How does Psalm 22:31 foreshadow the coming of Jesus Christ? Immediate Literary Setting Psalm 22 begins with, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” (v. 1), moves through vivid descriptions of crucifixion–like suffering (vv. 14-18), turns to confident petition (vv. 19-24), and ends in worldwide praise (vv. 27-31). Verse 31 is the climactic line that seals the psalmist’s hope in a finished divine act. Foreshadowing the Cross in the Language of Completion 1. Jesus’ final cry, “It is finished!” (John 19:30, tetelestai) mirrors Psalm 22:31’s “He has done it.” Both employ perfect-aspect verbs declaring a completed redemptive work. 2. The Septuagint (c. 250 BC) renders Psalm 22:31 with ὅτι ἐποίησεν (“for He has accomplished”), the same lexical family echoed by John’s τετέλεσται, evidencing a recognized prophetic link long before the Incarnation. Prophetic Trajectory: From Suffering Servant to Worldwide Witness • “They will come” anticipates post-resurrection believers obeying the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Acts records Jews and Gentiles “coming” to announce Christ’s righteousness. • “To a people yet unborn” embraces every generation after Calvary—including ours—fulfilling Isaiah 53:10, “He will see His offspring.” • “His righteousness” points to the imputed righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), the core of Pauline soteriology. Intertextual Confirmation in the New Testament • Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 cite Psalm 22:1 verbatim at Golgotha, anchoring the psalm in Jesus’ own consciousness. • John 19:23-24 quotes Psalm 22:18 concerning soldiers casting lots for his garments. • Hebrews 2:12 cites Psalm 22:22 to ground Jesus’ solidarity with those He saves, placing the entire psalm in a messianic frame. Dead Sea Scrolls and Textual Reliability 4QPsa (c. 125 BC) contains Psalm 22 with wording identical to the Masoretic Text, predating Christ by two centuries. The match eliminates any charge that Christians rewrote the psalm post-crucifixion. Historical and Archaeological Corroboration The Roman practice of crucifixion (nailing hands/feet, public humiliation, gambling for victims’ clothes) aligns precisely with Psalm 22:16-18, a scene unknown in David’s era (c. 1000 BC) but standard by 1st-century Judea, confirming predictive accuracy. Theological Synthesis: A Completed Atonement Psalm 22:31 summarizes the entire redemptive drama: • Objective accomplishment: “He has done it.” • Ongoing proclamation: “They will come and proclaim.” • Universal scope: “A people yet unborn.” This mirrors Romans 3:25-26—God publicly displayed Christ “to demonstrate His righteousness… so that He would be just and the justifier.” Pastoral and Missional Implication Because “He has done it,” salvation rests not on human effort but on trusting the risen Christ. The verse commissions every generation to declare that finished work until He returns. Summary Psalm 22:31 prophetically previews Good Friday’s cry of completion, Easter’s proclamation of righteousness, and Pentecost’s global mission. In six Hebrew words, David foretells the accomplishment, announcement, and perpetuation of the gospel—centuries before the cross—affirming Jesus as the promised Messiah. |
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