O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
In its plain sense it portrays weary, unceasing prayer, the sufferer crying to Heaven through all the day and through every night without ceasing and without finding an answer. The psalm as a whole is prophecy of the Messiah in His humiliation at His first coming, depicting His sufferings and cruel death in which Jews and Gentiles together would take part, fulfilled literally in His life and in the events at Calvary. It reveals His inner experience in the flesh when the sins of the world were laid upon Him, bearing the sins of humanity and standing in the sinner's place to pass through the anguish and apparent abandonment that sinners must face. In His humanity His heart trembled over the success of the plan of salvation, with His human limitations shutting from Him the knowledge of His triumph and suffering the very agony of the lost, yet in all the temptation and doubt there was no sin and He came through victorious. His victory in that deep distress comforts His followers in their own trials, showing that those who are tempted can also overcome through Him, and it teaches persistence in prayer to keep crying day and night and remain faithful even when no answer is recognized.
Prophetic Cry of Christ
Psalm 22 as a whole is prophecy of the Messiah in His humiliation at His first coming, depicting His sufferings and cruel death, and it was fulfilled literally in His life and in the Gospel events at Calvary. It depicts in advance His betrayal, condemnation and crucifixion, which God foresaw would come upon Jesus. In that death Jews and Gentiles together would take part. Reading the psalm alongside the Gospel accounts supports belief that Jesus is the Son of God, for it foretells both the agony of His life as He bore the sins of humanity and the words He spoke on the cross, and it describes the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The anguish had in a measure a primary application to David's own experience, which was typical of David's greater Son, so that it is reflected in David's life but finds its full expression in Christ's agony and sacrifice when the sins of the world were laid upon Him. The psalm is a prophetic utterance through David about the sufferings and experience of Jesus Christ, showing what He felt and passed through for us. Yet not every verse of the psalm applies to Christ, since verse 5 could not apply to Him without making Him a sinner, while verses 9 and 21 were fulfilled in Him.
In its plain sense the verse portrays weary, burdened, unceasing prayer, in which the sufferer lifts his cry to Heaven through all the day and through every night in gloom and silence, continuing without ceasing though the petition finds no answer. It shows Christ in deep distress crying to God through day and night without ceasing. His experience included human infirmity and suffering rather than freedom from them.
The verse reveals Christ's inner experience in the flesh when He bore the sins of humanity, representing us and offering prayers of agony on our behalf. It gives words from the prophetic picture of His inner anguish and struggle, showing what He felt in suffering and temptation where the Gospels show chiefly the outward events. In this way it predicts Christ's prayers of agony, which He offered as He suffered for humanity.
It expresses Jesus standing in the sinner's place on earth and passing through what the sinner must pass through in overcoming sin. He endured the anguish and apparent abandonment that repentant sinners, and even the lost, must face, ultimately giving Himself to die on the cross. He poured out His soul with strong crying and tears even unto death, not to earn or purchase what He desired by agony and prayer, but because His desires were so great they drove Him to cry out.
In His humanity His human heart and human feelings trembled over the consummation, efficiency and success of the plan of salvation. His human limitations shut from Him the knowledge of His triumph, so that all He could do was leave His case in the hand of God, crying with strong crying and tears. He questioned not God but whether He Himself was sufficient for the work, while learning obedience. He suffered the very agony of the lost, and His experience included despondency and the temptation to doubt, yet in all the temptation and doubt that harassed Him there was no sin and no distrust of God, and He came through the struggle victorious.
Doctrine, Assurance, and Prayer
The sufferings portrayed in the psalm reveal the eternal justice and holiness of God, the unchangeable excellence and binding obligation of His law, and the inconceivable hatefulness and guilt of sin. Christ honored the divine law by His obedience and sufferings, and He did not so honor it to purchase liberty to despise or disobey it.
Jesus in this experience shares the trials and conflicts of His followers, and His experience is a source of comfort because He is their fellow-sufferer, sympathizer, and helper. He was in deep distress, crying to God and feeling seemingly forsaken, and His experience included despondency and the temptation to doubt, yet He came through the struggle victorious. His victory shows that those who are tempted can also overcome through Him.
His followers in this world follow the same pattern when they battle sinful habits and cravings, sometimes fighting hard and prolonged battles rather than receiving instantaneous victory. They thereby learn how to help others while trusting Christ's power. His pouring out of His soul with strong crying and tears even unto death was not to earn or purchase what He desired by agony and prayer, but because His desires were so great they drove Him to cry out.
The psalm is one that begins with a sense of great need and ends in triumph and confidence in God. Read alongside the Gospel accounts of His sufferings at His first coming, it supports belief that Jesus is the Son of God. It foretold the terrible events of Christ's sacrifice, in which Jews and Gentiles together would take part, and it helped Nicodemus recognize that Christ's death on the cross was the great sacrifice God had given for the world.
The verse teaches persistence in prayer, for a person may cry to God day and night without recognizing an answer, yet continue praying and remain faithful. David's example joins the sense that God is silent with acknowledgment that God is holy. Delayed answers call for self-examination and humility, not despair or the conclusion that God has rejected the one praying.
In its plain sense it portrays weary, unceasing prayer, the sufferer crying to Heaven through all the day and through every night without ceasing and without finding an answer. The psalm as a whole is prophecy of the Messiah in His humiliation at His first coming, depicting His sufferings and cruel death in which Jews and Gentiles together would take part, fulfilled literally in His life and in the events at Calvary. It reveals His inner experience in the flesh when the sins of the world were laid upon Him, bearing the sins of humanity and standing in the sinner's place to pass through the anguish and apparent abandonment that sinners must face. In His humanity His heart trembled over the success of the plan of salvation, with His human limitations shutting from Him the knowledge of His triumph and suffering the very agony of the lost, yet in all the temptation and doubt there was no sin and He came through victorious. His victory in that deep distress comforts His followers in their own trials, showing that those who are tempted can also overcome through Him, and it teaches persistence in prayer to keep crying day and night and remain faithful even when no answer is recognized.
Prophetic Cry of Christ
Psalm 22 as a whole is prophecy of the Messiah in His humiliation at His first coming, depicting His sufferings and cruel death, and it was fulfilled literally in His life and in the Gospel events at Calvary. It depicts in advance His betrayal, condemnation and crucifixion, which God foresaw would come upon Jesus. In that death Jews and Gentiles together would take part. Reading the psalm alongside the Gospel accounts supports belief that Jesus is the Son of God, for it foretells both the agony of His life as He bore the sins of humanity and the words He spoke on the cross, and it describes the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The anguish had in a measure a primary application to David's own experience, which was typical of David's greater Son, so that it is reflected in David's life but finds its full expression in Christ's agony and sacrifice when the sins of the world were laid upon Him. The psalm is a prophetic utterance through David about the sufferings and experience of Jesus Christ, showing what He felt and passed through for us. Yet not every verse of the psalm applies to Christ, since verse 5 could not apply to Him without making Him a sinner, while verses 9 and 21 were fulfilled in Him.
In its plain sense the verse portrays weary, burdened, unceasing prayer, in which the sufferer lifts his cry to Heaven through all the day and through every night in gloom and silence, continuing without ceasing though the petition finds no answer. It shows Christ in deep distress crying to God through day and night without ceasing. His experience included human infirmity and suffering rather than freedom from them.
The verse reveals Christ's inner experience in the flesh when He bore the sins of humanity, representing us and offering prayers of agony on our behalf. It gives words from the prophetic picture of His inner anguish and struggle, showing what He felt in suffering and temptation where the Gospels show chiefly the outward events. In this way it predicts Christ's prayers of agony, which He offered as He suffered for humanity.
It expresses Jesus standing in the sinner's place on earth and passing through what the sinner must pass through in overcoming sin. He endured the anguish and apparent abandonment that repentant sinners, and even the lost, must face, ultimately giving Himself to die on the cross. He poured out His soul with strong crying and tears even unto death, not to earn or purchase what He desired by agony and prayer, but because His desires were so great they drove Him to cry out.
In His humanity His human heart and human feelings trembled over the consummation, efficiency and success of the plan of salvation. His human limitations shut from Him the knowledge of His triumph, so that all He could do was leave His case in the hand of God, crying with strong crying and tears. He questioned not God but whether He Himself was sufficient for the work, while learning obedience. He suffered the very agony of the lost, and His experience included despondency and the temptation to doubt, yet in all the temptation and doubt that harassed Him there was no sin and no distrust of God, and He came through the struggle victorious.
Doctrine, Assurance, and Prayer
The sufferings portrayed in the psalm reveal the eternal justice and holiness of God, the unchangeable excellence and binding obligation of His law, and the inconceivable hatefulness and guilt of sin. Christ honored the divine law by His obedience and sufferings, and He did not so honor it to purchase liberty to despise or disobey it.
Jesus in this experience shares the trials and conflicts of His followers, and His experience is a source of comfort because He is their fellow-sufferer, sympathizer, and helper. He was in deep distress, crying to God and feeling seemingly forsaken, and His experience included despondency and the temptation to doubt, yet He came through the struggle victorious. His victory shows that those who are tempted can also overcome through Him.
His followers in this world follow the same pattern when they battle sinful habits and cravings, sometimes fighting hard and prolonged battles rather than receiving instantaneous victory. They thereby learn how to help others while trusting Christ's power. His pouring out of His soul with strong crying and tears even unto death was not to earn or purchase what He desired by agony and prayer, but because His desires were so great they drove Him to cry out.
The psalm is one that begins with a sense of great need and ends in triumph and confidence in God. Read alongside the Gospel accounts of His sufferings at His first coming, it supports belief that Jesus is the Son of God. It foretold the terrible events of Christ's sacrifice, in which Jews and Gentiles together would take part, and it helped Nicodemus recognize that Christ's death on the cross was the great sacrifice God had given for the world.
The verse teaches persistence in prayer, for a person may cry to God day and night without recognizing an answer, yet continue praying and remain faithful. David's example joins the sense that God is silent with acknowledgment that God is holy. Delayed answers call for self-examination and humility, not despair or the conclusion that God has rejected the one praying.