SAVIOR, LIKE A SHEPHERD LEAD US
Greetings church family!
OK, pop quiz. This should be an easy one. I’m going to give you a series of Scripture passages, and I want you to think of which New Testament event these Scripture passages are related to. Remember, all of them are connected to the same event.
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
“He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”
They pierced My hands and My feet.
They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.
Have you figured it out? You probably guessed correctly from the first Scripture passage. All 4 of these passages are connected to Jesus’ crucifixion. However, there is something even more interesting about the 4 aforementioned passages. All of them can be found in Psalm 22. Essentially, Psalm 22 is a Psalm where David expresses his suffering, but he’s also pointing to the suffering of the coming Messiah. Here are a couple of quotes that confirm this.
[In Psalm 22], David sings as more than an artist, but also as one of the greatest prophets ever to speak, pointing more to his Greater Son, Jesus the Messiah, than even to himself.
David Guzik, pastor and author
“[Psalm 22] is a kind of gem among the Psalms, and is peculiarly excellent and remarkable. It contains those deep, sublime, and heavy sufferings of Christ, when agonizing in the midst of the terrors and pangs of … death which surpass all human thought and comprehension.”
Martin Luther, Protestant reformer
If Psalm 22 is a preview of Mt. Calvary, Psalm 24 is a preview of Mt. Zion! Look at the following excerpt from Psalm 24.
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face. Selah
Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah
What an awesome description of Jesus the King entering the heavenly gates and bringing reward to his faithful servants who have ascended “into the hill of the Lord” - Mt. Zion!
In Psalm 22, Jesus is the good shepherd who “lays down his life for the sheep.” [John 10:11] In Psalm 24, Jesus is the chief shepherd, from whom His faithful followers will “receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.” [1 Peter 5:4]
Nestled between these two important psalms is probably the most famous Psalm of all, Psalm 23. In this Psalm, David writes about how Jesus the shepherd leads his followers from Mt. Calvary to Mt. Zion - from crucifixion to coronation!
Our two-part series on Psalm 23 will start this Sabbath with the message “I Have Everything I Need!” The following Sabbath (April 12), the final message of the series will be “I Will Fear No Evil.” Having recently completed a sermon series on the book of Revelation, Psalm 23 is a great study for us to learn how God will lead us and sustain us through to His soon second coming.
Be blessed church family, and as you read Psalm 22, 23, and 24 in preparation for the message this Sabbath, rest assured that God is for you, God is with you, and God loves you!
Pastor Chris
