At The Movies - Day 06
Day 06: Monday, July 24
Read Psalm 22
Highlight
Psalm 22 is an excellent example of a Messianic Psalm that mixes together a poem of lament and praise all at once. That’s because this psalm anticipates the crucifixion of Jesus centuries before it occurred! Any of us who are familiar with the crucifixion story will connect that Jesus quotes the first verse of this psalm on the cross (Matthew 27:46). What’s really fascinating about that is that citing the first words of a text was, in the tradition of the time, a way of identifying an entire passage. In other words, by saying the first line of Psalm 22 on the cross, Jesus is pointing his followers to the whole Psalm.
Just like Jesus’ experience on the cross, the psalm begins with pain and lament and sorrow. But that pain is not wasted, because “He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard when he cried to him.” (v24) The Father accepted the sacrifice of the afflicted Son on our behalf, which is why the psalm does not stay focused on sorrow. Next week we will look at Psalms of Lament, and we will see that in those psalms the majority of the psalms are devoted to honest expressions of pain and sorrow with brief reminders of the faithfulness of God. But Psalm 22 doesn’t make a brief reference to the goodness of God. Rather, the entire second half is devoted to His praise and the victory of His king! By quoting the first verse of this psalm, Jesus points us to both the pain and ultimate victory of God’s Messiah!
Reflection & Prayer
For this reading plan we will be using a tool to guide our study of Scripture that’s called the S.O.A.P. Method. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We recommend you use a journal with this method and write out your thoughts on each of these areas for each day of reading. It doesn’t have to be long-winded and you don’t need a fancy journal. But for anyone that has not journaled before, the benefit is that it often helps us focus and avoid distractions during prayer and Bible study.
S.O.A.P. Method
Scripture - Pick a verse or two that stood out to you and write it in your journal. Be looking for a “Holy Spirit Highlight.” What did you read and think “I needed to hear that” or felt like it was written just for you?
Observation - Now write some observations about the verse(s) or passage. What is this passage or verse saying? About God? About people? How is Jesus revealed in these verses?
Application - Now write a few sentences on how this passage applies to your life. Is there truth about God that you are to believe? A promise to receive? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something you need to do or stop doing in light of God’s truth?
Prayer - Now write out a prayer to God in response to this Scripture. This is a way to turn God’s Word to you back to Him. Be honest and express your heart to Him. God always listens and He delights in your prayers (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 15:8).
Read Psalm 22
Highlight
Psalm 22 is an excellent example of a Messianic Psalm that mixes together a poem of lament and praise all at once. That’s because this psalm anticipates the crucifixion of Jesus centuries before it occurred! Any of us who are familiar with the crucifixion story will connect that Jesus quotes the first verse of this psalm on the cross (Matthew 27:46). What’s really fascinating about that is that citing the first words of a text was, in the tradition of the time, a way of identifying an entire passage. In other words, by saying the first line of Psalm 22 on the cross, Jesus is pointing his followers to the whole Psalm.
Just like Jesus’ experience on the cross, the psalm begins with pain and lament and sorrow. But that pain is not wasted, because “He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard when he cried to him.” (v24) The Father accepted the sacrifice of the afflicted Son on our behalf, which is why the psalm does not stay focused on sorrow. Next week we will look at Psalms of Lament, and we will see that in those psalms the majority of the psalms are devoted to honest expressions of pain and sorrow with brief reminders of the faithfulness of God. But Psalm 22 doesn’t make a brief reference to the goodness of God. Rather, the entire second half is devoted to His praise and the victory of His king! By quoting the first verse of this psalm, Jesus points us to both the pain and ultimate victory of God’s Messiah!
Reflection & Prayer
For this reading plan we will be using a tool to guide our study of Scripture that’s called the S.O.A.P. Method. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We recommend you use a journal with this method and write out your thoughts on each of these areas for each day of reading. It doesn’t have to be long-winded and you don’t need a fancy journal. But for anyone that has not journaled before, the benefit is that it often helps us focus and avoid distractions during prayer and Bible study.
S.O.A.P. Method
Scripture - Pick a verse or two that stood out to you and write it in your journal. Be looking for a “Holy Spirit Highlight.” What did you read and think “I needed to hear that” or felt like it was written just for you?
Observation - Now write some observations about the verse(s) or passage. What is this passage or verse saying? About God? About people? How is Jesus revealed in these verses?
Application - Now write a few sentences on how this passage applies to your life. Is there truth about God that you are to believe? A promise to receive? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something you need to do or stop doing in light of God’s truth?
Prayer - Now write out a prayer to God in response to this Scripture. This is a way to turn God’s Word to you back to Him. Be honest and express your heart to Him. God always listens and He delights in your prayers (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 15:8).
Posted in At The Movies