From Forsaken to Finished

Psalm 22 begins with a cry of forsakenness and ends with a declaration that God has done it. In Christ’s death and resurrection, we see how He delivered His Son and secured salvation for His people.

Delivered Through Death

In Psalm 22:19–21, David asks the Lord not to be far away. Trouble is near, his precious life is in danger, and he needs God to come quickly to his aid. David knows that God has delivered His people before, so he cries to the One who has been his help throughout his life. Then, in the second half of verse 21, comes the remarkable turn: “You have rescued me.”

David’s experience points us beyond himself to Christ. Jesus cried out to God while suffering on the cross, surrounded by enemies and facing execution. He had felt forsaken as He bore God’s wrath against sin, yet Psalm 22 gives voice to an assurance of rescue. The suffering was still real, and death was still ahead of Him, but death would not have the final word.

Jesus would not be delivered from dying. God delivered Him through death and out of death by raising Him from the grave. His resurrection was a greater rescue than being spared the cross, because through His death and resurrection He also secured salvation for His people. God’s answer came in His time and in His way, accomplishing a purpose far greater than anyone watching the crucifixion could have seen.

Romans 4:25 says that Jesus “was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” God delivered His Son to death because our sin had to be paid for. Jesus suffered the punishment we deserve in the place of all who would trust in Him. On the third day, God raised Him from the dead, showing that Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient.

We are sinners who cannot make ourselves right before a holy God. We cannot be good enough to erase our sin or earn His forgiveness. But those who turn from sin and rely on Christ’s finished work are forgiven and declared righteous before God. As Romans 5:1 says, those who have been justified by faith have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Rescued Savior Leads His People in Praise

From verse 22 onward, Psalm 22 sounds very different. The one who cried for rescue now declares God’s name to his brothers and calls the congregation to praise Him. God did not despise the affliction of the afflicted or hide His face forever. He heard the cry for help, and His deliverance became a reason for His people to glorify Him together.

Hebrews 2:12 applies the words of Psalm 22:22 to Jesus: “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” Through His suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus brings those who trust in Him into God’s family. He is not ashamed to call them His brothers. The risen Savior leads the very people He redeemed in praise to the God who delivered Him.

Do we stand in awe of God for delivering Christ and securing our salvation? It is easy to speak of the resurrection as something we already know and move past it too quickly. Yet the Savior who suffered for our sin lives, calls us His family, and leads us in worship. His praise should awaken ours.

Psalm 22 also gives hope to those who are afflicted. God’s deliverance of Christ assures believers that our suffering will not end in utter abandonment. That does not mean He will always remove a hard situation as quickly as we want. We keep crying out to Him and trusting that He hears His people and will deliver them in His good time and for His purposes.

When God carries us through affliction, our praise should be heard among His people. Tell the church how He has helped you, whether He changed the circumstances or sustained you while they remained. Someone else may be struggling to believe that God hears and answers their prayers and need that encouragement. We should also pay attention to the suffering of others, pray with them, and gladly join their praise when God answers.

Good News for the Nations

The praise of Psalm 22 does not stay within one congregation. Verses 27–29 look to the ends of the earth, where families of the nations remember, turn to the Lord, and worship before Him when they hear the news of His deliverance of Christ, that He has demonstrated power over death. Kingship belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations. God’s deliverance of Christ has a reach far beyond the people who first heard this psalm.

Revelation 5:9-10 shows people ransomed by Christ’s blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation. Jesus endured the cross knowing that people from across the world would come to faith in Him and worship God forever. The good news of His death and resurrection must therefore be proclaimed beyond our own congregation and community. Our praise and our mission belong together.

Psalm 22 says that both the prosperous and those brought low will bow before the Lord. None of us can keep ourselves alive forever, no matter our circumstances. All will worship God one day. The question is whether we will willingly turn to Christ now, trusting Him as Savior, submitting to Him as King, and praising Him as Lord before we die. Those who do will find eternal life and lasting joy in His presence. Those who don't will not.

Tell the Next Generation What He Has Done

The final verses look ahead to people not yet born. One generation will tell the next of the Lord and proclaim His righteousness. God will always have a people who serve Him, worship Him, and declare what He has done. We have been entrusted with that same message for the generations among us and those who will come after us.

Psalm 22 begins with the words Jesus cried from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It ends with the declaration, “he has done it.” Ken put the movement of the psalm this way: it starts with forsaken and ends with finished. Because Christ was forsaken, the work of salvation is finished.

Christ died for sinners, and God raised Him from the dead. He is a sufficient Savior and the forever reigning King. Turn from your sin and trust in Him, then join His people in praising God for His deliverance. Tell the next generation what He has done so that they, too, may know and praise Him.

Questions for Reflection

1. How does God’s deliverance of Jesus through death deepen your understanding of the resurrection?
2. When God seems distant in your affliction, what helps you continue to cry out to Him and trust His timing?
3. How have you seen God sustain or deliver you through a hard season? Who might be encouraged if you shared that with them?
4. Are you praying for others and watching for reasons to praise God with them?
5. Who in the next generation can you tell about Christ’s finished work?
   
   

Psalm 22 calls us to praise the God who delivered Christ through death and to proclaim His gospel to the generations that follow. He has done it. The work of salvation is finished, and all who repent and trust in Christ can share in the life He has won.