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An astonishing prophecy at the heart of the Hebrew Scriptures |
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Shalom is an occasional broadsheet published by Shalom Ministries. These pages feature some of the best articles from the paper. |
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Take a good look
at this... My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from
the words of my groaning? But I am a worm
and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. I am poured
out like water and all my bones are our of joint; my heart is like wax;
it has melted within me. My strength has
dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue clings to my jaws; You have
brought me to the dust of death For dogs have surrounded me; the
assembly of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and feet;
I can count all my bones. They look and stare at me. They divide my
garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. What do you make
of it? Who do you think
said it? When did it
happen? Many people have
been puzzled by Psalm 22 because, although Israel’s King David speaks
as though he himself was going through this terrible ordeal, much of
the terminology is very difficult to apply to David himself. Who is this man
of God who feels so completely rejected by both God and man and is
condemned to such an appalling death? One thousand
years after David wrote the Psalm, these eye-witness reports were
written:
And about the
ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying ... “My God, my
God, why have You forsaken me?”!3 Psalm 22 is just
one of many passages in the Hebrew Scriptures in which the experiences
of a man of God foreshadow the experiences of the Messiah. The
sufferings described by king David were ultimately fulfilled in the
death of Jesus of Nazareth hundreds of years later. For more
messianic prophecies click here.
Footnotes 1.
Gospel according to Matthew 27:27-37: “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus
into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And
they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted
a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right
hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail,
King of the Jews!’ Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck
Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off
Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. Now
as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they
compelled to bear His cross. And when they had come to a place called
Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine
mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not
drink. Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: ‘They
divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots’.
Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His
head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE
JEWS.” 2. Gospel according to John 19:28-30: “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were
now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I
thirst!’ Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they
filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His
mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is
finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” 3. Gospel according to Matthew 27:45-51: “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour
there was darkness over all the land. And 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?’ Some of those who stood
there, when they heard that, said, ‘This Man is
calling for Elijah!’ Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge,
filled it with sour wine and put it
on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, ‘Let Him
alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.’ And Jesus cried out
again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the
veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth
quaked, and the rocks were split…” |
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