Thank you for listening to Cultivating Growth. We are excited about a new month and a new topic, and we will be moving from this week, in week two, three, and four, and spending all of our time and study from the Book of Psalms. 150 psalms, we're not gonna be able to get to all 150 of them. What we are going to do is we're gonna kinda break it up specifically into various genres of psalms, and we're, we can't even get to all of the genres of the psalms. We've picked out a couple that'll kinda give us a good study as we work our way through the Book of Psalms. And this first week, we're gonna spend some time in dealing with what is called a Messianic Psalm, and we'll spend all of our time specifically in Psalm 22. And so we appreciate you listening and studying along with us. Let's get to it. You mentioned, Jeremy, that this month we're gonna be in the Book of Psalms, and we're going to really pick out four different psalms that are gonna be representative of some groupings and themes that we see throughout the Book of Psalms. This week we're gonna be in Psalm 22, and we're gonna talk about the Messianic Psalms. Next week we'll be talking about psalms of praise. The third week of the month will be the imprecatory psalms, and then we'll finish up with psalms of thanksgiving. And as you mentioned, we're, it's not our intent to talk through all of the different psalms that fit into those categories, nor are those all of the categories of psalms that we see. However, w- we wanted to just try to be as representative as we can of the Book of Psalms, and just bring some of these psalms that specifically speak to different areas of our lives and our relationship with God and, and are certainly representative of how the psalmist felt, and just bring those to light and discuss those. And so we're gonna begin in Psalm 22 with a Messianic Psalm. This is perhaps the most well-known of the Messianic Psalms, however, you, you may not know how well-known it is. Jesus himself quotes from verse one of this psalm But there are actually several quotations from this psalm represented in the gospels as it pertains to Jesus and his crucifixion. And, and I think that is an important place to begin with this particular psalm and this particular discussion. As you read through Psalm 22, it, it isn't necessarily obviously a Messianic Psalm. There are certainly elements of it that we can tell. But then when Jesus himself brings this psalm to the attention of everyone as he quotes from it himself, and the gospel writers multiple times quote from this psalm as it relates to Jesus, then we can begin to see how God was working through David as he penned Psalm 22 to really speak to the coming suffering and deliverance of the Messiah in the New Testament times. And so the, the, the New Testament writers, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, help us make the connection that God wants us to from Psalm 22 to His Son, Jesus, and His crucifixion. Yeah, one of the most remarkable things when you're studying really the life of Jesus, and then you turn back into the pages of the Old Testament, and you start to, take a look at prophecy specifically there, there are tons of Messianic prophecies all over the Old Testament. Literally all the way to the very beginning in Genesis 3. There is a Messianic prophecy at the very outset of Scripture, a- and really throughout the entirety of the Old Testament. A- and really, what the punch of all of that is, is the fulfillment of those things. And you, you read about it, and rarely, I think, even with the, the folks that would be listening to Isaiah make mention of what he says in Isaiah 53, the, the punch of that isn't going to be until Jesus is fulfilling- Right All of those things. But for us, as we study through them, what really stands out about Messianic prophecy or Messianic Psalm, as you see here in Psalm 22, i- is the really specific pieces- ... that God gave- Yeah ... centuries before Jesus came. The fact that He would be born of a virgin, for sure, but in the very city that He would be born. A- and so you start to see these very specific things that are happening, and when you get to Psalm 22, David is penning this Messianic Psalm, and when you get to the fulfillment of some of that, of Jesus on the cross, and you're right, Jesus directly making mention- ... of this psalm- There are some very specific things that are made mention of in Psalm 22 that when you get to the end of the Gospels and Jesus on the cross specifically, it, it is a remarkable thing that, that only God- Yeah would be able to provide. There are, there are... I think you make a really important point, 'cause as you read the Psalm, there are some generalities that apply to Jesus, and then there are some specifics that apply to Jesus. And the specifics, certainly as you look at the end of verse 16 and then 17 and 18- yeah about, they're piercing my hands and my feet dividing his garments among them. These are things that we see very specifically happening during Jesus' crucifixion. But then there are generalities that we see throughout the Psalm as well, and I think it begins, those generalities begin with the beginning of the Psalm. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus is gonna quote that in Matthew 27:46 to bring our attention to the Psalm. But I think it is important as we think about this Psalm to remember David is writing this Psalm. And as much as we want to apply these things to Jesus, and rightfully these also apply to David. He, he's penning these words because he's feeling these things in this- ... moment. He is feeling as if God has forsaken him. A- and, and the beauty of this Psalm is that it goes from this faithful man who feels as if God has forsaken him, all the way through God's deliverance, and then the response to that deliverance being praise. The, the, the generalities of the Psalm We can see through the story of David how he experienced that, how he expressed that and felt that, and then we can see that being fulfilled in the life of Jesus as well. As he hangs on the cross, feeling that loneliness that he would've experienced in that moment, but also knowing that his father was one who could and would deliver him, and then ultimately does. The generalities perhaps are even more powerful as we think about the story as it relates to both David and Jesus than even the specifics are. Yeah, there's an arc that I think every Christian certainly can ride on i- with this idea. And that's why David, Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, characters like that are very applicable to the modern-day Christian. Because it, it is, it, it is an arc of difficulty. It's an arc of trouble surrounding by adversaries and culture and enemies and, and those types of ... And, and fighting the temptation of loneliness and abandonment and just, feeling i- i- that you're just unable to overcome the difficulties that you are in. But understanding that with God you're able to do that, that you do do that, and then the praise that comes, at the, at the end of that. And, and that in the life of David, in the life of Joseph, in the life of Daniel, in the life of Jesus. And, and it can be in our life as well. And so I, I think you make a, you, you make a really good point because a lot of times when we, we, we read a, a Messianic Psalm or we read something like this and we almost toss application away, right? Yeah, yeah. We toss it away. They're ... We're like, "Man, this is incredible. It's pretty specific about Jesus." And it is. It is incredible. But that, that's sometimes that's as far as we take it- Yeah ... and then we, we toss that away. A- and, we, we need to be careful about doing that. In what- whatever, even all the Messianic prophecies. Isaiah 53 is another example of that. We read that incredible chapter and we're like, "Man, what an incredibly specific picture of Jesus and his life." And it is, but then we lose the punch- ... of what that message is. And we gotta make sure in any Messianic Psalm, and this is certainly not the only one, that we, we're, we're able to see, the picture and the help that these kinds of thoughts can bring. I think as an example to what you were just saying, I, I was, as I was reading this, verses 3 through 11, for instance, I think speak exactly to what you were just saying. There is a, a message baked within those verses that God has proven and he has shown his willingness and his ability to deliver in the past. Now, I'm not worthy of that. I'm insignificant. That's verse six. But verses 9, 10, and 11, but I know you've always been there for me in the past. And so there is confidence that you'll be there for me now when I'm in my lowest moments That, that is, man, if that didn't relate to every single person that hears that, I don't, I don't know what to tell you. You don't, you don't have to be in the exact situation that David was in or the exact situation that Jesus was in to recognize how impactful that can and should be to our life, and how applicable it should be. God has proven throughout history that He can and will deliver us from our agony, and our hurt, and our pain, and our suffering. And as insignificant as I may seem, God doesn't see me that way, and He has always been there for me. That is a, that is such a comforting passage of scripture. And y- so you're exactly right. If we just read this and we think about it from the perspective of David, and then we think about how it applies to Jesus, and we forget to put ourselves in the middle of this, then I think we've missed a big piece of what God wants us to see here. Yes, the, the Messianic aspect of this is beautiful and it's remarkable, and thinking about h- how it pertains to David's story and his life is powerful. But let's not forget that scripture is intended to impact us as well and have application in our lives. And I think as we look at some of the themes in a psalm like this, we should be able to see that and make that connection. Yeah, I love the very end of, o- of what is really this middle section. You, you made mention kind of at the, at the beginning of that middle section, but r- really from, verse six r- really down to the end of verse 21, it, it is that picture of y- I have all of these difficulties. It, it's I, I'm, I'm having trouble. The the enemies are surrounding me like l- lions with their mouth, mouths wide open. He, he gives us all of this im- impressive, kind of visual aspect of this difficulty. And then you get down to the very end of that, where ultimately he's getting to the asking part- ... yep. In verse 19, "You're, you, Lord, you're, you're not far from me. You are my strength." In verse 20, "Deliver me." Verse 21, "Save me." And then you have the end of verse 21, which is the key component, "You have answered me." And then verse 22 to the end of the chapter is that closing piece of praise- ... because of deliverance. And that same recipe- Yeah ... holds true right here in 2026. It does, and it, it's a powerful reminder when, when we plead to God for that deliverance and we see that deliverance in our lives, you go, go back to Psalm 22:21, "You've answered me." "And I can see as, as clear as I can the day in front of me. You have answered me." And the r- my only response to that should be praise. A- and we can, we can see how that, how imp- powerful that would be in our lives, and then we take the step of seeing how that played out in Jesus and His deliverance there as, as He went through the cross and the, the crucifixion and all the pain and agony that He was experiencing. But God raised Him from the dead and delivered Him a- a- and it was such a beautiful story. And David, the same way. David had so many moments in his life where he was running from Saul or running from his own children or experiencing so many different types of stress and anxiety in his life a- and God was always there for him, and God delivered him, and David was praising Him in response to that. We've all been there. And so the, the applications of this story, this poetic expression of God's deliverance can apply to so many different aspects of our lives. But this is the response that all of us should have when we see that deliverance in our own lives. It should just lead us to absolute praise because God has once again proven Himself willing and able to deliver us in our times of need. Yeah, I don't wanna take away too much from next week when we talk about a psalm of praise, but ultimately, like this one and all the others, it is the only response. The only response to salvation or the only response to deliverance, the only response is praise. A- and you see that here, and you see it over and over and over again, and that remains to be the case even for us today. Let's finish up today by going to the pages of the New Testament, and we'll read one of those quotations that we referenced from Psalm 22, and this is in Matthew 27:45-46 as Jesus is hanging on the cross, and He will reference back to the first words of Psalm 22. "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?'" Thank you for listening this week. If you haven't already done so, we'd appreciate it if you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast. Whatever platform you're listening, rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of Jesus widely and effectively as possible. Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk again next week