Psalm 22
A Web of Prophecy Across Scripture
The 3rd of 5 Sermons in the Psalm 22 Series

Psalm 22: A Web of Prophecy Across Scripture

Parallel Prophecies, Authors, and Historical Context
The 3rd of 5 Sermons in the Psalm 22 Series

Introduction
Psalm 22 reads like a roadmap to Calvary. David’s lament carries details that reach far beyond his lifetime. Scripture explains Scripture, and the Holy Spirit weaves one steady witness across many centuries. This lesson walks through each prophetic line in Psalm 22, places it beside matching prophecies elsewhere in the Old Testament, and notes who wrote them and when. The setting of each writer helps us see how all of them point to the Messiah.

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1)
Isaiah speaks of the Servant who carries our sins and meets God’s judgment on sin (Isaiah 53:4–6; Isaiah in Judah, around 740–700 BC). Lamentations gives words for the feeling of being abandoned during Jerusalem’s fall (Lamentations 1:12; traditionally Jeremiah, late 600s to early 500s BC). Real national sorrow prepared language that Jesus fulfilled when He bore the true forsakenness our sins deserve.

“O my God, I cry in the daytime… and in the night season” (Psalm 22:2)
David writes, “I am weary of my crying” (Psalm 69:3; 10th century BC). Habakkuk asks, “O LORD, how long shall I cry” (Habakkuk 1:2; late 600s BC, just before the Babylonian threat). Israel’s long habit of crying out to God becomes the backdrop for the Messiah’s own prayer.

“Thou art holy… Our fathers trusted… and thou didst deliver them” (Psalm 22:3–5)
Isaiah sees the Lord on His throne and hears “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:1–3; in Jerusalem under Assyrian pressure). Psalm 77:10–20 retells the exodus as a lesson in God’s rescue (Asaphic temple tradition, 10th century BC). David’s memory of the fathers fits Israel’s worship pattern of remembering God’s mighty acts.

“I am a worm, and no man; a reproach… despised” (Psalm 22:6)
Isaiah calls the Servant “despised and rejected” (Isaiah 53:3). Job uses “worm” as a picture of human lowliness (Job 25:6; wisdom tradition). Isaiah 41:14 speaks to “worm Jacob,” a small and threatened people under empire. Words of lowliness prepare us to see the Servant’s chosen humility.

“All they that see me laugh me to scorn… He trusted on the LORD… let him deliver him” (Psalm 22:7–8)
David records shame and taunts in Psalm 69:7–12 and the “shaking of the head” in Psalm 109:25. Proverbs knows the voice of mockers (Proverbs 1:22; Solomon and the wisdom school). The righteous often face ridicule, and these lines find their fullest meaning in the Messiah.

“Thou art he that took me out of the womb… thou didst make me hope” (Psalm 22:9–10)
God sets apart His servants from birth. Jeremiah hears, “Before I formed thee… I sanctified thee” (Jeremiah 1:5; late 600s to early 500s BC). The Servant says, “The LORD hath called me from the womb” (Isaiah 49:1). The pattern points forward to the Holy One born of the virgin.

“Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help” (Psalm 22:11)
“Be not far from me, O God,” says Psalm 71:12 (often placed in Davidic tradition), and Psalm 35:22 echoes the same plea. When human help fades, God’s nearness is the refuge.

“Many bulls… strong bulls of Bashan… They gaped upon me… as a roaring lion” (Psalm 22:12–13)
Bashan stood for wealth and power that crush the weak (Amos 4:1; mid-700s BC, Northern Kingdom). Lion imagery pictures predatory enemies (Psalm 17:12; Micah 5:8; Micah in Judah, late 700s BC). David’s farm-and-field images turn real places and herds into signs of ruthless opposition to God’s anointed.

“I am poured out like water… all my bones are out of joint… my heart is like wax” (Psalm 22:14)
David says, “Reproach hath broken my heart” (Psalm 69:20). Isaiah says the Servant “poured out his soul unto death” (Isaiah 53:10–12). Joshua 2:11 uses “melted hearts” to describe terror under judgment. These phrases prepare us for a total, life-given offering.

“My strength is dried up like a potsherd… my tongue cleaveth to my jaws” (Psalm 22:15)
David adds, “In my thirst they gave me vinegar” (Psalm 69:21). Lamentations 4:4 says children’s tongues stick to the roof of their mouths during siege (586 BC). Israel knew thirst and dust in judgment; Jesus took that thirst to Himself at the cross.

“Dogs have compassed me… they pierced my hands and my feet” (Psalm 22:16)
Zechariah says, “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10; post-exile Judah, 520–518 BC under Persia). “Dogs” often names violent outsiders (Psalm 59:6, 14; David under Saul). After the exile, Israel still awaited a pierced figure whose wounding would bring mourning and mercy.

“I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me” (Psalm 22:17)
Isaiah 52:14 says the Servant’s appearance would be marred beyond human likeness. Public humiliation and exposure match David’s picture of staring crowds.

“They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (Psalm 22:18)
Joel 3:3 pictures enemies casting lots for God’s people (often dated after the exile or late pre-exile). Nahum 3:10 speaks of captors casting lots for nobles (late 600s BC). Turning a life into spoils shows contempt, which Scripture records and prophecy anticipates.

“Be not thou far from me, O LORD… Deliver my soul from the sword… from the power of the dog… from the lion’s mouth” (Psalm 22:19–21a)
Psalm 35:17 asks for rescue from “lions.” Daniel 6 shows God saving His servant from real lions (6th century BC, Babylon and Persia). David’s sword-dog-lion language ties his enemies to the wider story of empires and their violence.

“For thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns [wild oxen]” (Psalm 22:21b)
“Wild ox” stands for overwhelming strength (Deuteronomy 33:17; Psalm 92:10). The psalm’s tone now shifts from lament to confidence, just as many psalms move from crying to praising once faith says, “You have heard me” (Psalm 13:5–6).

“I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee” (Psalm 22:22)
Isaiah 8:18 shows the prophet standing with the children God gave him as signs to Israel. Psalm 40:9–10 speaks of proclaiming God’s faithfulness in the great assembly. The Messiah’s victory belongs in public worship among His people.

“Ye that fear the LORD, praise him… he hath not despised… the afflicted… when he cried… he heard” (Psalm 22:23–24)
Isaiah 57:15 announces that the High and Holy One dwells with the humble and contrite. Psalm 34:6 says, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him.” God attends to those who suffer and call on His name.

“My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation… the meek shall eat and be satisfied” (Psalm 22:25–26)
Isaiah 55:1–3 invites the thirsty to a free covenant feast. Psalm 36:8 says God’s people are satisfied with the good things of His house. The worship scene opens into a table where the lowly are filled.

“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD… all the kindreds of the nations shall worship… for the kingdom is the LORD’s” (Psalm 22:27–28)
Isaiah promises light for the nations (Isaiah 49:6) and pictures peoples streaming to the Lord’s mountain (Isaiah 2:2–4). Micah repeats that vision (Micah 4:1–4). Psalm 72 celebrates a worldwide reign (superscribed to Solomon). David stands inside God’s promise to Abraham that all families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). The lines meet in a kingdom that reaches every nation.

“All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship… all they that go down to the dust shall bow” (Psalm 22:29)
Isaiah 45:22–23 says every knee will bow. From the well-fed to those near death, all will acknowledge the Lord.

“A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation” (Psalm 22:30)
God promised David a lasting line (2 Samuel 7:12–16; the royal history recorded later). Isaiah 53:10 says the Servant “shall see his seed.” The result is a people who belong to the Anointed King forever.

“They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this” (Psalm 22:31)
Isaiah 53:11 says the Righteous Servant will justify many. Psalm 98:1–3 says the Lord has made His salvation known. The Hebrew sense in Psalm 22:31 is a finished act. God’s saving work stands done and will be told to future generations.

A Note on Authors and Moments in History
David wrote around 1000 BC during Israel’s united kingdom. Isaiah preached in Jerusalem in the late 700s BC under Assyrian pressure, announcing judgment and the coming Servant-King. Jeremiah saw Judah fall in the early 500s BC and gave words for grief and hope. Zechariah encouraged the small post-exile community in 520–518 BC under the Persian Empire and lifted their eyes to a pierced One who brings grace. Amos spoke to a prosperous Northern Kingdom in the mid-700s BC and unmasked powerful oppression. Micah, Isaiah’s contemporary, promised a ruler from Bethlehem and called out injustice. Joel and Nahum supplied pictures of humiliation, lots, oppression, and God’s reversal. Across their different times and places, the Spirit led them to sing one song: the righteous sufferer who becomes the righteous Savior.

Psalm 22: A Web of Prophecy Across Scripture

Introduction

• Psalm 22 is not only David’s lament but prophecy fulfilled at the cross.

• Each line links with other inspired writings across centuries.

• The Spirit testifies with one voice: the Righteous Sufferer is the Messiah.

I. The Cry of Forsakenness (22:1–2)

1. David cries “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” — echoed on the cross.

2. Isaiah shows the Servant bearing sin under God’s judgment (Isaiah 53:4–6).

3. Jeremiah gives words of forsakenness during Jerusalem’s destruction (Lamentations 1:12).
   Lesson: Jesus bore the true abandonment sin deserves.

II. Confidence in God’s Holiness (22:3–5)

1. David remembers God enthroned in holiness.

2. Isaiah saw the Lord’s holiness in the temple vision (Isaiah 6:1–3).

3. Asaph recalled God’s mighty rescue in the Exodus (Psalm 77:10–20).
   Lesson: Even in suffering, God’s holiness and history of deliverance anchor faith.

III. The Depth of Humiliation (22:6)

1. David calls himself a worm, despised by men.

2. Isaiah says the Servant was despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3).

3. Job calls man a worm in his lowliness (Job 25:6).
   Lesson: Jesus embraced humiliation to save the humble.

IV. The Scorn of Mockers (22:7–8)

1. David foresaw mockers shaking their heads.

2. Fulfilled in taunts at the cross.

3. Parallels: Psalm 69:7–12; Psalm 109:25; Proverbs 1:22.
   Lesson: The righteous often face ridicule, but God vindicates.

V. Consecrated From the Womb (22:9–10)

1. David trusted God from birth.

2. Jeremiah was set apart before birth (Jeremiah 1:5).

3. The Servant was called from the womb (Isaiah 49:1).
   Lesson: God’s plan for the Messiah was set from the beginning.

VI. Alone and Surrounded (22:11–13)

1. No helper was near (Psalm 22:11; 71:12; 35:22).

2. Surrounded by “bulls of Bashan” — images of strength and oppression (Amos 4:1).

3. Enemies pictured as roaring lions (Micah 5:8; Psalm 17:12).
   Lesson: Jesus endured the loneliness of the cross and the rage of His enemies.

VII. The Body Broken (22:14–15)

1. “Poured out like water… bones out of joint… heart like wax.”

   • Psalm 69:20; Isaiah 53:10–12; Joshua 2:11.

2. Thirst and weakness fulfilled in His cry, “I thirst” (John 19:28).

   • Psalm 69:21; Lamentations 4:4.
     Lesson: Every part of His body bore the agony of our sin.

VIII. The Piercing of Hands and Feet (22:16)

1. Fulfilled in the crucifixion.

2. Zechariah foretold: “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10).

3. “Dogs” imagery for violent enemies (Psalm 59:6, 14).
   Lesson: The cross was no accident — it was written centuries before.

IX. The Shame of Exposure (22:17–18)

1. Bones visible and body stared upon — Isaiah 52:14.

2. Garments divided by casting lots — Joel 3:3; Nahum 3:10.
   Lesson: His shame secures our honor before God.

X. The Plea for Deliverance (22:19–21a)

1. Prayer for rescue from sword, dog, and lion.

2. Psalm 35:17 echoes the cry.

3. God delivered Daniel from real lions (Daniel 6).
   Lesson: The Lord alone can deliver from death’s power.

XI. The Turn to Praise (22:21b–22)

1. “Thou hast heard me…” marks the turning point.

   • Deuteronomy 33:17; Psalm 92:10.

2. “I will declare thy name to my brethren” fulfilled in Christ’s resurrection (Hebrews 2:12 quoting Psalm 22:22).

3. Isaiah 8:18; Psalm 40:9–10 show public proclamation of God’s faithfulness.
   Lesson: From the cross to the congregation — suffering turns to worship.

XII. God Hears the Afflicted (22:23–24)

1. God does not despise the cry of the afflicted.

2. Isaiah 57:15 — God dwells with the contrite.

3. Psalm 34:6 — “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him.”
   Lesson: God always hears the cries of His people.

XIII. The Feast of the Meek (22:25–26)

1. “The meek shall eat and be satisfied.”

2. Isaiah 55:1–3 — the free feast for the thirsty.

3. Psalm 36:8 — satisfied with the fatness of His house.
   Lesson: The cross prepares a table of blessing for the meek.

XIV. Worldwide Worship (22:27–28)

1. “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn.”

2. Isaiah 49:6; 2:2–4; Micah 4:1–4; Psalm 72; Genesis 12:3.
   Lesson: The cross gathers every nation into God’s kingdom.

XV. Universal Submission (22:29)

1. “All shall bow” — high and low, rich and poor.

2. Isaiah 45:22–23 — every knee shall bow.
   Lesson: All will acknowledge Christ as Lord.

XVI. A Lasting Seed (22:30)

1. A people will serve Him.

2. 2 Samuel 7:12–16 — David’s seed promised.

3. Isaiah 53:10 — the Servant shall see His seed.
   Lesson: Christ’s kingdom is made up of every generation of believers.

XVII. The Finished Work (22:31)

1. “He hath done this” — a completed act.

2. Isaiah 53:11 — the Servant justifies many.

3. Psalm 98:1–3 — the Lord makes His salvation known.
   Lesson: At the cross Jesus declared, “It is finished.” The work is done.

Call to Action
Let the prophets speak together. David sings of a forsaken righteous one. Isaiah opens the throne room and shows the Servant who carries sin. Jeremiah gives words for grief and hope. Zechariah points to a pierced One who brings grace. Amos, Micah, Joel, and Nahum show oppression and God’s great reversal. Many voices, one Savior. Trust the King Scripture presents from every century and every page, and declare His righteousness to those now being born.

Key Takeaways
Psalm 22 fits inside a wide network of prophecies written by many authors across many centuries.
Each writer’s moment in history—Assyrian threat, Babylonian siege, Persian return—gives color to the promises Jesus fulfills.
Images of humiliation, piercing, exposure, thirst, and worldwide worship appear in many places, forming a shared testimony.
This unity across the Bible shows God’s authorship and strengthens our confidence in the Messiah’s saving work.

Scripture Reference List
Psalm 22 (David, ca. 1000 BC)
Isaiah 6; 49; 52–53; 55; 57 (Isaiah, late 8th century BC, Jerusalem)
Jeremiah 1; Lamentations 1; 4 (Jeremiah, early 6th century BC, during Jerusalem’s fall)
Zechariah 12 (Zechariah, post-exile Judah, 520–518 BC, Persian period)
Amos 4 (Amos, mid-8th century BC, Northern Kingdom)
Micah 4; 5 (Micah, late 8th century BC, Judah)
Joel 3 (often placed post-exile or late pre-exile)
Nahum 3 (late 7th century BC, against Nineveh)
Psalms 34; 35; 36; 40; 59; 69; 71; 72; 77; 92; 98; 109 (Davidic and temple traditions)
Deuteronomy 33; Joshua 2 (Moses and Joshua eras)
2 Samuel 7 (Davidic covenant recorded in Israel’s royal history)

Prepared by David Hersey of the church of Christ at Granby, MO