Psalm 22:22
I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Psalm 22
We begin today in verse 19. Jesus is near death and he again cries out to God for deliverance. There is an interesting progression of his plea in this section. He begins his plea asking for deliverance from the sword which implies humans are his attackers. Then he lists the scavenger dogs as he did earlier in verse 16. Finally he lists the lions and oxen as he did before in verses 12 and 13.
This is a reverse in the progression of animals under attack in the earlier verses. This reversal seems to undo the earlier threats because there is also a switch in the Hebrew verb tense. The earlier calls for God’s deliverance were in the imperative meaning they were like a command to do something now. In verse 21, the verbs are in the perfect tense which suggests that the psalmist has already been delivered.
This shift and seemingly abrupt change in verb tense appears to reflect the unexpected deliverance of the psalmist. All his enemies have fallen away one by one. Upon this realization, the psalmist responds with exuberance in verse 22 with praise to God.
This tone of praise will continue through the end of Psalm 22. And being that tomorrow, April 20, 2025 is Easter Sunday, we will finish this Psalm then as Jesus is resurrected both in our Psalm and in our worship of him on Resurrection Day.
Christ in the Old Testament 
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