they say that when jesus was on thew cross that He said 7 words-
they are:
1.Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).
2.Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).
3.Woman, behold your son: behold your mother (John 19:26-27).
4.My God, My God, why have you forsaken me, (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).
5.I thirst (John 19:28).
6.It is finished (John 19:30).
7.Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).
I have heard it say that maybe He wasn't saying these words from the Cross, but singing them-
that's a wild thought isn't it?
that when jesus was hanging on the cross- covered in blood and writhing in agony, He was actually singing?
how many of these 7 words come from psalm 22?
psalm 22 opens with the phrase:
"For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.”
A psalm of David." it was a song before it was a psalm-
and jesus had it memorized-
and as He was hanging on the Cross, dying for your sins and mine- He sang it-
can you imagine Him singing these words there?
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent."
(we actually have it recorded that He said this in matthew 27:46)
"Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
4 In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed."
(even while dying He is praising His Father in heaven-)
"But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
8 “He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
(we have it recorded that the crowd who saw Him said this as they passed by in matthew 27:42)
" 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help."
(the Christmas story and the story of Good Friday are intersecting as He prays to God about His mother-)
" Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing."
(those soldiers must have been like bulls and lions around Him- nailing Him to the cross and gambling for His clothes- keep in mind that this psalm was written hundreds of years BEFORE the cross-)
"But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help."
(even from the Cross He is telling us who fear the LORD to praise Him- even. from. the. Cross.)
"From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
(even from the Cross- at His lowest moment He declares that God wins and that God is in control. whew.)
" All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it."
(from the Cross He is looking forward- because this is not the end for jesus-
the last line says, "He has done it." or said another way:
"IT IS FINISHED.")
when God put these words in david- He was planning the crucifixion of his Son- and preparing for the redemption that paid for your crimes and mine-
I wonder how long jesus had been planning to sing this song with His dying breaths-
since He was a boy?
God brought together the words of David, and the cruelty of the Roman Empire, and the innocence of His Only Begotten to form a moment that would be remembered from all time-
the Word of God was quoted by The Word in the form of a song-
a love song-
God is love.
-rev-rob