that Jesus endured on the cross.

Here are the cries of the cross in the best order I could study (they seemed to hold up with a check afterwards online). See how many you can find in the psalm. They are not all there; as McGee says sometimes just the psychological background is apparent.
1. Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. (In Luke this appears just before the thief conversation, at about the 6th hour)
2. I tell you the truth, today you shall be with me in paradise. (at the 6th hour)
3. Dear woman, here is your son. Here is your mother.
4. (9th hour) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
5. (9th hour) I thirst (Not for water, but for the HS who had just left him?)
6. (9th hour) Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.
7. (9th hour) It is finished.