In the first part of Psalm 22, we read about a man who was in dire circumstances. He was accused of being evil by the people of God, and so he was attacked and judged. They began to tear him to pieces, to torture him, to strip him naked and to mock him. Then they began to close in… But the psalmist’s cry was wondering where is God in all this? He was innocent—was God going to deliver him? Shouldn’t God deliver him? Or did God agree with his attackers—that he was evil and accursed by God?
But You O Yahweh, be not distant.
My strength, hasten to my aid.
Deliver my life from the sword
My only life from the dogs power.
Save me from the lion's mouth,
From the horns of the wild oxen deliver me.
The psalmist now, in the most dire of circumstances, cries out to God. Up until this point in the psalm, the psalmist has not actually asked God for help. He complained to God that God hadn’t saved him yet, but he has not asked for help. Now the psalmist is direct in his request. He knows that no one can save him but God. God is his knight on shining armor, his Dudley Doright, coming to save him in the last minute. Before in the psalm, the psalmists enemies are describes as dogs—because they are encircling him—as a lion—because they attack with intent to kill—and as bulls—because of their mauling him. Now he is asking God to deliver him from these three creatures.
I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;
In the midst of the assembly, I will praise you.
You who fear Yahweh, praise Him!
All you descendents of Jacob, honor Him!
And stand in awe of Him, all you descendents of Israel.
For He has not spurn or abhor the plight of the anawim
He did not hide His face from him
When he cried out to Him for help, He listened.
From you comes my praise in the great assembly;
I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.
If God delivers him, the psalmist makes a promise—he will glorify God before his people. Obviously, it is not all of God’s people attacking the psalmist. Perhaps only a select group of leaders. But God always leaves a remnant of people who truly love him and worship him. This remnant is whom the psalmist is really family with—the anawim. The anawim are those who have faced terrible troubles, but still trusted in God through them. Perhaps his own family rejected him, but God has given him one who really love and serve God. And among these people, the anawim will declare his deliverance. They will not be left in the midst of these enemies—delivered to death and torture. No, they will be delivered by God, and able to proclaim God’s true nature.
God is not the God of forsaking—He is the God of deliverance. God pays attention to the innocent and abused, the anawim. He does not leave them alone. Sure, it may seem that God has left the anawim alone for a period of time, but in the end God will save them and punish the ones who destroy his innocent people. The anawim cry out to God, and expect his deliverance. And so, when the deliverance comes, they give praise to God’s name, who acted for them!
The anawim will eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise Yahweh
May your hearts live forever!
These anawim are the true people of God. Yes, they all go through terrible circumstances at times. They are persecuted, they suffer, they are hated, they are torn apart—but God delivers them. And after that deliverance, God gives abundance. They have abundant food, and they are able to praise God. Only those who have experienced deliverance can praise. Only those who gain their hearts desire express joy. And this joy isn’t just for a period of time—it is eternal. The people of God—those who are destroyed by the evil, but stick with God throughout the ordeal—will be kept alive by God forever, secure and safe.
This is the promise of Jesus. Not eternal life for everyone who claims Jesus or who loves God. Rather, eternal life for those who suffer and stick with God (Mark 8:34-37; Mark 13:13). God will resurrect those who died suffering for Him. And they will have joy in place of suffering, communion instead of hatred, exaltation instead of humiliation.
All the ends of the earth take note and turn to Yahweh;
The clans of the nations bow down to You.
For the kingdom is Yahweh's
And he rules over the nations.
Not only is this promise for those among Israel, but it is for all who love God, no matter what nation they are of. All peoples will have an opportunity to love God, serve him, and receive of his salvation. They, too, were abused by God’s people and so they will be delivered, if only they trust in Him. And God will give the opportunity.
Jesus, through his suffering, opened up the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is not just for those born in the nation of Israel. Many immigrants, many hopeless of all the nations, will be welcomed into God’s people and given an opportunity to live for Him.
All who wallow in the ashes of the earth will eat and bow down;
All who go down to the dust will kneel before Him;
Even he who cannot keep his life alive.
The anawim, however—those who were humiliated and abused because they stayed with God—they are God’s special people. They cannot help themselves, so God will help them. God is there for them and will keep them alive for all time because they worshipped Him in their terror, their destruction, their death. God loves them and keeps them forever.
Their descendents will serve Him;
It will be told of Yahweh to future generations.
And they will come and declare his righteousness
To a people not yet born that He does act.
Not only do these whom God love, the anawim, have a special place before God, but so do their children. The descendents of the anawim will make a new people. This new people will go from generation to generation, praising God for what He has done for their forefathers. They will all remember God’s deliverance, praise him for it, and God’s name will be declared to all the world for the sake of His deliverance.
So, although Psalm 22 begins as a complaint, it ends as a hymn in praise of God’s deliverance. Because God is the God of the anawim, God is the God of deliverance. God is always ready to act, the psalmist declares, and even in the face of death, he proclaims God’s power and love. This is why Jesus quoted Psalm 22 on the cross. Not because he was declaring God’s rejection of him. Just the opposite. He was proclaiming his unity with the anawim, and their resurrection and the beginning of God’s kingdom. Although he only stated a line—as much as he could state during his time of oxygen deprivation—he was referring to the whole. Not just the complaint of the anawim, but the promise of deliverance due to the suffering for the sake of God.
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