Psalm 22 — 23
"endured the cross," but now He enters into "the joy that was set before him" (Heb. 12:2; and see Jude 24). He had prayed to be delivered out of death (Heb. 5:7), and that prayer was answered. Jesus sang a Passover hymn before He went to the cross (Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26), and according to Hebrews 2:12, the risen Christ praised God in the midst of His people after His resurrection (see Matt. 18:20). Note that in His song, our Lord deals with the expanding outreach of the atoning work He finished on the cross.
PSALM 23
This is the psalm of the Great Shepherd who cares for His sheep and equips them for ministry (Heb. 13:20–21), the "great high priest" (Heb. 4:14) who "ever lives to make intercession for us" (Heb. 7:25). Certainly this psalm has a message for the sorrowing, but it's unfortunate that it's used primarily at funerals, because Psalm 23 focuses on what Jesus does for us "all the days of [our] life" and not just at death (v. 6). It's also unfortunate that people tend to spiritualize the psalm and fail to see it in its true setting. They see David, a "young shepherd boy," lying on his back in the pasture and pondering the things of God, when he probably wrote this psalm late in his life, possibly during the rebellion of Absalom (2 Sam. 13—19). In it, David deals with some of the difficult things he experienced during his long walk with the Lord. While people of all ages love and quote this psalm, its message is for mature Christians who have fought battles and carried burdens.
The great assembly (vv. 22–25). There is no biblical evidence that Jesus appeared to any unbelievers in the days immediately after His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:1–7). "The great congregation" (assembly) included those who believed in Jesus who became a part of His church when the Spirit came at Pentecost. But the church is made up of believing Jews and Gentiles who form one body in Christ (Eph. 2:11ff.), so the song included the seed of Jacob (Israel). The first Christians were Jewish believers, and all Gentiles in the church are, by faith, the children of Abraham (Gal. 3:26–29). God did not despise His Son in whom He is well pleased (v. 24), but accepted His work on the cross and proved it by raising Him from the dead (Rom. 4:24–25). The glorious kingdom (vv. 26–29). The image here is that of a feast and was a familiar picture to the Jews of the anticipated messianic kingdom (Isa. 25:6–9; Matt. 8:10–12; Luke 13:29; 14:15). When a Jewish worshipper brought a peace offering to the Lord, he retained part of it to use for a feast for himself, his family, and any friends he wanted to invite (Lev. 3; 7:15ff.); and this tradition became a picture of the future glorious kingdom. But believing Gentiles will be also included in this feast (v. 27), and Messiah will reign over all the earth. God promised Abraham that his descendants would bring blessing to the whole world (Gen. 12:1–3). This has been fulfilled in the coming of Christ to die for the world, but when He comes again, it will have a glorious fulfillment in the establishing of His glorious kingdom. Both the prosperous and the poor will submit to Him (v. 29) and find their satisfaction in His grace alone. Orthodox Jews close their religious services by quoting Zechariah 14:9: "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Lord with one name" (Jewish Publication Society translation).
Abel, the first martyr, was a shepherd (Gen. 4:2), and so were the patriarchs of Israel. Moses spent forty years caring for his father-in-law's sheep, and David, Israel's greatest king, served his father as a shepherd. The image of God as Israel's shepherd begins in Genesis 48:15 (niv) and 49:24 and continues throughout Scripture (28:9; 80:1; 95:7; 100:3; Isa. 40:11; 49:10; Jer. 31:10; Ezek. 34:11–15; Matt. 10:6; 15:24; Mark 6:34). The promised Messiah was seen as a shepherd (Ezek. 34:16, 23; Mic. 5:4; Zech. 13:7; Matt. 2:6; 26:3; Mark 14:27; John 10). In Psalm 22, David compared the enemy to animals that are clever and strong (22:12–16, 21), but in this psalm, he pictured God's people as lowly sheep. Why? So we would learn about the Shepherd and see how tenderly He cares for us. Sheep are defenseless animals that are prone to get lost, and they need almost constant care. You can't drive sheep as you do cattle; they must be led. The Eastern shepherds know their sheep by name and can call them and they will come (John 10:1–5). The sheep were kept, not for food but for wool, milk, and reproduction. In this psalm, David explains that if we follow the Lord and trust Him, He will meet our every need, no matter what the circumstances may be.
In the Pasture—Adequacy (vv. 1–3) "The Lord" is Jehovah God, the covenantmaking God of Israel. The compound names of Jehovah in the Old Testament reflect the contents of this psalm.
The generations to come (vv. 30–31). The blessings of the atonement and the kingdom will not be temporary but perpetual, from one generation to another. Three generations are listed here: a seed (see Isa. 53:10), a second generation, and a people that shall be born. This reminds us of 2 Timothy 2:2. But the emphasis isn't on what God's children have done but on the fact that the Lord did it all: "He has done it" (v. 31 niv). "It is finished" is what Jesus cried from the cross (John 19:30).
"I shall not want"—Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide" (Gen. 22:14)
"still waters"—Jehovah-Shalom, "the Lord our peace" (Judg. 6:24)
"restores my soul"—Jehovah-Rophe, "the Lord who heals" (Ex. 15:26)