Christ in the Old Testament.

Before our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world as man, God taught His people to expect Him. The Old Testament speaks about Christ. We read, “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’” (Lk 24:44-47)

The Old Testament looks forward to, and prepares for, Christ’s coming in four main ways: covenant promise, type, prophecy and pre-incarnate appearances.

From the Fall, we can trace the promise of Christ: the Seed of the woman (Gen 3:15); the seed of Abraham (Gen 22:18; Gal 3:16); one who would come from Judah (Gen 49:10); the seed of David (2 Sam 7:14; Ps 89:3,4,35-37; cf., Nu 22:17). It is a covenant promise, confirmed with an oath to Abraham and to David. Thus when Christ came, it was in fulfillment of God’s “holy covenant” (Lk 1:68-73; Acts 3:25; Gal 3:17).

Throughout the Old Testament, and particularly in the Law, God presented His people with types of Christ. All of the sacrifices pointed forward to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29). The Levitical priesthood, and especially the office of high priest, foreshadowed Christ as our high priest (Heb 7:28; 8:1). Paul wrote that Adam was a type of Christ (Ro 5:14). Each of these types had its own place in the history of redemption but each type was imperfect and the deficiency in it leads us to look beyond the shadow to the substance (Col 2:17). Each type, therefore, can be compared and contrasted with the reality to which it points. David is not explicitly identified as a type of Christ but, according to the analogy of Scripture, it is difficult to resist the conclusion that, in his office as the anointed king, he foreshadowed the true Messiah.

The prophets prophesied about Christ. Generally speaking, these men of God were raised up in times of decline and disappointment. It seems that the experience of sin and failure was the context in which they foretold of the Messiah who would succeed (Jer 23:1,5,6).

The Old Testament records that the Angel of the Lord appeared to His people. “Angel” means “messenger.” At times, the Scripture is speaking of those angels who are ministering spirits sent from heaven to accomplish God’s purpose (Heb 1:14; Dan 6:22; 10:11). The writer to the Hebrews contrasts these angels with the Son of God (Heb 1). The angel who spoke to John refused to be worshipped (Rev 22:8,9). However, at times, it seems that the Angel of the Lord is more than such an angel; the Son of God is present (Gen 18:13,22,33; 22:15; Ex 3; Jos 5:13-15).

The Old Testament looks forward to Christ’s coming.  On one hand, its language is ‘veiled;’ prophets and righteous men were left enquiring and carefully searching to discover who the coming one would be (1 Pet 1:10-12; Matt 13:17). Thus Paul can speak about the mystery which had been kept hidden for ages but was at last revealed. On the other hand, there is no uncertainty. Abraham “rejoiced to see” Christ’s day (Jn 8:56) and David: “foresaw the Lord always” (Acts 2:25).

When we examine texts which prophesy of Christ, the question arises whether those texts also had a historical reference to the time when they were written. For example, Isaiah prophesied about the servant of the Lord (Isa 53). Having read this passage, the Ethiopian asked Philip, “of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” (Acts 8:34). Beginning at this passage, Philip “preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35). But the question is asked whether Isaiah was originally referring to someone in his own day. Because the Old Testament “foreshadows” Christ, it is sometimes possible to see that the revelation of Christ came through an earlier historical figure or event. However, we must not rule out direct revelation through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Peter tells us that “no prophecy of Scripture came through their own explanation of things; they did not cleverly work out their message but they were given it (2 Pet 1:20). They were not always ministering to their own age but sometimes for our sakes (1 Pet 1:12). Unless the Old Testament shows us an original historical circumstance which gave rise to the prophecy, then we may doubt what benefit there is in seeking to discover it.

Christ in the Psalms.

The question arises, To what extent Christ is referred to in the Psalms. For example, John Keddie wrote, “As I became more familiar with the Psalms, I came to see their richness in spiritual experience; their perfect theological balance; the reality that Christ is in all the Psalms, as He is ‘in all the Scriptures’ (cf., Luke 24:44).” (John Keddie, Sing the Lord’s Song, Knox Press, Edinburgh, 1994, p.12). Augustine comments on Psalm 1, “This is to be understood of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Man.” The Psalm speaks of the godly, who shun sin and love the law. This character was found perfectly in Christ alone and in that sense Augustine was right. However, the Psalm refers to “the righteous” (plural) and thus it must be holding out an encouragement to the people of God who seek to obey His will.

Psalm 22.

This Psalm has two parts: verses 1-21 describe a person’s suffering and contain his cry to God; verses 22-31 contain praise for answered prayer and describe the results that follow.

The title ascribes the Psalm to David and the general pattern of suffering and deliverance can be observed in David’s life. He endured more than one period of great difficulty and the Lord delivered him from it all and his experience is the subject of several of his Psalms (Ps 18:1; 34:4). It is worthy of note that Psalm 18, spoken when the Lord had delivered him from all his enemies (title; cf., 2 Sam 22), closes with David’s confidence that God will give great deliverance and mercy to His anointed, that is to David himself and his seed for evermore (Ps 18:50). Thus it is clear that David sees in his own experience a pattern for his seed in the future. The Gospels apply Psalm 22 to Christ’s crucifixion. We must ask whether this was the original intention or did David originally speak about his own life.

We must observe carefully what the Psalm says. “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (22:1). “Forsaken” means to be abandoned by God. This is such a radical matter. In view of the promise, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5), we realize what a terrible thing this is. Isaiah rebuked Israel for such a thought (Isa 40:27). Even when Jerusalem was destroyed and Judah exiled, Jeremiah’s hope lay in the faithfulness of God (Lam 3:19-26). The impression is that Psalm 22 is speaking about something quite distinctive and fearful. This impression is confirmed by what follows. In verses 3-5, the Psalmist remembers that God has never forsaken the preceding generations of His people. God is enthroned on the praises of Israel. In other words, every generation has had cause to praise the Lord. The experience of being forsaken is different from the usual experience of God’s people. There is a contrast here: “I am a worm and no man” (22:6). If we recall the books of Exodus, Numbers and Judges, we shall realize that the previous generations had given God much cause to abandon them (see Ex 32 for example). The point is, this being forsaken is quite distinctive.

Did David ever experience that? When the Amalekites took Ziklag and David’s own people talked about stoning him, we read, “But David strengthened himself in God” (1 Sam 30:6). When David was exiled from Jerusalem by Absalom, because of his sin with Bathsheba, he still prayed (2 Sam 15:30). When his sin had been rebuked, he had prayed, “do not cast me away from Your presence” (Ps 51:11). It is possible that David’s exile from Jerusalem was the experience which gave rise to this Psalm. As he sent the Ark back, he was conscious of his separation from God’s dwelling place, and what he said then, “If I find favour in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back … but if He says thus, ‘I have no delight in you’…(2 Sam 15:25,26), may find an echo in Psalm 22:8; again, the picture of Absalom in David’s house, with his wives, on the housetop may find an echo in Psalm 22:18. The Scripture leaves us without definite confirmation of these traces.

Comparing the Gospels and Psalm 22.

It is valuable to compare the account of Matthew with Psalm 22.

Matthew 27:35: “Then they crucified Him.” Psalm 22:16 “They pierced My hands and My feet.”

Matthew 27:35: “and divided His garments, casting lots.” Psalm 22:18: “They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” Matthew 27:35: “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”

Matthew 27:36: sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. Psalm 22: 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion.

Matthew 27:39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Psalm 22:1 “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?”

It is worthy of note that, whereas Matthew 27 describes the crucifixion from the perspective of someone looking at the cross, Psalm 22 expresses it from the standpoint of the sufferer on the cross. It is as if the psalm gives us an entrance into Christ’s own experience from His perspective.

In addition to these parallels, we must note the universal consequences of the deliverance that follows. “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You” (Ps 22:27). This without doubt is an expression of the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that in his Seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen 22:18). That promise is reflected in several Davidic passages of the Old Testament and comes to fulfillment after the resurrection of Christ.

Conclusion.

Psalm 22 gives us a deep insight into Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. David may have written it out of his own experience but the Bible does not inform us which experience that was. Without doubt, his own distresses were a necessary preparation, without which he could not have written it.

When we approach this Psalm with questions about the right approach to its exegesis, we are treading the same path as biblical exegetes in the past. David Puckett’s description of Calvin’s approach is helpful. “Calvin recognizes that he is walking a very narrow path in his use of typology. He cannot follow the Jewish approach, which denies that the ceremonies and events of the Old Testament find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Nor can he follow Christian exegetes who disregard the significance of Old Testament history in their eagerness to find Christ in every passage…. He depends on two basic arguments: first, the New Testament writers treat the Old Testament texts as prophecies that are fulfilled in Jesus Christ; second, the language does not suit the reign of David or any other Old Testament figure, yet it perfectly suits the reign of Christ.” (David L Puckett, John Calvin’s Exegesis of the Old Testament, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, 1995, pp.117-118). “They pierced my hands and my feet” was not accomplished in David’s life.

That Christ was forsaken is a profound mystery. There was never a rupture in the perfect union of the Godhead (Jn 17). Yet, there was a judicial separation when Christ bore our sins in His own body on the tree, the imputation of sin. This is surely what was meant by Paul: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Gal 3:13,14).

Christ’s sufferings were unique to Him. There is one Saviour, one Mediator, one Head of the church. If we do seek to establish a basis for Psalm 22 in David’s experience, we must be careful not to obscure the uniqueness of Christ’s atoning death.

However, we must not so stress the uniqueness of Christ’s sufferings that we lose sight of another truth. Those who are brought into union with Christ are thereby brought into union with Him in His sufferings, death and resurrection. The members of the body are joined to the head. This has profound consequences in our experience. We are called to carry our cross and follow Christ. Furthermore, the Head of the church still sympathizes with the members of His body when they suffer. The New Testament brings to light these matters in such places as Romans 6, Philippians 3 and Hebrews 2-4. We must never obscure the distinction between the history of salvation and the unique accomplishment of redemption by Christ on the one hand, and the application of redemption to us on the other hand. We are not abandoned by God because He was abandoned! There is the distinction. Yet, the distinction is not a separation.

From this study, we learn the seriousness of sin, that He was forsaken on account of our sins. We learn the love of God towards us, that He did not spare His own Son (Ro 8:32). We learn the value that He has placed on us. We see the wonderful way in which God prepared for His Son’s coming by promises, types and prophecies; yet we see that those things pointed to the substance found uniquely in Christ.