Nine Words
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.
All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. (Psalm 22:1-31)
‘My God, my God, why hast thy forsaken me?’ The nine words of a dying Saviour. Nine words encompassing eternity; nine is the last single digit; therefore, the number nine signifies finality or fulness of completion. This number can only be divided by the numbers one and three. One is the number of God, “I am the Lord God, and beside me there is no one else.” I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else, [there is] no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: (Isaiah 45:5) (Ephesians 4:6) Three is the number of the Godhead —Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Three goes into nine, three times; showing the completeness of the Godhead, or we could say, He that filleth all in all. Two and seven make nine (2+7=9) — the number 2 is the number of witness; the number seven is the number of completeness or God’s rest, for God rested on the 7th day. Three and six makes nine (3+6=9); 3 is the number of the Godhead, versus the number of man which is 6. Four and five makes 9 (4+5=9); 4 is the number of the world, the world has four distinct corners (north, south, east, and west), and the number 5 is the number of God’s grace. The Lord Jesus had 5 wounds, and it was because God so loved the world that He gave His begotten Son. Then we could start the circle of numbers all over again — 6 and 3, 7 and 2, 8 and 1 — all these combinations are fulfilled in number 9. Christ arose on the 8th day, yet it was the 1st day of the week, a week had just ended in the 7th day. And in His prophecy Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. (John 2:19) He spoke of His body as the temple. We begin with the Alpha, the first day of the week, or the day of resurrection, and it is complete in the Omega. Nine is the “it is finished” of the cross, and eight is the beginning of a new day. We are encompassed by these numbers and time. In the name or title of Psalm 22 we have the repetition of the witness of God in the number 2 ( 2 • 2).
So these 9 words My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? takes the soul right to the center of Christ’s suffering. Can we go there? No! We can only contemplate, but can never enter in to this closed door between God the Father and God the Son. As Paul said of himself on certain things “I speak as a man,” and in this area, I must say the same. How could God forsake Himself ? This is a mystery, yet with God, nothing is impossible. God is the mystic Being who gave us life, and it is He who payed the ultimate price to redeem that life. In Him is life, and that life is the light of man. All the words or sayings of Christ from the cross had eternal depth and breadth. But let us return for a moment to that garden where our Saviour began His long ordeal. It had been a long day for our Saviour, hours in prayer, Oh, my Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt. (Matthew 26:39, Luke 22:42-44) He sweat, as it were, great drops of blood, He was in agony, His hour had come; the cross was before Him, and though He was the Son of God, He must submit to the will of the Father. The agony before the cross was just the prelude to the sufferings on the cross. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:7-9)
In all this, He still found compassion for His own; He asked them as they slept there in the garden, ‘Could ye not watch one hour?’ How frail we are, we live as though life will be as long as we want, we do the things we wish, and all the time we are one breath away from death. But this man, was the eternal Son of God, and the son of man. Who could understand the depth of this mystery? God was manifest in the flesh, God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself. And yet, as His face was to the ground, He sweat as it were great drops of blood. We can not enter into this agony of our blessed Lord that was taking place in the entire Godhead. As the Son was suffering on earth, God the Father’s heart was turned within Himself. His glorious Son, His only Son, must die for the sin of man. He, the Son must enter into death to destroy it. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (Hebrews 2:14) He would also destroy the works of the Devil, and snatched the power of death out of the Devil’s grasp. In the garden of sorrow, death was hanging over our blessed Lord. It was in a garden of beauty, full of God’s love, that sin and death came into the world by Adam ; yet, all was lost when Adam trespassed against God. The 2nd man, Jesus Christ, was in a garden to pay the price of sin and death — not His own — but the sin of the whole world. What a weight for Him to bear, but God’s love is greater than man’s sin. Adam had a garden of beauty and peace, the Lord of all glory had a garden scared by the curse, a garden of travail, and a garden of agony. Yet, He could delight to do the will of God. If God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit had not opened this window of Psalms 22 for us to peer into His agony in the garden before the cross, we would be at a loss. This divine revelation of our Saviour in the garden was a private moment between God the Son, and God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit; even His disciples were shut out at this moment. They were in a deep sleep while our Saviour was still in agony. How blessed we are to be taken into the inner chamber of God’s heart in this scene of agony. He, the Lord Jesus was tempted in all parts as we are — yet without sin.
For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18)
For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10)
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
His burden of suffering had begun in a garden of agony to show the depth of what was lost by Adam, and the terrible price that was to come on the cross — for His hour lay before Him; the cup He was to drink was full of the woe and the sin of the world. He must drink it to save man, for man could not save himself; only God in the flesh could reconcile all things to Himself. So we have this private moment, this is a moment of prayer. It is a combination of a moment of weakness, and a moment of agony — and yet a moment of strength. In this situation, God the Father sent an angel to comfort His Son. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. (Luke 22:43) This angel is to strengthen Him— what a mystery— that a created being comes to strengthen the Creator. My mind cannot perceive the love that is being shown in this scene for the Son of God by God the Father.
This is the Son who had created all things, who had mastery over the seas, with the winds contained in His fists; the One who had called the world into being by the word of His power, and now, He was strengthened by one of His creatures, this holy angel. Can we see the depth of sorrow in this scene, so much like Psalm 22. In this Psalm the inner feelings of Christ while on the cross is revealed to us. These are things we did not hear from Calvary, yet were confined and suffered in the Godhead. As you read through Psalm 22, this is the heart of the Saviour crying out, crying out to our souls. This is what it cost; the unmoveable load of sin was now placed upon Him. Now is the time, His angel would depart, His disciples would forsake Him, and the Jews of all sorts would clamor and chant ‘crucify him, crucify him,’ with all the evil hatred that is within man. Peter would deny Him, Pilate would wash his hands of Him, the Roman soldiers would scourge Him, beat Him, and place a crown of thorns on the brow of God. Can man in this state be saved? Could not God repent that He had made man and destroy all living signs of these disobedient and unthankful creatures? No! God’s love is stronger than the nails of the cross.
In Psalm 22, we go deeper into the hours of the cross, deeper into the heart of God. Now in this prophetic window, the Holy Spirit leads us into the inner sanctuary. We feel and see the inner sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, and it begins with My God, My God, why hath thou forsaken me? The mind says, how can this be true, was this not the Lord of Glory who had called Abraham out of Ur of Chaldees? Now on the cross, He was this man of sorrows of Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22. Prophecy was being fulfilled by the moment, line upon line, not one jot or tittle would fall to the ground; all His suffering was being recorded, both seen and unseen. Yet, in His worst time, He still reached out in love “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” herein is love, that a man lay down his life for his friends. So Christ will reach out with His Divine Spirit and give faith to the dying thief beside Him,“Today, thou shalt be with me in paradise.” On the cross, with all that was upon Him, the sin of the whole world, He breaks from His suffering to give life everlasting to an undeserving thief. Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. (Hebrews 2:12) This thief is now part of the grace of God. He is with Christ in paradise and he is one of the jewels that our Savior has made up from among men. The Lord Jesus is among His brethren, He, the Lord of glory sings out with praise, can we fathom this great love? In all His suffering, there was none to find pity upon Him. He was taken from prison, He was led to the slaughter, yet there was no anger or malice from Him. He looked with compassion on those who had not sympathy for Him. It was the “proud bulls of Bashan” who had surrounded Him; they chanted ‘he trusted in God, let God deliver him, if he be the son of God, let him come down from the cross.’ Little did the blind eyes of man, the deaf ears, and the hearts hard as stone know that this one still upheld all by the word of His power. If He wills, ten thousand angels would ravage Jerusalem with these wicked men. He could call the thunder or the lightening, He could consume them in a quake, as the sons of Korah were swallowed up by the earth.
The suffering was what man could see on the outside of Christ’s smitten body, but now time was approaching when He would meet death head on, and destroy it for those He loved, not only His present disciples, but all those who would trust Him during the Church age. For centuries after His death, this man of sorrow is still drawing the hearts of men to Himself. Then we hear from the cross, “I thirst,” this is the need of man, a suffering man, a man who had all eternity upon Him, and yet, God. What a mystery! Psalm 22 takes us to the words that was not heard that day. In verse 6 we have But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people; and in verse 7 we see the pleasure that the crowds found in mocking a dying man. The 2 thieves deserved to be mocked, but this man had no fault in Him. Pilate had declared at His trial that there was no fault to be found in Christ. This was the spotless lamb of God brought to the slaughter of Isaiah 53. Although it was a slaughter in man’s eyes, it was a sacrifice of sweet savor unto God the Father. Now time is getting close, again casting out thoughts of others before Himself, He says ‘mother receive your son’, and to John , His disciple, He said “receive thy mother.’ Comforting both with His love. In verses 19 and 21 of Psalm 22, is His appeal, once again to God the Father. Oh what penetrating thought is here, does it not reach your heart? He suffered for us. He suffered for me.
It is too heavy to bear, whilt Thou come near , oh God, to this soul? What has the world and man done? Yet, Thy love conquered all for us. Now the dogs surround Him, the lion comes, the old serpent, the Devil is there. Thou had met Him before in Thy temptation. Though, Thou was tempted, there was no sin found in Thee. Three and ½ years of ministry and along with that continued temptation, and the deceptive heart of man, yet, Thou did not falter not one step. For Thou did rebuke the devil and man with the word of God. Thou would say that the devil cometh and would find nothing in me.
We must realize that at this time of the sufferings of Christ, the old serpent, the Devil was present; yet, he found nothing in Christ to respond to his evil works; they would be overthrown by Christ’s work on the cross. The Devil, like an old poke player with a hand that could not be beat, smiled at the prize thinking that all was his; only to have it snatched out of his hand by divine omnipotence. The man Christ Jesus cries out “I thirst,” so much a man, and yet God. Now His time has come, and with a loud, strong voice He cried, “it is finished” His work is done, and now in a low intimate voice He speaks to God the Father, as His Son, “father I commend my spirit into thy hands.” And, He, the Lord of glory went down into death, and Scripture declares, “he gave up the ghost,” And now the prince of life was now in the darkness of death, yet death had no claim on Him. It was His will to give up the ghost. No man taketh His life from Him, He laid it done of Himself, and at this scene, God the Father confirmed what had just taken place. A quake is sent that shakes the whole world, darkness had already covered the whole scene — a darkness that could be felt the moment that Christ gave up the ghost. The veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom, the very earth cried out as it did for Abel’s blood. So now with great force, the world was shaken to it’s very foundation; it’s Creator has given up the ghost. The creation knew more of His Deity and obedience to that Deity than man. He has tabernacled among them, He had performed many miracles, and the last deed that man could do was to thrust a spear into His side; and yet in doing so, the heart of that man was compelled by God to say, “truly this was the Son of God.” All this, and yet man, would not receive God’s grace. Like the parable, ‘Lord if one rose from the dead, surely they would believe;’ yet, man still turns his back on his Creator. We go from the cross to the tomb, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea, come to take the King of the Jews to the sepuclhre, a tomb where never a man lay. They brought spices as it was the custom of the kings of Israel and Judah, to lay him on a bed of spices. He had come for the nation of Israel, and yet they received Him not. They had become the kingdom of the Jews, and knew not the Lord God who had brought them into the land. But, although they rejected Him, there were many who had received Him, and He gave them power to become the sons of God. They were not born of blood, nor by the will of the flesh, nor by the will of man, but by the Holy Spirit of God. They lay Him in the tomb as the Lamb slain before the foundations of the world. He is placed upon the mercy seat, He is covered and a napkin wrapped about His head. The world, the flesh, and the devil still cry out ‘we will not have the man rule over us.’ Rome rolled the stone across the opening of the tomb, darkness filled the tomb, the Roman seal is fastened to the stone, and man cries out from his heart — ‘it is forever.” This seal of world power will not let Him, the Lord of glory, escape. All the gentile powers of the earth is represented in this seal, all the enmity of man, and the Jews rejection is represented in this seal. Yet, the Father of lights and perfection will send 2 angels to watch over Him, one at His head, and one at His feet in wonder and adoration. They would wait for the dawn of the 3rd day. They had waited since Moses had given the ark of God to Israel, all those long years watching the blood being applied to the mercy seat for the sins of Israel, and now, the true ark — the true mercy seat — lay silent in darkness. The Lord Jesus had said, “destroy this temple and I will raise it up in 3 days.” On the morning of the 3rd day, all the power of Rome could not stop the stone from rolling away; an angel of God caused a deep sleep to come over the Romans, and rolled the stone away. And the cry went out throughout the whole world “He is not here, He is risen.” And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46) The answer to Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? is “He is not here, He has risen from the tomb.”
Oh, beloved of the Lord, what a grand finale to His sufferings. All that was against us is set right by our Omnipotent God, Jesus Christ. We rejoice in our Lord and the power of His might. The words, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? will never be uttered again; instead, we bow before Him with the words, “my grace is sufficient for thee,” Amen.
© Copyright 2015, Michael Haigh
This article may be use, but not for gain. “Freely ye have received, freely give.”
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)