11 Be not far from me, For adversity is near, for there is no helper. 12 Many bulls have surrounded me, Mighty ones of Bashan have compassed me, 13 They have opened against me their mouth, A lion tearing and roaring. 14 As waters I have been poured out, And separated themselves have all my bones, My heart hath been like wax, It is melted in the midst of my bowels. 15 Dried up as an earthen vessel is my power, And my tongue is cleaving to my jaws. 16 And to the dust of death thou appointest me, For surrounded me have dogs, A company of evil doers have compassed me, Piercing my hands and my feet. 17 I count all my bones—they look expectingly, They look upon me, 18 They apportion my garments to themselves, And for my clothing they cause a lot to fall. 19 And Thou, O Jehovah, be not far off, O my strength, to help me haste. 20 Deliver from the sword my soul, From the paw of a dog mine only one. 21 Save me from the mouth of a lion:—And—from the horns of the high places Thou hast answered me!
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 22:11-21
Commentary on Psalm 22:11-21
(Read Psalm 22:11-21)
In these verses we have Christ suffering, and Christ praying; by which we are directed to look for crosses, and to look up to God under them. The very manner of Christ's death is described, though not in use among the Jews. They pierced his hands and his feet, which were nailed to the accursed tree, and his whole body was left so to hang as to suffer the most severe pain and torture. His natural force failed, being wasted by the fire of Divine wrath preying upon his spirits. Who then can stand before God's anger? or who knows the power of it? The life of the sinner was forfeited, and the life of the Sacrifice must be the ransom for it. Our Lord Jesus was stripped, when he was crucified, that he might clothe us with the robe of his righteousness. Thus it was written, therefore thus it behoved Christ to suffer. Let all this confirm our faith in him as the true Messiah, and excite our love to him as the best of friends, who loved us, and suffered all this for us. Christ in his agony prayed, prayed earnestly, prayed that the cup might pass from him. When we cannot rejoice in God as our song, yet let us stay ourselves upon him as our strength; and take the comfort of spiritual supports, when we cannot have spiritual delights. He prays to be delivered from the Divine wrath. He that has delivered, doth deliver, and will do so. We should think upon the sufferings and resurrection of Christ, till we feel in our souls the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings.