They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
Those who serve the Lord will come to tell people not yet born of His righteousness and what He has done, and later generations will pass that witness on to their children. The psalm as a whole sets forth the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh, preeminently prophetic of Him in His humiliation and first coming and giving a glimpse of His suffering. It foretells His betrayal, condemnation, and crucifixion, fulfilled literally in Him at Calvary and in the closing events recorded in the Gospels. Its closing testimony belongs to His victory, picturing what He endured and how He came through His struggle as a conqueror into the eternal reign of righteousness. On the cross He stood in the sinner's place with the sins of the world laid upon Him, and His sufferings reveal God's eternal justice and holiness, the binding force of His law, and the terrible guilt of sin.
Christ's Sufferings Foretold in Psalm
Psalm 22 describes the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh and gives a glimpse of His suffering. It is preeminently prophetic of the Lord in His humiliation and first coming. It is identified as one of the psalms that is prophetic of Christ.
In measure it was David's own experience, but it was typical of the experience of David's greater Son. Some of its words were fulfilled in David's life, yet their full fulfillment was in Christ's agony and sacrifice when the sins of the world were laid upon Him. It has a primary reference to David and a final, antitypical application to Christ, for parts of the psalm are fulfilled in Him, though not every verse applies to Him, since applying verse 5 to Him would make Him a sinner.
The psalm must be read in reference to Christ, for its words are connected with His betrayal, condemnation, and crucifixion and are fulfilled literally in Him. It foretells His betrayal and crucifixion. It is included among the prophecies of the dying Messiah that were fulfilled literally at Calvary in the closing events recorded in the Gospels.
It foretells the particulars of the Messiah's work and ministry, His lowly life, His rejection by His people, the injustice shown in His trial, His death with criminals, His burial with the rich, the agony He bore carrying the sins of men, and even His words on the cross, all of which Jesus lived out. It gives nearly the same words as Psalm 109:25 concerning His reproach, with people looking at Him and wagging their heads. It predicts His prayers of agony on humanity's behalf, in which He represented humanity, suffered and died for it, and met temptation with victory.
Its fulfillment, alongside the prophecy of Isaiah 53, is seen in the closing events recorded in the Gospels and testifies that Jesus is the Son of God and that God's word is unfailing. It belongs to the prophetic picture of the Messiah whose fulfillment was beyond human explanation and establishes Jesus as the Messiah foretelling the experiences of God's Son. His whole life testifies to the truth of these predictions, showing that God predicted the life of Christ beforehand in His word and Christ fulfilled it in His life, bearing witness that the Father sent Him. It shows that God carries out what He has foretold, even when its fulfillment appears impossible to people.
Righteousness Declared to Coming Generations
The closing portion of the psalm sets forth the eternal reign of righteousness, and its promises could not be fulfilled in their fullness without the Lord's resurrection. The verse belongs to the testimony of his victory, picturing what Jesus endured and how he came through his struggle as a conqueror. Later generations will make known God's righteousness and tell their children what he has done.
Those who receive Christ by faith are the seed who serve him, and they shall come declaring his righteousness to a people yet to be born by telling the story of Jesus' suffering and work, which those who hear pass on to others after them. That serving seed counted to the Lord for a generation are the meek given to Christ by the Father, possessing the same Spirit that was in Christ.
What Christ's Suffering Reveals
Psalm 22:31 belongs to the expression in the flesh of the experience of Jesus Christ, in measure David's own experience but typical of the experience of David's greater Son. On earth he stood in the sinner's place and gave himself to die on the cross. When the sins of the world were laid upon him he passed through for us what repentant sinners — and even the lost — must pass through.
His sufferings reveal God's eternal justice and holiness, the unchanging excellence and binding force of his law, and the terrible guilt of sin. His suffering honors the divine law and does not purchase freedom to despise or disobey it. The psalm predicts his prayers of agony on humanity's behalf, for representing humanity he suffered and died for it and met temptation with victory, revealing God's goodness and glory.
In his humanity his human heart and human feelings trembled over the consummation, efficiency, and success of the plan of salvation. He questioned not God but whether he himself was sufficient for the work, yet without sin and without distrust of God, and the prophecy gives insight into his inner feelings as he faced suffering and struggles with the enemy. He met in himself all human experiences, trials, and conflicts as Fellow-sufferer, Fellow-sympathizer, Fellow-helper, and mighty Saviour all the journey through. His followers must also share that experience so that the faith of Jesus may be developed in them, knowing him as a friend who can succor those who are tempted.
Those who serve the Lord will come to tell people not yet born of His righteousness and what He has done, and later generations will pass that witness on to their children. The psalm as a whole sets forth the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh, preeminently prophetic of Him in His humiliation and first coming and giving a glimpse of His suffering. It foretells His betrayal, condemnation, and crucifixion, fulfilled literally in Him at Calvary and in the closing events recorded in the Gospels. Its closing testimony belongs to His victory, picturing what He endured and how He came through His struggle as a conqueror into the eternal reign of righteousness. On the cross He stood in the sinner's place with the sins of the world laid upon Him, and His sufferings reveal God's eternal justice and holiness, the binding force of His law, and the terrible guilt of sin.
Christ's Sufferings Foretold in Psalm
Psalm 22 describes the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh and gives a glimpse of His suffering. It is preeminently prophetic of the Lord in His humiliation and first coming. It is identified as one of the psalms that is prophetic of Christ.
In measure it was David's own experience, but it was typical of the experience of David's greater Son. Some of its words were fulfilled in David's life, yet their full fulfillment was in Christ's agony and sacrifice when the sins of the world were laid upon Him. It has a primary reference to David and a final, antitypical application to Christ, for parts of the psalm are fulfilled in Him, though not every verse applies to Him, since applying verse 5 to Him would make Him a sinner.
The psalm must be read in reference to Christ, for its words are connected with His betrayal, condemnation, and crucifixion and are fulfilled literally in Him. It foretells His betrayal and crucifixion. It is included among the prophecies of the dying Messiah that were fulfilled literally at Calvary in the closing events recorded in the Gospels.
It foretells the particulars of the Messiah's work and ministry, His lowly life, His rejection by His people, the injustice shown in His trial, His death with criminals, His burial with the rich, the agony He bore carrying the sins of men, and even His words on the cross, all of which Jesus lived out. It gives nearly the same words as Psalm 109:25 concerning His reproach, with people looking at Him and wagging their heads. It predicts His prayers of agony on humanity's behalf, in which He represented humanity, suffered and died for it, and met temptation with victory.
Its fulfillment, alongside the prophecy of Isaiah 53, is seen in the closing events recorded in the Gospels and testifies that Jesus is the Son of God and that God's word is unfailing. It belongs to the prophetic picture of the Messiah whose fulfillment was beyond human explanation and establishes Jesus as the Messiah foretelling the experiences of God's Son. His whole life testifies to the truth of these predictions, showing that God predicted the life of Christ beforehand in His word and Christ fulfilled it in His life, bearing witness that the Father sent Him. It shows that God carries out what He has foretold, even when its fulfillment appears impossible to people.
Righteousness Declared to Coming Generations
The closing portion of the psalm sets forth the eternal reign of righteousness, and its promises could not be fulfilled in their fullness without the Lord's resurrection. The verse belongs to the testimony of his victory, picturing what Jesus endured and how he came through his struggle as a conqueror. Later generations will make known God's righteousness and tell their children what he has done.
Those who receive Christ by faith are the seed who serve him, and they shall come declaring his righteousness to a people yet to be born by telling the story of Jesus' suffering and work, which those who hear pass on to others after them. That serving seed counted to the Lord for a generation are the meek given to Christ by the Father, possessing the same Spirit that was in Christ.
What Christ's Suffering Reveals
Psalm 22:31 belongs to the expression in the flesh of the experience of Jesus Christ, in measure David's own experience but typical of the experience of David's greater Son. On earth he stood in the sinner's place and gave himself to die on the cross. When the sins of the world were laid upon him he passed through for us what repentant sinners — and even the lost — must pass through.
His sufferings reveal God's eternal justice and holiness, the unchanging excellence and binding force of his law, and the terrible guilt of sin. His suffering honors the divine law and does not purchase freedom to despise or disobey it. The psalm predicts his prayers of agony on humanity's behalf, for representing humanity he suffered and died for it and met temptation with victory, revealing God's goodness and glory.
In his humanity his human heart and human feelings trembled over the consummation, efficiency, and success of the plan of salvation. He questioned not God but whether he himself was sufficient for the work, yet without sin and without distrust of God, and the prophecy gives insight into his inner feelings as he faced suffering and struggles with the enemy. He met in himself all human experiences, trials, and conflicts as Fellow-sufferer, Fellow-sympathizer, Fellow-helper, and mighty Saviour all the journey through. His followers must also share that experience so that the faith of Jesus may be developed in them, knowing him as a friend who can succor those who are tempted.