Analyzing Psalm 22: No Strength, Incredible Thirst, To Dust
Psalm 22: 15; John 19:28-30 - Little details that show the remarkable links in the Word of God from King David to the King of Kings
”My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death.“
Psalms 22:15 NASB1995
David now describes that his strength is gone (“dried up like a potsherd”) and his tongue “cleaves to my jaws”. A potsherd was a piece of dried pottery and, of course, dehydration will cause the moisture in the mouth to disappear, causing the tongue to stick to the sides of the mouth (if you have ever been even slightly dehydrated you will know what I’m talking about).
Let’s think about Jesus after the Last Supper with His apostles. The group goes to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prays fervently and His apostles keep watch (by falling asleep). He is arrested there and moved around to various places during the night and into the early morning as accusations fly. He is with the Sanhedrin (informally and formally), with Pilate, with Herod, and back again with Pilate. He is scourged and beaten. Do you think anyone thought about offering Him a sip of water or diluted wine during this time? I’m sure that any mercies or aid were strictly avoided by the parties involved.
Jesus was probably on the cross for about six hours before He died. Of course, one of the last words from Him concerns His thirst, in fulfillment of the prophecy in this Psalm:
”After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, *said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.“
John 19:28-30 NASB1995
Referring again to the great commentary in the Blue Letter Bible by Dr. David Tarasaka, here is what he says about the thirst of Jesus:
Having suffered severe blood losses from His numerous beatings and thus in a dehydrated state, Jesus, in one of His final statements, said "I thirst." He was offered 2 drinks on the cross. The first, which He refused, was a drugged wine (mixed with myrrh). He chose to face death without a clouded mind. A. Edersheim writes:
"It was a merciful Jewish practice to give to those led to execution a draught of strong wine mixed with myrrh so as to deaden consciousness" (Mass Sem 2.9; Bemid. R. 10). This charitable office was performed at the cost of, if not by, an association of women in Jerusalem (Sanh. 43a). The draught was offered to Jesus when He reached Golgotha. But having tasted it....He would not drink it.....He would meet Death, even in his sternest and fiercest mood, and conquer by submitting to the full....(p.880, ‘The Life and Times of Jesus”).”
The second drink, which He accepts moments before His death, is described as a wine vinegar. Two points are important to note. The drink was given on the "stalk of a hyssop plant". Remember that these events occurred at the Feast of the Passover. During this feast, (Exod 12:22) hyssop was used to apply the blood of the Passover lamb to the wooden doorposts of the Jews. It is interesting the end of this hyssop stalk pointed to the blood of the Perfect Lamb which was applied to the wooden cross for the salvation of all mankind. (William Barclay). In addition, the wine vinegar is a product of fermentation, which is made from grape juice and yeast. The word literally means "that which is soured" and is related to the Hebrew term for "that which is leavened"(Holmans Bible Dictionary). Yeast or leaven, is a Biblical symbol of sin. When Jesus took this drink, (i.e. a drink which was "leavened") it is thus symbolic of His taking the sins of the world into His body.
WOW! There is a lot to unpack in this, just like the amazing story of the crimson worm. Read that second paragraph again. I have probably read these stories of our Lord’s passion many times, but the little details escaped my attention, like the use of hyssop during Passover to apply the blood of the sacrificial lamb and the fact that the soured wine is actually leavened, representing the sins of the world. I was literally TODAY years old when I gleaned the details about this moment on the cross.
David goes on to say that God lays him in the dust of death. David obviously survived whatever difficulty led to this Psalm, but the greater Forsaken one does not escape that fate. We are dust, as God told Adam after his sin. Here’s a nice summary of this passage from Enduring Word:
You have brought me to the dust of death: David used this moving poetic phrase to describe the extent of his misery. He probably had in mind the curse God pronounced upon Adam after his sin: For dust you are, and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:19). Since all humanity was contained in Adam, this curse extends to the entire human race, and David felt himself close to the dust of death.
Obviously, David did not die in the crisis described by this psalm; he lived to write it and others. He came to the edge of mortality when God brought him to the dust of death. Yet Jesus, the Son of David, did not merely come to the edge of death; He was plunged into the dust of death and into all of the cursedness implied by that. Jesus bore the sting of Adam’s curse for us (Galatians 3:13) so that we would not have to bear it ourselves.
We will all die. There is no escaping this fate among mortal humans. It might be tomorrow, it might be months or years from now. As I get closer to some of the later milestones in life, I am fully cognizant of death being a constant companion, even in times of good health and well-being. If you are nearing death (and you never know when it will strike) it is not too late to give your remaining life to Him, who died for us on the cross.
My next devotional examines Psalm 22:16-18 - The dogs who draw lots for His clothes.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - One again, I am in awe of how all of Your Word ties together so perfectly. May I always be aware of the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb and also know that the dust of death is near. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
The Blue Letter Bible “Medical Aspects of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ” was compiled by David Terasaka, M.D. ©1996. All Rights Reserved, David Terasaka, M.D. However, permission is hereby granted to copy and distribute free of charge for non-commercial purposes only.
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.
Another wow moment. Thank you Barb.