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Commentary on Psalms 22 verses 22–31
The same that began the psalm complaining, who was no other than Christ in his humiliation, ends it here triumphing, and it can be no other than Christ in his exaltation. And, as the first words of the complaint were used by Christ himself upon the cross, so the first words of the triumph are expressly applied to him (Heb 2:12) and are made his own words: I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. The certain prospect which Christ had of the joy set before him not only gave him a satisfactory answer to his prayers, but turned his complaints into praises; he saw of the travail of his soul, and was well satisfied, witness that triumphant word wherewith he breathed his last: It is finished.
Five things are here spoken of, the view of which were the satisfaction and triumph of Christ in his sufferings: -
I. That he should have a church in the world, and that those that were given him from eternity should, in the fulness of time, be gathered in to him. This is implied here; that he should see his seed, Isa 53:10. It pleased him to think, 1. That by the declaring of God's name, by the preaching of the everlasting gospel in its plainness and purity, many should be effectually called to him and to God by him. And for this end ministers should be employed to publish this doctrine to the world, and they should be much his messengers and his voice that their doing it should be accounted his doing it; their word is his, and by them he declares God's name. 2. That those who are thus called in should be brought into a very near and dear relation to him as his brethren; for he is not only not ashamed, but greatly well pleased, to call them so; not the believing Jews only, his countrymen, but those of the Gentiles also who became fellow-heirs and of the same body, Heb 2:11. Christ is our elder brother, who takes care of us, and makes provision for us, and expects that our desire should be towards him and that we should be willing he should rule over us. 3. That these is brethren should be incorporated into a congregation, a great congregation; such is the universal church, the whole family that is named from him, unto which all the children of God that were scattered abroad are collected, and in which they are united (Joh 11:52, Eph 1:10), and that they should also be incorporated into smaller societies, members of that great body, many religious assemblies for divine worship, on which the face of Christianity should appear and in which the interests of it should be supported and advanced. 4. That these should be accounted the seed of Jacob and Israel (Psa 22:23), that on them, though Gentiles, the blessing of Abraham might come (Gal 3:14), and to them might pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenant, and the service of God, as much as ever they did to Israel according to the flesh, Rom 9:4, Heb 8:10. The gospel church is called the Israel of God, Gal 6:16.
II. That God should be greatly honoured and glorified in him by that church. His Father's glory was that which he had in his eye throughout his whole undertaking (Joh 17:4), particularly in his sufferings, which he entered upon with this solemn request, Father, glorify thy name, Joh 12:27, Joh 12:28. He foresees with pleasure, 1. That God would be glorified by the church that should be gathered to him, and that for this end they should be called and gathered in that they might be unto God for a name and a praise. Christ by his ministers will declare God's name to his brethren, as God's mouth to them, and then by them, as the mouth of the congregation to God, will God's name be praised. All that fear the Lord will praise him (Psa 22:23), even every Israelite indeed. See Psa 118:2-4; Psa 135:19, Psa 135:20. The business of Christians, particularly in their solemn religious assemblies, is to praise and glorify God with a holy awe and reverence of his majesty, and therefore those that are here called upon to praise God are called upon to fear him. 2. That God would be glorified in the Redeemer and in his undertaking. Therefore Christ is said to praise God in the church, not only because he is the Master of the assemblies in which God is praised, and the Mediator of all the praises that are offered up to God, but because he is the matter of the church's praise. See Eph 3:21. All our praises must centre in the work of redemption and a great deal of reason we have to be thankful, (1.) That Jesus Christ was owned by his Father in his undertaking, notwithstanding the apprehension he was sometimes under that his Father had forsaken him. (Psa 22:24): For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted one (that is, of the suffering Redeemer), but has graciously accepted it as a full satisfaction for sin, and a valuable consideration on which to ground the grant of eternal life to all believers. Though it was offered for us poor sinners, he did not despise nor abhor him that offered it for our sakes; no did he turn his face from him that offered it, as Saul was angry with his own son because he interceded for David, whom he looked upon as his enemy. But when he cried unto him, when his blood cried for peace and pardon for us, he heard him. This, as it is the matter of our rejoicing, ought to be the matter of our thanksgiving. Those who have thought their prayers slighted and unheard, if they continue to pray and wait, will find they have not sought in vain. (2.) That he himself will go on with his undertaking and complete it. Christ says, I will pay my vows, Psa 22:25. Having engaged to bring many sons to glory, he will perform his engagement to the utmost, and will lose none.
III. That all humble gracious souls should have a full satisfaction and happiness in him, Psa 22:26. It comforted the Lord Jesus in his sufferings that in and through him all true believers should have everlasting consolation. 1. The poor in spirit shall be rich in blessings, spiritual blessings; the hungry shall be filled with good things. Christ's sacrifice being accepted, the saints shall feast upon the sacrifice, as, under the law, upon the peace-offerings, and so partake of the altar: The meek shall eat and be satisfied, eat of the bread of life, feed with an appetite upon the doctrine of Christ's mediation, which is meat and drink to the soul that knows its own nature and case. Those that hunger and thirst after righteousness in Christ shall have all they can desire to satisfy them and make them easy, and shall not labour, as they have done, for that which satisfies not. 2. Those that are much in praying shall be much in thanksgiving: Those shall praise the Lord that seek him, because through Christ they are sure of finding him, in the hopes of which they have reason to praise him even while they are seeking him, and the more earnest they are in seeking him the more will their hearts be enlarged in his praises when they have found him. 3. The souls that are devoted to him shall be for ever happy with him: "Your heart shall live for ever. Yours that are meek, that are satisfied in Christ, that continue to seek God; what ever becomes of your bodies, your hearts shall live for ever; the graces and comforts you have shall be perfected in everlasting life. Christ has said, Because I live, you shall live also, (Joh 14:19); and therefore that life shall be as sure and as long as his."
IV. That the church of Christ, and with it the kingdom of God among men, should extend itself to all the corners of the earth and should take in all sorts of people.
1.That it should reach far (Psa 22:27, Psa 22:28), that, whereas the Jews had long been the only professing people of God, now all the ends of the world should come into the church, and, the partition-wall being taken down, the Gentiles should be taken in. It is here prophesied, (1.) That they should be converted: They shall remember, and turn to the Lord. Note, Serious reflection is the first step, and a good step it is towards true conversion. We must consider and turn. The prodigal came first to himself, and then to his father. (2.) That then they should be admitted into communion with God and with the assemblies that serve him; They shall worship before thee, for in every place incense shall be offered to God, Mal 1:11; Isa 66:23. Those that turn to God will make conscience of worshipping before him. And good reason there is why all the kindreds of nations should do homage to God, for (Psa 22:28) the kingdom is the Lord's; his, and his only, is the universal monarchy. [1.] The kingdom of nature is the Lord Jehovah's, and his providence rules among the nations, and upon that account we are bound to worship him; so that the design of the Christian religion is to revive natural religion and its principles and laws. Christ died to bring us to God, the God that made us, from whom we had revolted, and to reduce us to our native allegiance. [2.] The kingdom of grace is the Lord Christ's, and he, as Mediator, is appointed governor among the nations, head over all things to his church. Let every tongue therefore confess that he is Lord.
2.That it should include many of different ranks, Psa 22:29. High and low, rich and poor, bond and free, meet in Christ. (1.) Christ shall have the homage of many of the great ones. Those that are fat upon the earth, that live in pomp and power, shall eat and worship; even those that fare deliciously, when they have eaten and are full, shall bless the Lord their God for their plenty and prosperity. (2.) The poor also shall receive his gospel: Those that go down to the dust, that sit in the dust (Psa 113:7), that can scarcely keep life and soul together, shall bow before him, before the Lord Jesus, who reckons it his honour to be the poor man's King (Psa 72:12) and whose protection does, in a special manner, draw their allegiance. Or this may be understood in general of dying men, whether poor or rich. See then what is our condition - we are going down to the dust to which we are sentenced and where shortly we must make our bed. Nor can we keep alive our own souls; we cannot secure our own natural life long, nor can we be the authors of our own spiritual and eternal life. It is therefore our great interest, as well as duty, to bow before the Lord Jesus, to give up ourselves to him to be his subjects and worshippers; for this is the only way, and it is a sure way, to secure our happiness when we go down to the dust. Seeing we cannot keep alive our own souls, it is our wisdom, by an obedient faith, to commit our souls to Jesus Christ, who is able to save them and keep them alive for ever.
V. That the church of Christ, and with it the kingdom of God among men, should continue to the end, through all the ages of time. Mankind is kept up in a succession of generations; so that there is always a generation passing away and a generation coming up. Now, as Christ shall have honour from that which is passing away and leaving the world (Psa 22:29, those that go down to the dust shall bow before him, and it is good to die bowing before Christ; blessed are the dead who thus die in the Lord), so he shall have honour from that which is rising up, and setting out, in the world, Psa 22:30. Observe, 1. Their application to Christ: A seed shall serve him, shall keep up the solemn worship of him and profess and practice obedience to him as their Master and Lord. Note, God will have a church in the world to the end of time; and, in order to that, there shall be a succession of professing Christians and gospel ministers from generation to generation. A seed shall serve him; there shall be a remnant, more or less, to whom shall pertain the service of God and to whom God will give grace to serve him, - perhaps not the seed of the same persons, for grace does not run in a blood (he does not say their seed, but a seed), - perhaps but few, yet enough to preserve the entail. 2. Christ's acknowledgment of them: They shall be accounted to him for a generation; he will be the same to them that he was to those who went before them; his kindness to his friends shall not die with them, but shall be drawn out to their heirs and successors, and instead of the fathers shall be the children, whom all shall acknowledge to be a seed that the Lord hath blessed, Isa 61:9; Isa 65:23. The generation of the righteous God will graciously own as his treasure, his children. 3. Their agency for him (Psa 22:31): they shall come, shall rise up in their day, not only to keep up the virtue of the generation that is past, and to do the work of their own generation, but to serve the honour of Christ and the welfare of souls in the generations to come; they shall transmit to them the gospel of Christ (that sacred deposit) pure and entire, even to a people that shall be born hereafter; to them they shall declare two things: - (1.) That there is an everlasting righteousness, which Jesus Christ has brought in. This righteousness of his, and not any of our own, they shall declare to be the foundation of all our hopes and the fountain of all our joys. See Rom 1:16, Rom 1:17. (2.) That the work of our redemption by Christ is the Lord's own doing (Psa 118:23) and no contrivance of ours. We must declare to our children that God has done this; it is his wisdom in a mystery; it is his arm revealed.
In singing this we must triumph in the name of Christ as above every name, must give him honour ourselves, rejoice in the honours others do him, and in the assurance we have that there shall be a people praising him on earth when we are praising him in heaven.
The circumcision of the heart [refers to] the will that is pure from all unlawful desire; [it] comes not from the letter, inculcating and threatening, but from the Spirit, assisting and healing. Such doers of the law have their praise … not of people but of God, who by his grace provides the grounds on which they receive praise, of whom it is said, “My soul shall make its boast of the Lord,” and to whom it is said, “My praise shall be of You.”
"With You is My praise" [Psalm 22:25]. For I seek not My own praise, [John 8:50] for You are My praise, who dwellest in the holy place; and, praise of Israel, You hear The Holy One now beseeching You. "In the great Church I will confess You." In the Church of the whole world "I will confess You." "I will offer My vows in the sight of them that fear Him." I will offer the sacraments of My Body and Blood in the sight of them that fear Him.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 22:25 marks a profound pivot within a psalm of intense suffering, transforming from a cry of desolation to a vibrant declaration of public praise and unwavering commitment. Having experienced divine deliverance, the psalmist pledges to offer thanksgiving to God within the gathered assembly, fulfilling promises made in distress and testifying to God's faithfulness before those who revere Him. This verse encapsulates a journey from personal anguish to communal worship, highlighting the redemptive power of God and the integrity of the worshiper.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Psalms 22:25 stands as a pivotal verse within a psalm renowned for its dramatic shift in tone. The preceding verses (beginning with the agonizing cry in Psalm 22:1) detail the psalmist's intense suffering, feeling forsaken by God, surrounded by enemies, and experiencing profound physical and emotional torment. This section is replete with vivid imagery of distress and abandonment. However, beginning around Psalm 22:22, the psalm undergoes a remarkable transformation. The psalmist moves from lament to a confident declaration of God's deliverance and a commitment to public praise. Verse 25 falls squarely within this triumphant section, serving as a personal vow of gratitude and a call to communal worship, anticipating the broader vision of God's universal reign and the conversion of nations described in Psalm 22:27-31.
Historical & Cultural Context: In ancient Israel, the practice of making and fulfilling vows was a significant aspect of religious life. Individuals often made vows to God during times of distress, promising specific actions or offerings in exchange for divine intervention or deliverance. Once the deliverance was experienced, fulfilling these vows publicly was an act of profound gratitude, integrity, and worship. The "great congregation" (Hebrew: qahal rab) refers to the assembled community, likely gathered at the Temple or a central place of worship, where such public declarations and offerings would take place. This communal setting reinforced the idea that one's personal experience of God's faithfulness was not isolated but contributed to the collective faith and testimony of the people. To "fear him" denotes those who hold God in awe and reverence, the devout members of the community who would witness and affirm the psalmist's public act of worship.
Key Themes: Psalms 22:25 contributes significantly to several overarching themes within Psalm 22 and the Psalter as a whole. Firstly, it underscores the theme of Lament to Praise, illustrating the journey of faith from deep despair to triumphant worship, a common trajectory found throughout the Psalms. Secondly, it highlights the importance of Public Worship and Testimony, emphasizing that personal experiences of God's faithfulness are meant to be shared and celebrated within the community, thereby magnifying God's glory and strengthening the faith of others. Thirdly, the verse speaks to the theme of Vow Fulfillment and Integrity, demonstrating the psalmist's commitment to honor promises made to God, reflecting a deep sense of gratitude and obedience. Finally, it subtly points to God's Faithfulness and Deliverance, as the psalmist's ability to offer praise and fulfill vows is predicated on God's prior intervention and salvation, a theme central to the entire book of Psalms.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 22:25 employs several key literary devices that enrich its meaning and impact. Foremost is the Shift in Tone, which is characteristic of the entire psalm, moving from the profound lament of the opening verses to a triumphant declaration of praise. This verse marks the culmination of this dramatic transition, showcasing the psalmist's renewed hope and commitment. There is also an element of Parallelism at play, as the act of offering "praise" and "paying vows" are presented as complementary expressions of worship and gratitude. Both actions are public, communal, and directed towards God, reinforcing the idea of a holistic response to divine deliverance. The phrase "great congregation" also serves as powerful Imagery, evoking a vivid picture of a large, gathered assembly, underscoring the communal and public nature of the psalmist's testimony. This imagery emphasizes that faith is not merely a private affair but has a vital corporate dimension, where individual experiences of God's grace contribute to the collective worship and encouragement of the community.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 22:25 resonates with several profound theological and thematic connections across Scripture. It underscores the biblical principle that worship is both a private and public act, where personal experiences of God's deliverance naturally lead to communal expressions of gratitude. The psalmist's commitment to pay vows highlights the importance of integrity in one's relationship with God, emphasizing that promises made to the Almighty are to be taken seriously and fulfilled. This verse also serves as a powerful reminder of God's unwavering faithfulness, as the psalmist's ability to praise and fulfill vows is a direct result of God's prior intervention and salvation from distress. It points to the redemptive arc often found in the biblical narrative: from suffering and petition to deliverance and thanksgiving.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 22:25 offers profound lessons for contemporary believers, encouraging a holistic and integrated faith. It challenges us to move beyond private devotion to public testimony, recognizing that our personal experiences of God's faithfulness are meant to be shared within the "great congregation" – the church. This public declaration not only glorifies God but also strengthens the faith of others, fostering a vibrant community of shared worship and encouragement. Furthermore, the psalmist's commitment to "pay my vows" serves as a powerful call to integrity. In an age where commitments are often easily broken, this verse reminds us of the sacredness of promises made to God, whether explicit vows or implicit commitments to serve, obey, or give thanks. Fulfilling these commitments demonstrates genuine gratitude and deep reverence for God. Ultimately, this verse invites us to embrace the full spectrum of the Christian journey, acknowledging that even from the depths of lament, God's faithfulness can lead us to triumphant praise and steadfast obedience within the fellowship of believers.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the "great congregation" in this verse?
Answer: The "great congregation" (Hebrew: qahal rab) refers to a large, formal assembly of God's people, likely gathered for worship, perhaps at the Temple or during a festival. Its significance lies in emphasizing the public and communal nature of the psalmist's praise and vow-paying. It signifies that the psalmist's experience of God's faithfulness is not meant to be kept private but is to be shared openly within the community of faith. This public testimony serves to glorify God, encourage fellow believers, and reinforce the collective identity and shared experience of God's people. It highlights that worship is often a corporate act, where individual gratitude contributes to the collective adoration of God.
What kind of "vows" is the psalmist referring to, and why is it important to pay them?
Answer: In ancient Israel, vows were solemn promises made to God, often in exchange for divine intervention during a time of distress, or as expressions of devotion. These could involve specific offerings, acts of service, or commitments to a certain way of life. For example, Jonah 2:9 shows Jonah vowing to offer thanks after being delivered from the fish. It is important to pay them because, as Deuteronomy 23:21 states, "When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it." Fulfilling vows demonstrates integrity, gratitude, and reverence for God's faithfulness. It shows that one honors their word to God, acknowledging His deliverance and keeping their part of the commitment, thereby strengthening the relationship between the worshiper and the Almighty.
How does Psalms 22:25 relate to the rest of Psalm 22?
Answer: Psalms 22:25 is a crucial turning point and culmination within Psalm 22's dramatic narrative arc. The psalm begins with the agonizing cry of abandonment in Psalm 22:1, followed by vivid descriptions of intense suffering and feeling forsaken by God in Psalm 22:2-21. However, around Psalm 22:22, there is a dramatic shift from lament to praise and confident expectation of deliverance. Verse 25 falls squarely within this section of praise, serving as a personal declaration of thanksgiving and commitment to God for His intervention. It signifies the psalmist's transition from deep despair to renewed hope and public worship, anticipating the universal praise and recognition of God described in the psalm's concluding verses, such as Psalm 22:27-31.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 22:25 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. This psalm is widely recognized as a Messianic prophecy, opening with the very words Jesus cried from the cross: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). Just as the psalmist moved from the depths of suffering to a declaration of public praise and vow fulfillment, so too did Christ. His ultimate "vow" was His perfect obedience to the Father, culminating in His sacrificial death on the cross for the sins of humanity (Philippians 2:8). Having been delivered through resurrection and exaltation (Acts 2:24), Jesus is the one who, as Hebrews 2:12 quotes from Psalm 22:22, declares God's name "in the midst of the congregation." This "great congregation" now includes all those redeemed by His sacrifice, the church, which is His body (Ephesians 1:22-23). Through Christ, and as His followers, we participate in His eternal praise, fulfilling the psalmist's vision as we gather to worship and proclaim God's faithfulness to a world that will one day see "all the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord" (Psalm 22:27).