Verse by Verse

Today, we're looking at Psalm 22 verses 16 to 18. These verses say, for dogs have surrounded me. The congregation of the wicked has un enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones.

They look and stare at me. They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing, they cast lots. The beginning of this psalm says that the author was king David. We know of no experience in David's life that matches the events described in this psalm. David was a talented poet, and here he's apparently using very poetic imagery to describe his feelings of abandonment, but also confidence in God, in God's ultimate deliverance.

In previous verses, David speaks of being surrounded by enemies who mock him in his distress as they prepare to kill him. For a long while, David did not feel God's intervention and salvation. He felt totally alone. But there is more depicted here than just the experience of David. God inspired the psalmist to prophecy some events in the life and death of Jesus Christ.

One of the last things Jesus said just before he died was to quote the first part of this psalm, My god, my god, why have you forsaken me? He cried out these words in his native Aramaic. Verses 16 to 18 of Psalm 22 describe Jesus' feelings of abandonment. Dogs, evil men surrounded him. Wicked people, including the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, the very people who had paid men to give lying testimony against Jesus, watched his suffering and death with satisfaction, even joy.

They mocked Jesus as he was dying. His hands and feet were pierced by the nails that fixed him to the wood. He would have been naked, on full display. Crucifixion was meant to be as horrible and as humiliating as possible. People could count his bones.

And as he was suspended on the wooden post, he could see men gambling over who would take his garments. He would never wear them again. At this time, Jesus felt utterly alone. For a brief moment, the father turned away from Jesus as the sins of the world were placed on him so that he could take that weight off our shoulders, take them away with his death. The wages of sin is death, the bible tells us, and God the father requires those wages be paid.

Jesus Christ did that for all humankind in that moment of agony and isolation. To learn more about the sacrifice of Christ and how it can be applied to you, read our articles about the sacrifice and crucifixion of Jesus. You can find the links to them in the show notes.

Verse by Verse is a companion podcast to the daily bible verse blog, which you can find on the Life, Hope and Truth Learning Center. Check out the show notes for more.