Scorn, insults, and hate

 

Is my title perhaps a little too graphic? Are we uncomfortable thinking about Christ's crucifixion? I would say that if we are, there is hope for our hearts. We are not so callous as to shake it off - it affects us.

We are continuing our study of Psalm 22 with verses 6-8:

But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
 All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”

We'll concentrate today on verse six - anyone here know what a "remez" is? I bet at least one of our readers knows! In Jewish studies and interpretation of scripture, a remez is a deeper meaning, a hidden message in a verse or passage. It's said to be a treasure just below the surface of the words that we read; it's kinda like reading "between the lines."

Verse six says "a worm and not a man." That's a little confusing at first, since Jesus was a man. Not a worm. A worm is a wriggly, weak, easy-to-get-rid-of organism. What does David mean? 

In Hebrew, the word usually translated "worm" is "rimmah." This means maggot or worm. Here in this psalm, though, a different Hebrew word is used: "towla," or "tola'ath." This is one particular worm - a grub-like creature called the crimson or scarlet worm. This worm was common to the Middle East, and was known for the intensely crimson color resulting from using it as a dye (when crushed).  Scholars tell us that this is the scarlet noted in Exodus 26, when instructions were given for the Tabernacle fabrics.  And the colors crimson and scarlet make us think of blood; they are very deep, intensely red hues. And it's in this special worm that we find our "remez."

The female crimson worm only lays eggs once in its life, and when the time comes, she finds a tree or a fence post and attaches herself to it. Once her body is attached to the wood, an extremely rigid, crimson shell forms. It is so hard and so completely attached to the wood that it can only be removed from the wood by tearing apart the creature. The crimson worm's eggs are laid under that protective shell, and when they hatch, they remain there for three days. The mother worm's body excretes the remarkable crimson dye when she dies, and it stains both the wood and the new crimson worms. What remains of the adult worm looks more like a white wax on the wood, and later, it flakes off like snow.

In Bible times, the crimson dye was used to color the High Priest's robe and other threads or fabrics used in the temple. The dye is still used today for dye, shellac, and even medicine.  The tiny creature is crushed to release the scarlet dye . . . 

Jesus was crushed so that His blood might cover our sins. From humankind's point of view, He was scorned, despised, insulted, and hated. Verses 7-8 describe the exact words and actions of Jesus' enemies when He was on the cross -- they even mocked His claims of trust in God, as the psalm says. 

Just as the crimson worm attaches herself to the tree or fence, Jesus put Himself on a wooden cross. He willingly allowed the nails to be driven into His hands. Don't get the idea, though, that those nails held Him there . . . it was His desire to fulfill the purpose and plan of the Father to redeem man from sin. 

who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, (Galatians 1:4)

Just as the activities of the crimson worm is part of God's design, so also it was God's plan before the foundations of the world to send His Son:

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (II Timothy 1:9)

When the mother worm is crushed, the crimson dye covers the babies and marks them, just as Jesus was bruised for our iniquities, and His blood marks us as His own:

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)

The crimson worm young are dependent upon the mother to give them life; repentant sinners must depend on the blood of Jesus to receive new life:

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. (I Peter 1:18-19)

Jesus Christ, God's Son, became poor. He became as a lowly worm. He gave His blood - the blood that washes us clean and gives us life.

“Come now, and let us debate your case,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They shall become as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

Suffering of our Savior

 

Some scholars call attention to two divisions of Psalm 22: they note that the first twenty-one verses speak of Christ's suffering and the remainder speak of His glory. 

As we study these verses we will learn of how Jesus suffered -- all from the prophetic words of David, many years before.

For the choir director; upon Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. (Psalm 22:1)

With the very first verse, we jump right in to the incomprehensible mystery of the gospel. We find our companion verse in Matthew:

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" (Matthew 27:46)

There was darkness over the land in the middle of the day, as Jesus cried out the haunting words from the psalm. Every single Jew who stood watching or who heard His cry would recognize those words.

He was forsaken by God.

Can we really understand what this means? We can try.

Think of the most loving, the most intimate, the closest, the most reliable relationship that you may have with another human being. For some of us, this will be our spouse. For others, a sibling, a child, a devoted friend.

Now, imagine that human being walking away from you in your deepest, darkest hour. You need them desperately and all you see is their back as they move away from you. You raise your arms and cry out to them; your heart is breaking at their betrayal . . . 

Now, let's think about Jesus, the Son of God, and His relationship with Father God. Through all eternity, He has enjoyed complete fellowship. Perfect fellowship. (Until we reach heaven, we may never truly understand the trinity, as it is something we humans have difficulty "getting our heads around." But we can understand in these simple terms, no?) They share the same holy nature. 

But right now, sin separates them.

Jesus Christ bore God's curse upon the sin of the world. Somehow, in these three hours of darkness, God in His holiness was forced to turn His back upon His Son while He bore that sin.  Jesus was the spotless Lamb of God -- He never, ever sinned. But He was made sin for us.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (II Corinthians 5:21)

He was cursed; He bore the wrath of God - which we deserve:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us-- for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE "-- (Galatians 3:13)

(This quote comes from Deuteronomy 21, where in the Mosaic law we find those words.)

He was forsaken by the Father. 

So, while the physical pain was terrible, and the agony within His body was excruciating, the spiritual agony must have been infinitely worse. We cannot possibly understand the depth of that pain - we have not enjoyed perfect fellowship with God from all eternity as Jesus had. We have not shared God's holy nature as Jesus had.  We can't imagine what it was like for Jesus to become sin. To be forsaken by God.

But that is what happened on the cross.

We see more evidence of this in the second verse:

O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have no rest. (Psalm 22:2)

Jesus cried out for deliverance; He asked if it be possible that this cup should pass from Him. And that was not because He dreaded the pain. He did not want to bypass the humiliation. 

He asked if He could be spared the separation from the Father.

He was not delivered from death, and He was not spared the cup of separation.

He went through death and was delivered in the resurrection. 

How awful it must have been for Jesus Christ, Who enjoyed unbroken fellowship with the Father, to cry out to Him -- only to have Him not answer.

As we begin the Advent season with all of its lights and gaiety, let us not forget each day to thank God for the cross . . . . 

So much in one Psalm . . .

I've been drawn to the twenty-second psalm this week, and as I read and re-read it, I was at once in tears and also humbled. There is no way that I am adequate to explain or clarify or teach this psalm. 

This is a Mega-Psalm.

I can't overstate its significance to our faith. 

It prophetically describes our Savior's crucifixion.

It proves the accuracy and inspiration of the Bible.

It encapsulates the gospel and tells us to spread the word.

And it's coming to us at the start of the Advent season, when we anticipate our celebrations of Christ's birth. 

Please, please bear me up in prayer as I post. I've been so blessed by my studies; I want to pass some things along to all of you.

Because of the length of the psalm, I'm going to ask you to open your Bibles and read it. I will post verses as we go, but today I will simply introduce our passage and ask you to read it in your quiet times. This passage is holy ground, ladies; please pray and let's begin.

Have you ever seen the movie, The Time Machine? I mean the 1960 version with Rod Taylor; I'm a classic film buff, so no "new" stuff for me. (Grin) It's based on the H. G. Wells novella, written in 1895. The premise of the film is that George, the main character, can travel backward or forward in the time device that he has invented. In the movie, George travels to war times and peace times, and even millennia into the future. His worldview is changed, and he chooses to join a community far in the future and live his life there. 

It's an interesting concept, no? Are there any times or places that you would want to travel to, if you had the chance?

Me? Well, I'm torn. I think first of traveling to Bethlehem on a quiet night to see a babe in a stable. I also think I'd like to attend the ascension of Christ into heaven - how inspiring! Or perhaps to change the lives of those I pray for, to take them with me to Gethsemane or Golgotha . . . 

But here's a thought - what if one could travel back to a time when some of the deep things of our faith were explained?

Maybe a Sunday many years ago. Where? A dusty road between Jerusalem and a tiny village named Emmaus. I'd like to tag along as two men walk that road, and then watch and listen as a risen Savior appears and talks to them. Oh, I'd be prostrate on that dusty road, but then I would race to keep up with them -- because they didn't understand all the events of the previous days -- and because Jesus then began with Moses and all the prophets and "explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures." (Luke 24)

Seriously. Wouldn't that be awesome?

He explained all that was said in the Scriptures concerning Himself. 

And I bet, I just bet that He would have included this psalm, number 22.

Because in this psalm, David talks about Christ's suffering and then he talks about Christ's glory.

Now, yes, at some point someone will remind us that this refers (on one level) to some period of the life of David. On a bird's eye view of the psalm, we could say that. It could be when he was being pursued by Paul. It could be the anguish he felt as his own son, Absolom, threatened his throne and his life. But in actuality, there is no situation recorded in our Bible where David went through the trials that are described here in excruciating details. Not to the degree that this psalm describes for us. It's apparent that David is looking far beyond himself -- he is speaking prophetically about Jesus Christ. 

So, in order to study the psalm, we need to focus on how it applies to our Lord. It describes a death by crucifixion hundreds of years before that mode of torturous execution was known.  Each of the details in Psalm 22 were fulfilled by the Lamb of God, the Messiah, around a thousand years after this was written.

Again, I feel completely inadequate to post on this text, but we are going to study here what our salvation cost our precious Savior. His sufferings were far beyond what we can comprehend; in this psalm we get a glimpse of the agony he endured for each one of us. Surely our response to Psalm 22 must be to bow in worship and gratitude, and to submit ourselves again to do His will. 

He loved us.

He gave Himself for us.

Please read this psalm and we will endeavor to study it this week.