Psalms 23


     We will continue with Psalms chapter 22 in this lesson. Psalms
22:11 "Be not far from me; for trouble [is] near; for [there is] none
to help."

     We find, in this, the loneliness that Jesus felt when all had
abandoned Him. We know that, even, strong Peter denied Jesus when he
felt he might be crucified with Him. The whole world may abandon you
when terrible trouble comes, but God is always there. God did not
abandon Jesus. This suffering of humiliation and death of the body on
the cross had been part of God's plan from the beginning. Notice, in
the Scripture that Jesus, of His own free will, lay His life down for
all who are His followers. John 10:17 "Therefore doth my Father love
me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again."  In the
following Scripture, notice that no one takes the Lord's life, He gave
His life. John 10:18 "No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of
myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it
again. This commandment have I received of my Father."  Even though
there were none to help Jesus, He still could have climbed off the
cross, had He wanted to. He gave His body unto death on the cross,
that you and I could be saved through His shed blood.

     Psalms 22:12 "Many bulls have compassed me: strong [bulls] of
Bashan have beset me round." Psalms 22:13 "They gaped upon me [with]
their mouths, [as] a ravening and a roaring lion."

     These bulls of Bashan just represent strong enemies, who
surrounded Jesus. In fact, the crowd was screaming {crucify Him}. At
this time, it seemed the whole world was against Jesus. No one was
crying out to help Jesus. The crowd did not even ask for Jesus to be
released, when Pilate offered to pardon one prisoner. The people asked
for Barrabbas to be released instead. Notice in the next verse that
even those high in authority in the temple wanted Jesus destroyed.
Matthew 27:20 "But the chief priests and elders persuaded the
multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus."  Notice
also in verse 13 above that the enemy was LIKE a roaring lion. They
were not a lion, they were just acting as one. Jesus is the LION of
the tribe of Judah.

     Psalms 22:14 "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."

     They beat Jesus so severely before they took Him to crucify Him,
that He was too weak to carry His cross. The verse above is just
saying that His weakness was such that all the strength had been
drained out of Him. His heart was also broken that those He loved so
much had run away.

     Psalms 22:15 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.
     At one point Jesus had cried out, I thirst. Potsherd means dry
pottery, or the dry earth. Dust, in the Scripture, has to do with
death.

     Psalms 22:16 "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the
wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet."

     Gentiles were spoken of as dogs by the Israelites. Actually it
was the Roman soldiers {Gentiles}, who carried out the nailing of
Jesus' hands and feet to the cross. Though we say, the Romans and the
self-righteous Jews killed Jesus, we were all to blame. Our sins
nailed Jesus to the cross.

     Psalms 22:17 "I may tell all my bones: they look [and] stare upon
me."

     Perhaps, this is when they had taken Jesus' robe away, and He
could see His own bones.

     Psalms 22:18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon
my vesture.

     We see the fulfillment of this very Scripture in the following.
Matthew 27:35 "And they crucified him, and parted his garments,
casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did
they cast lots." If nothing else in the Bible causes a person to
believe, then the exact fulfillment of something prophesied hundreds
of years before should be enough. This casting lots upon His vesture
had to be humiliating.

     Psalms 22:19 "But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength,
haste thee to help me."

     The word used for strength is really stronger than just strength,
it possibly means the source of all my strength.

     Psalms 22:20 "Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the
power of the dog."

     I will say, again, that the power of the Gentiles {in this case
Romans} was earthly power. Notice, also, in the verse above that the
cry is for salvation of the soul, not the flesh. Jesus knew that the
flesh must die. Flesh and blood are for this earth. I Corinthians
15:50 "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit
the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."  To
truly understand the person who enters heaven, study all of chapter 15
of 1 Corinthians beginning with about the 42nd verse. Jesus dismissed
His Spirit from His body, and commanded it to go to the Father from
the cross. Luke 23:46  And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he
said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said
thus, he gave up the ghost."

Psalms 22:21 " Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me
from the horns of the unicorns."

     We see a change to full assurance that God is with Him. We would
call His attitude now is as one who has prayed through. He has found
victory.

     Psalms 22:22 "I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the
midst of the congregation will I praise thee."

     I personally believe that this is speaking of the 40 days Jesus
ministered here on the earth after the resurrection. Jesus first
sought out the disciples, and then they accepted the great commission
to go into all the world and preach the gospel. This 40 day ministry
of Jesus established the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

     Psalms 22:23 "Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed
of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel."

     This is the message of grace that Jesus preached. If you fear
{reverence} Him, praise Him. Christians are spiritual Israel.
Christians are Abraham's seed. Christians, glorify God in all your
actions and speech. He is worthy of praise.

     Psalms 22:24 "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."

     Most commentators think this is speaking of Jesus being
afflicted, but I believe this is speaking of Jesus, Himself,
ministering to the afflicted. Mark 2:17 "When Jesus heard [it], he
saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician,
but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners
to repentance." Jesus always cared for those less fortunate. He
brought sight to the blind, and healed the sick of body, as well as
spirit.

     Psalms 22:25 "My praise [shall be] of thee in the great
congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him."

     Praise is not truly praise, unless it originates in the heart. We
sing praise and worship songs in our church. I personally believe that
music should not be played in the church that does not have words
clearly understandable which elevate Jesus. Praise, whether in word or
song, should be used to minister, not to entertain. Fear, in this
instance is to hold in awe or to reverence.

     Psalms 22:26 "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall
praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever."

     Most probably this is speaking of spiritual Bread. Jesus told the
woman at the well, if she drank of the water He gave her, she would
never thirst again. This is the same thing here. This is partaking of
Jesus as the Bread of Life. Jesus spoke of His body as the Bread. He,
also, told His disciples they must eat of His body to live forever.
The heart of man is what he is. An evil heart brings death, but a good
heart brings life.

     Psalms 22:27 "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn
unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship
before thee."

     This has just about been fulfilled today. The whole world has
heard of Jesus. Since the day Jesus was crucified, the gospel has
spread to the whole world. Salvation is not withheld from anyone,
whether they are Caucasian, Negroid, or Asiatic. Salvation is offered
to whosoever will accept it. Today, Christianity has swept the globe
and is practiced in every nation to some extent.

     Psalms 22:28 "For the kingdom [is] the LORD'S: and he [is] the
governor among the nations."

     Today, Jesus rules over all the Christians, but there is coming a
time very soon, when He will set up His kingdom here on the earth, and
He will be King over all. We see the extent of that rule in the
following Scriptures. Philippians 2:10 "That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth,
and [things] under the earth;" Philippians 2:11 "And [that] every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God
the Father." The 1000 year reign on the earth is just the beginning.
He will reign forever in heaven.

     Psalms 22:29 "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."

     Jesus is the Judge of all. Not all will die, but all will stand
before Jesus as Judge. Those of us, who remain until the coming of the
Lord, will be Judged by Him, as well. Life and death are in the hands
of Jesus. Jesus separates the goats on the left {lost} from the sheep
on the right {believers in Christ}. In the final analysis, we live in
heaven, or go to hell at the command of Jesus. We have no power over
our outcome at all. We must place our faith in Jesus Christ as our
Saviour.  Those who are already dead and are dust will rise. Some to
everlasting life.  Daniel 12:2 "And many of them that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to
shame [and] everlasting contempt."  I say, one more time, our only
hope lies in Jesus.

     Psalms 22:30 "A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to
the Lord for a generation."

     The seed that will serve Him are the Christians. We are His. He
bought and paid for us with His precious blood. Galatians 3:29 "And if
ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to
the promise."  We belong to Jesus. Christians are followers of, and
believers in, the Lord Jesus Christ.

     Psalms 22:31 "They shall come, and shall declare his
righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done
[this]."

     We see from this that, the story of the birth, crucifixion, and
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ will go on forever. Our children
and grandchildren will be taught of Him. Even I was not born in the
time all this happened, but I believe that every word is true, because
it is in the Bible. John 20:29 "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because
thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed [are] they that have
not seen, and [yet] have believed."  Mark 16:15 "And he said unto
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature."










































                             Questions 23

1.  What emotion was spoken of in verse 11?
2.  Who had denied Jesus when everyone thought he was too strong to
    deny?
3.  Was Jesus unwilling to die on the cross for all of us?
4.  Quote John chapter 10 verse 18.
5.  What do the bulls of Bashan represent in verse 12?
6.  What was the crowd surrounding Jesus crying?
7.  Who persuaded the people to ask for Barabas' release, instead of
    Jesus' release?
8.  Who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah?
9.  Why was Jesus as weak as water?
10. Why was Jesus' heart broken?
11. What does potsherd mean?
12. Who is intended by [dogs] in verse 16?
13. What does verse 17 mean about staring upon Him?
14. Where, in the gospels, do we find the same words that are in verse
    18?
15. What should be proof enough that Jesus was who He said He was?
16. What does the word, that was translated strength, in verse 19
    really mean?
17. What Gentiles actually carried out the crucifixion?
18. What kind of power did they have?
19. Verse 20 says deliver my soul, not the _________.
20. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 50 tells us what can not inherit
    the kingdom?
21. Jesus dismissed His ________ from His body, and told it to go to
    the Father.
22. What change do we see in verse 21?
23. What 40 days is verse 22 speaking of?
24. What was accomplished during the 40 days of ministry of Jesus
    after His resurrection?
25. What was the message Jesus taught?
26. Those that are whole need not a ___________.
27. When is praise, really praise?
28. Praise should ________, not entertain.
29. What is the eating in verse 26?
30. Who is salvation open to?
31. Who does Jesus rule over?
32. Quote Philippians chapter 2 verse 10.
33. What 2 very different things can the people awaken from the grave
    to?
34. Who are the seed in verse 30?
35. Quote John chapter 20 verse 29.