ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY - PART 32

                                           ONE HEARTBEAT                AWAY
                                                  PART 32


(Mark Cahill's Book)

14.  The Old Testament prophesies  that there would be a cry from this Messiah at His death. Psalm 22:1  describes it:

My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?...

Matthew 27:46  describes the fulfillment of this prophecy.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is to say "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

Religious Jews, both men and women, have always, and still do, memorize and recite the Psalms continuously, --- especially when facing difficult situations, and even more so when surrounded by unbelievers. I believe that when Jesus shouted the beginning of Psalm 22, it signified that He had been reciting the Psalms to Himself  right along, as the Jewish custom was and still is. 

And when He reached Psalm 22, which so fully and completely described the scene around Him, he said the first words loudly enough that bystanders  --- who all knew the Psalm, and who also knew that it was  a Messianic prophecy-- would begin to recite along with Him.

Then suddenly, as they recited it they would begin to realize that it was being fulfilled before their eyes, in ways Jesus could not have arranged: His body was being wracked in a particular way. His garments were being gambled for. Soldiers pierced His hands and His feet with huge nails . People were shouting insults at Him, that were predicted in this Psalm, and elsewhere (Isaiah 53).

The people would go on to remember  what all this meant in the prophecy of Isaiah.

Surely He hath borne our
griefs, and carried our 
sorrows; yet we did esteem Him, stricken, smitten by God, and
afflicted.

But He was wounded
for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people was He stricken.

And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His  mouth.

Yet is pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief; When Thou shalt make His soul and offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied; by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many: for He shall bear their iniquities.  (Isaiah : 53: 4-11)

God said His son would cry out at His death
and He did.

Next post:  14 September