And Yet
Psalm 22 is a prophetic psalm of David, the king of Israel. It is considered the “Messiah’s psalm” because much of it was fulfilled during the crucifixion of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, hundreds of years after the psalmist wrote it.
Verses 12 through 18 describe specific events that correspond directly to what Jesus endured while hanging on the cross. Specifically:
The “bulls of Bashan” is a metaphor used to describe the enemies, both within the religious elite of Jerusalem and in the Roman army, that surrounded Jesus while He hung on the cross.
The reference to “bones are out of joint” correlates to a practice commonly used in crucifixion. Arms were “fitted” to the cross by being pulled until the joints were separated.
“My heart has turned to wax” and melts references the effect of crucifixion on the human heart. While it does not melt, water does build up in the tissue around the heart, eventually suffocating the individual.
We know that Jesus thirsted on the cross because toward the end of the crucifixion He asked for a drink and was given vinegar. The psalmist writes in verse 15, “My mouth is dried up” and “my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.”
“They pierced my hands and feet” is an obvious reference to the crucifixion. This would have been something David was entirely unfamiliar with, yet he precisely describes it in his psalm.
There is even a reference to the Roman soldiers “casting lots” for Jesus’ robe in this psalm written hundreds of years before Jesus died for us.
All these things occurred at Jesus’ crucifixion, and David wrote about them many years before they happened.
But that is not our focus for this entry. Let’s consider the word “yet.” King David uses this word in verses three and nine. In both instances, the verses leading up to the word refer to the king crying out to God while in the midst of trials. After reading this, it occurred to me that “yet” is an excellent word to add to one’s vocabulary when going through trials.
Let’s look at David’s psalm as an illustration of why using yet when experiencing difficulty is important. In the first instance, the psalmist writes, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer; by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.” In the midst of the trial, David recounts to God how, even though he has cried out in anguish, there has been no help coming from the heavenly throne. Sometimes in the heat of the battle it seems that God is not present. The answers come too slowly, and the fatigue of the trial wears down a person down. The king was in this place. But David brings himself back to the truth with “yet.” God is the same One whom the king's ancestors trusted. They were not let down. They were not put to shame.
Then there is the second time this word was used in the psalm, “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. ‘He trusts in the Lord,’ they say, ‘let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.’ Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” In the midst of trials, particularly when it appears that there is no help, it is easy for your antagonists to mock you. When you openly declare your reliance on the Almighty God, and no answer comes from your God, the enemy will heap on the insults. But once again, David used the word “yet” to bring him back to the truth. God was responsible for his very existence. He is the One who allowed the king to place his trust in God. Even from the moment the psalmist entered the world, God was with him. This being true, is now the time when God will let the king down? No.
That is the power of “yet” in a trial. It allowed David to reevaluate his thinking. It reminded the king that God answered those who came before him, and that the same God has been with him and seen him through trials, even from birth. God has always been there and will always be there. God is faithful!
“Yet” is still as powerful today as it was in the psalmist’s times. It still has the power to remind us that God is with us. He will never leave us, and no matter the circumstances or the heaviness of the trial, our God is able to save!
