My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Christians, did you really read Psalms 22 before?

If not, let us read some of it together and discuss it clearly without any prejudice.  Prophet David is believed to have written this Psalm.

He said:

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

Why are You so far from helping Me? And from the words of My groaning?

2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear. And in the night season and am not silent.

3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

4 Our fathers trusted in You. They trusted, and You delivered them.

5 They cried to You and were delivered. They trusted in You and were not ashamed.

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 [b]shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8 “He [c]trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him. Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb. You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.

10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God.

11 Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have surrounded Me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.

13 They [d]gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted [e]within Me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They[f] pierced My hands and My feet.

17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.

18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.

19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

20 Deliver Me from the sword, My[g] precious life from the power of the dog.

21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me.

22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly, I will praise You.”

Now, after reading this Psalm 22, let us summarise the main points in brief:

-David supplicated to his God as he was in trouble and suffering.

-David asked and begged his God not to forsake him as God always saved and helped all those who asked His Help.

-David praised God’s Power and Control over all nations.

-David promised God to glorify and worship Him alone and call all people to do the same.

-David thanked God for saving him and hearing his supplication.

Now, let us discuss the Christian claimed prophecy in Psalms 22.

The New Testament makes numerous allusions to Psalm 22, mainly during the crucifixion of Jesus.

Verse 1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, is quoted in Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46.

Verse 7, “They hurl insults, shaking their heads”, is quoted in Mark 15:29; Matthew 27:39[14]

Verse 8, “He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him”, is quoted in Matthew 27:43[14]

Verse 18, “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment”, is quoted in Mark 15:24; Matthew 27:35; Luke 23:34; John 19:24[14]

Verse 22, “I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you”, is quoted Hebrews 2:12[14]

In exegetical scholarship, Psalm 22 is generally regarded as being of composite origin. It is understood to have originally consisted of the contents of verses 1-22/23, with verses 23/24-32 comprising a later addition.

Further analysis also recognizes verses 4–6 as part of the later addition and finds a third layer of editorial development in verses 28–32.

The exact distinction between the two main parts of the psalm is also controversial, as verse 23 is sometimes counted as a part of the original psalm, but sometimes as part of the later addition.

The original psalm (v. 2-22/23) is thought to date from the pre-exilic period, that is, before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. The second part, because of the significant rescue of Israel, was probably added only in the post-exilic period. The most recent portion of the composition (v. 28–32),

Because of its universalist perspective, it is considered to date from the Hellenistic period, likely the late 4th century.

Did early Christian writers recompile Psalms 22 and add new lines in the 4th century when they were compiling the bible?!

In the New Testament, Matthew and Mark claimed that Jesus cites Psalm 22 shortly before his death on the cross, to make himself the psalm petitioner, and to own, according to Jewish tradition, the entire contents of the psalm.

Christologically this is considered problematic, as Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, can hardly say that God has forsaken him. However, as in the psalm, apparent abandonment by God is not the end. Rather, in both cases there is the sudden and abrupt rescue of the petitioner by God (in the New Testament through Jesus’ resurrection).

The question here is:

Can resurrection be a kind of God’s saving and protection from God to Christ?!

However, this claimed resurrection did not save Christ from pain and suffering before death!!!

In Psalms, God saved David from his enemies, but God did not save Christ from his enemies on the cross!!

Finally, I can guess how Christian writers of the gospels failed to quote correctly from the Old Testament and took David’s phrase out of its context to suit Christ.

Allah knows Best. 

Almighty Allah is the highest and most knowledgeable, and the attribution of knowledge to him is the safest.

Right from Almighty Allah and wrong from me and Satan

Prepared by Mohamad Mostafa Nassar- Australia.

www.IslamCompass.com 

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Arrogance is not only a sign of insecurity, but also a sign of immaturity. Mature and fully realised persons can get their points across, even emphatically without demeaning or intimidating others.