Where Do You Place Your Trust

The Word is First...

Psalm 22:4-5 (NIV)

⁴ In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.

⁵ They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

Read the whole Psalm. Go ahead, I'll wait.... Okay, now we can proceed.

My 'verse spinner' pointed me to V4 today and I immediately added V5. Then as I began my study, I read the entire Psalm (it's short) so that I could have the correct context for these two focus verses. But before I write on the focus verses, I just have to mention a couple of points about Psalm 22 in it's entirety.

First, I can't help but notice that the opening words of this Psalm are the very words that Christ cried out as he hung upon the cross. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" That really got my attention! I know from personal experience and from talking with others that everyone (if not everyone, then nearly everyone) has moments when they 'feel' as though they have been abandoned or forsaken by God. More often than not, in those times, I have depended upon my own abilities which got me into the mess from which I needed rescue. Even so, God uses those times, those moments of crisis, to remind me that I need to depend on him and not on my own understanding. My perception of being forsaken is caused by my taking my eyes off him and consequently, I am unable to see him even though he is ever-present.

Second, in the progression of the Psalm, I see concentric circles of threat and a foreshadowing of Christ upon the cross. V6 speaks of the low opinion of others. V7 speaks of the hatred and vitriol that so easily flows from the mouths of men. V12 speaks of 'bulls surrounding' which makes me think of the Jewish leaders whose bull-headedness led them to condemn Jesus. V13 speaks of 'roaring lions' which makes me think of the Roman Empire which in a moment of 'devouring' carried out a false judgment of Jesus. V14 speaks of "pouring out like water" and "my bones are out of joint." Both of these remind me of Jesus' experience upon the cross. From his side flowed blood and water; from the torturous position on the cross, joints would separate as a result of the tremendous stress upon them. V15 speaks of "dried up" strength and how the "tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth." Again, I am reminded of Christ withering upon the cross and how a sponge laden with vinegar and something soothing was offered to slake his thirst and ease his pain by the dulling of his senses. V16 speaks of 'dogs surrounding him' and that too draws my mind to the throngs of onlookers at the cross who came to see the spectacle of a murdered man. There too is a reference to 'a band of evil men' that have 'pierced my hands and my feet.' My mind runs to the Roman soldiers, hammer in hand as they carried out the sentence. V17 speaks of "counting all my bones", "people stare and gloat over me", "they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." As I envision Jesus upon that cross, all these things are realities.

So as I read this psalm, intellectually I understand that this is David writing of his own experiences. But emotionally, I feel that it is a depiction of things to come, horrible things that though meant for evil, were the very basis for the most wonderful blessing of salvation.

The truth is that David suffered at the hands of men just like I have, perhaps like you have. Christ too experienced those same pains so that it could be said that in specific ways, David, Jesus, me, we are not that different. Yet Jesus endured far worse than either David or us that proves just how different we are from him. We endure these types of trials often of our own making whereas Jesus endured innocently, on our behalf.

Whether it is David suffering the wilderness of the desert or Jesus suffering the cross, neither lost sight of God. That's the core message of this psalm; God is faithful. David called out to God and placed his trust in Him. Jesus called out to God and his faith in God never wavered.

We can trust in God, same as David, same as Jesus. Where DO you place your trust?

Peace Out,
Carl