Psalms Twenty-Two Commentary

I. Introduction

Our purpose is to render a commentary on Psalm twenty-two. We believe that David, the “sweet psalmist of Israel” wrote this psalm, entirely under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, some one-thousand years before the birth of our blessed Savior Jesus Christ, who is the primary subject of its verses (2Sa 23:1-2). From a spiritual point of view, this psalm is without doubt one of the greatest works of fulfilled Messianic prophecy in the Christian Bible, in that it coheres in amazing detail with the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior. From a practical point of view as concerns David, the secondary subject of its verses, we do not know what aspect of his life may have occasioned the psalm’s writing, but it seems clear that David had fallen out of fellowship with Jehovah God, which suggests, in light of the Old Testament norms that governed his spirituality, that he wrote it stained through and guilt-riddled with Sin. This would be in keeping with his role as the mouthpiece for his Subject Jesus, who was similarly stained through and guilt-riddled with our Sin, and consequentially experienced a similar broken fellowship with Father God…vicariously, on our behalf.

We will follow this format:

• Verse of Scripture utilizing the YLT text followed by an NASB mouse-over of that verse. Key words in the YLT text will be footnoted with a link to a word study based on the Hebrew text, and/or a general discussion relative to the given word.

• Commentary We shall be commenting on this passage keeping before us at all times the crucial fact that every jot and every tittle comprising these verses came forth under the inspiration of the blessed Holy Spirit. We pray that He, by His grace, helps us along the way.

II. Psalms Twenty-two Commentary Verses

22:1-3 Forsaken, Yet My Father Thou Art Holy

YLT TEXT: To the Overseer, on `The Hind [1] of the Morning.’ — A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation, The words of my roaring? My God, I call by day, and Thou answerest not, And by night, and there is no silence to me. And Thou [art] holy, Sitting — the Praise of Israel. Psa 22:1-3

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of David: The great Jehovah God whipped David “with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men” (2Sa 7:14), for his iniquity; for his willful sins. Yes, it was God who laid David low and whipped him. Yet in His faithfulness (to His covenant with David (Psa 89:20-34), and in His lovingkindness, His mercy He withdrew not entirely from him (2Sa 7:15). Jehovah God punished David severely for his sins. And nothing stayed that punishment—though David cried out to God in anguish, yea, with a woeful “roaring,” and persistently, ‘by day and by night,’ his punishment was to run its predetermined course. Why; why did God whip David so? Because God, against the backdrop of a beautiful and lovely covenant with David (2Sa 7:8-13), had decreed that if David commits iniquity he would be thus punished. And God, Jehovah God, the holy One, does not (cannot) break His Word (Psa 138:2); indeed, He punishes Sin for righteousness’ sake, for His Name’s sake. David embraced this, for he says at the end of his crying ”…yet thou art holy…” David knew that holy God was acting on behalf of Righteousness: ‘…why, great God, hast thou forsaken me? For I cry out to thee by day and by night, O our fellowship is broken; yet, thou art holy…’ Upon the thought of that holiness, that purpose behind God’s inaction to his pleas, he launches into praises: “…thou who art enthroned on the praises of Israel…” This (declarative) praise continues in the next few verses as David recollects God’s faithfulness and lovingkindness toward his fathers.

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of our Savior Jesus: We must now try to engage the physical and spiritual sufferings of our Lord Jesus, for though David cries out to God here for himself, he speaks through the Holy Spirit O so prophetically of the aloneness of our great savior God Jesus at His crucifixion. Jehovah God, long ago, committed to another decree, a decree to our ancient parents Adam and Eve, also concerning iniquity. Against the backdrop of a beautiful and lovely covenant with humankind, our great God decreed that if they commit iniquity, if they sin (disobey God), they would taste death (Gen 3:16-19; note Rom 6:23). That decree is immutable but by condition of the Sovereign, Jehovah God. Yes, it was God who thus laid humankind low and whipped him. But death, this physical death, is not the sore edict here, it is spiritual death—eternal separation from a holy Jehovah God on the heels of physical death—that is the great dread and misery of the soul (Psa 5:5, 24:3-6, Mat 13:49, 25:45-46, Luk 21:36, again, Rom 6:23, Rev 2:11, 20:6, 20:14, 21:8). But there is hope, for the saints of God are not forsaken by God, eternally separated from Him, owing to the separation that Jesus here bore vicariously for fallen humankind (Lev 16:22, Isa 53:5-6, 53:11, 1Pe 2:24, “Jesus Our Jubilee III.B”). And this, by condition of the Sovereign, is satisfaction of His divine justice and righteousness: He, Jesus, the innocent One, was forsaken, that we, the guilty ones, might not be forsaken [2, 3]. Jesus knew that holy God was acting on behalf of Righteousness here “…yet thou art holy…” He says through the lips of His servant David. Jesus cried “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mar 15:34), those lonesome, prophecy-fulfilling words, because He, stained through by our Sin, was in fact forsaken by Father God, in our place.

22:4-5 Thou Willest Not To Help Me

YLT TEXT: In Thee did our fathers trust — they trusted, And Thou dost deliver them. Unto Thee they cried, and were delivered, In Thee they trusted, and were not ashamed. Psa 22:4-5

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of David: Straightaway out of the bowels of his abandonment by God David recalls God’s mighty deeds to his fathers; he reminds himself (and God) that they simply trusted in God for deliverance at such times as they needed deliverance, and faithful and able God delivered them. David here realizes that though he too trusts in this great God for deliverance, and has been shown His special favor many times heretofore, yet now He will not move on his behalf…because of his Sin. This must have left David with a sobering emptiness in his inner being.

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of our Savior Jesus: In the days of His flesh our Savior, like David, depended upon Father God for everything. And His Father provided—but not now at the hour of His Passion. He is forsaken by God, left to die, alone. These verses in application to our Savior show us that God fully willed that our Lord suffer and die as the Deliverer, for God could have delivered Jesus had He willed to do so, as evidenced by His mighty acts of deliverance for the beloved patriarchs, to whom Jesus has a special kinship (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, et al.). God delivered Jesus’ kin in the flesh, but He will not presently deliver Jesus—in order ultimately to satisfy divine justice…through His Deliverer (Rom 6:23). Notice: It is because of Jesus’ sacrifice that the patriarchs were able to realize their various sorts of deliverance; that freed God’s hand to act when He deemed it right to do so, for the sin-delivering sacrifice of the Cross of necessity justifies God’s saints looking backward and forward. But Jesus, Himself the vehicle of Deliverance, is here sin-stained and thus forsaken without deliverance. The difference to David is that while David was not presently delivered owing to the stain of his own Sin, Jesus was not delivered owing to the stain of our Sin. God’s abandonment of David owing to his Sin shows our Predicament (broken fellowship with Jehovah God, which is tantamount to Death), while God’s abandonment of Jesus owing to His bearing our Sin shows our Deliverance (the possibility for restored fellowship with Jehovah God through faith in the Deliverer Jesus, which is tantamount to Life).

22:6-8 Stark Humiliation

YLT TEXT: And I [am] a worm, and no man, A reproach of man, and despised of the people. All beholding me do mock at me, They make free with the lip — shake the head, `Roll unto Jehovah, He doth deliver him, He doth deliver him, for he delighted in him.’ Psa 22:6-8

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of David: David was a much beloved king, but in the end, popularity is usually fleeting, owing to the largely fickle allegiances of the human heart. One thinks of Absalom’s rebellion, the twisted jealousies of Saul, Michal’s mockery, and so forth here [4].

What were these vipers thinking when they invoked Jehovah’s name thus to David? No human can judge another’s tether to God, as these snakes here were doing. Man judges by outward appearances, but God looks at the heart (1Sa 16:7), thus He alone is able to soundly judge Sin, for Sin is a matter of the heart (Pro 15:28, Mat 12:34, 15:19). They not only slighted David here, they slighted Jehovah God by this vain use of His name and by presuming on His judgments.

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of our Savior Jesus: Jesus was much admired by the masses as a Teacher and a Rabbi in His day—the masses flocked to Him, to His words about God, words of hope, and no doubt flocked to Him just to be near that beautiful and lovely character and persona of His [5]. What popularity was on display at His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, however, soon turned into vehement disapproval of Him. And it is in the wake of that disapproval that these verses come full circle concerning our Lord. The twisted jealousies of the Pharisees had fanned a flickering flame of disapproval of Him all along, and by now, at His Passion, had fanned the same into a raging fire of disapproval and belittlement. And the power-monger Sadducees, headed by that wicked house of Annas, in concert with the Pharisees, saw to it that He would be killed. Their combined influence and pressure made our Lord’s life “unbearable” at times we can be sure. But here David speaks of our Savior’s crucifixion, for these words of David bring us to that moment when our Savior’s enemies had Him right where they wanted Him (let us not forget that Satan is at the vanguard here). And from the prophetic text we can understand that when they had Him vulnerable, “scourged to a pulp” as is said, and gasping for His last breath, they proceeded to exact every last bit of pain from Him that they could, by their stares, and gesturing, and finger-pointing, and lip-service mockery, and what not. It is noteworthy that it was said: ‘Roll unto Jehovah, He doth deliver him…’ seeing that just before in crying out Jesus despaired of Jehovah God forsaking Him—O how those words must have pierced Him; indeed, tested Him, tested His resolve to endure, alone, without His eternal companion and Father (Psa 71:10-12). One sees here how that wicked enemy Satan plays on the vulnerability of his perceived prey (“A Threefold Test”).

22:9-11 Though Thou Succor Me Not, Yet I Trust Thee My Father God

YLT TEXT: For thou [art] He bringing me forth from the womb, Causing me to trust, On the breasts of my mother. On Thee I have been cast from the womb, From the belly of my mother Thou [art] my God. Be not far from me, For adversity is near, for there is no helper. Psa 22:9-11

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of David: Here is faith. This man David trusted God, even when there was seemingly no tangible evidence to warrant any trust.

But notice the text—David had a calling: “…From the womb, From the belly of my mother Thou art my God…” If ever there was a person anointed of God it was David (besides our Lord of course). It is clear that God the Holy Spirit laid a heavy hand upon David at his conception. Here is a man called by God for a very specific purpose. And David knew it, was made privy to it by God (as evidenced by his own words here; cf. 2Sa 23:1-2). David engaged that blessing with a stalwart faith in the God who had revealed Himself to David: “…causing me to trust…” and whom David had come to know (and love) intimately. One cannot give up simply because God chooses not to help, one must, like David here, and our Lord, trust Him to the end (cf. holy Job-Job 13:15). And so David continues to plead, “…Be not far from me, for adversity is near, for there is no helper…” Notice again the text: “…Be not far from me…” (cf. BLB versions). ‘…If only thou art nearby, all is well Father God (cf. Exd 33:14-15); though thou helpest me not, yet be ever so nearby my God; they seek to lay me waste, be thou nearby my God, for there is no helper (= I am so alone in this without you)…’

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of our Savior Jesus: Jesus, the Anointed of God, was called by God for a very specific purpose (Isa 61:1-3, Luk 4:18). In these verses, our Lord speaks through David of that calling, and shows us how He, forsaken by God, longed, nay, craved for Father God to be nearby in the outworking of that calling (His Passion), but it is our view that He, Father God, separated Himself from our Lord and did not come nearby; we think our Lord died very much alone, yet trusting God (Psa 31:5, Luk 23:46). He died alone like that vicariously, stained through by our Sin, so that you and I might not (justly) die alone; that we might not slip into an eternity completely void of any trace of Life (=Jehovah God). This is the design of our loving God; it is the testimony of Christianity.

22:12-13 The Enemy, Strong and Fierce, Mouths Gaping, Hath Compassed Me Round About

YLT TEXT: Many bulls have surrounded me, Mighty ones of Bashan [6] have compassed me, They have opened against me their mouth, A lion tearing and roaring. Psa 22:12-13

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of David: Bulls and lions—these are symbolic of strength and ferocity, respectively. Both—the latter specifically—are shown with mouth open. There is in this passage probably conveyed an element of the deadly power of deceit. False accusations, when presented just so, accomplish great evil with deadly power. In other words, the modus operandi of Satan is probably on display, as executed by his flesh and blood stooges in the world.

Any of the many trials that David went through would fit the context here, but since there seems to be a reference to deceit, perhaps false accusation, the rebellion and intrigues of Absalom and civil war might be in view (2Sa 15:1-6; see also 2Sa 24:1-10 and the census that might have been twisted into an accusation of potential forced labor; note Psa 7:8, 43:1). Another major enemy, strong and ferocious, that nearly prevailed against David would be Saul; the protracted hounding of David by Saul. We do not include David’s foreign campaigns here because he was ultimately so successful on that front. His major problems were domestic, and rather self-inflicted one might say. When we turn to the spiritual realm, we find David’s real enemy in Satan, strong and ferocious, ‘the father of lies, and a murderer from the beginning’ (Jhn 8:44; note 1Pe 5:8). One must assume that he sought to exploit David’s follies in effort to eliminate (devour) him, and thus rupture the Messianic lineage.

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of our Savior Jesus: Scripture makes it clear that the masses admired Jesus, and flocked to Him for various reasons; the masses are probably not the fierce enemies in view here. On the other hand, the Pharisaic assault against Jesus was persistent, and gained momentum as Jesus’ ministry left Galilee and moved to its climax in Jerusalem. And it is here that these verses find full meaning; the bulls and lions, strong and ferocious, that beset Jesus were His Pharisaic enemies and the power-monger Sadducees. Especially the Sadducees were quite strong, owing to their sway with Rome. In the end we see arrayed against Jesus the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and Rome as the instrument of execution. Small wonder that Jesus, prophetically through the lips of David speaks here of being compassed about by a strong and ferocious host of gaping-mouthed enemies; liars, weaving a satanic web of deceit and trumped up accusations (Mar 14:55-59, Holy Week: The Events of Holy Week:I). They had Him “hemmed in” on all sides by way of deceit: The Pharisees on the spiritual side by way of their self-serving charge of blasphemy and other concocted charges of Mosaic “Law-breaking,” the Sadducees on the secular side by by way of their self-serving charge of sedition, and Rome, unassailable in that day, by way of its peculiar delusions of sovereign justice scourged our Lord nearly to death, and then muscled Him onto a Cross to die. And Satan, that roaring lion, the mastermind here and consummate enemy of Christ, whom Jesus must have eyed all along (Jhn 14:30), seduced each participant to do their part, though we can be sure that some did not need much seducing (Fig. 1).

22:14-21 In the Throes of Death: The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

YLT TEXT: As waters I have been poured out, And separated themselves have all my bones, My heart hath been like wax, It is melted in the midst of my bowels. Dried up as an earthen vessel is my power, And my tongue is cleaving to my jaws. And to the dust of death thou appointest me, For surrounded me have dogs, A company of evil doers have compassed me, Piercing my hands and my feet. I count all my bones — they look expectingly, They look upon me, They apportion my garments to themselves, And for my clothing they cause a lot to fall. And Thou, O Jehovah, be not far off, O my strength, to help me haste. Deliver from the sword my soul, From the paw of a dog mine only one. Save me from the mouth of a lion: — And — from the horns of the high places Thou hast answered me! Psa 22:14-21

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of David: Some of these verses make sense from the vantage point of David in his struggles to survive the onslaught of his enemies—his fear, his heart growing weak over being beset by enemies, indeed being surrounded by enemies, whom he would reckon as evildoers that sought to kill him, but then other verses simply do not make sense from this vantage point. For example, the piercing of his hands and feet, his bones separating, the lot cast for his clothing—these descriptors in particular argue for a different vantage point.

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of our Savior Jesus: Given the historical facts concerning Jesus, especially His crucifixion, these verses fit snug and seamlessly here. The verses self-evidently relate the agony and misery of our dying, crucified, incarnate God and Savior Jesus Christ.

“As waters I have been poured out…” That is to say, His life, our Savior’s life—He sees it ebbing away, poured out as water; what a desperate picture.

“And separated themselves have all my bones…” This is the natural consequence of crucifixion (but note Psa 34:20, Jhn 19:36—separated, not broken).

“My heart hath been like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels…” That is to say, His heart has sunken; emotionally, from fear, grief, sorrow, and physically from enlargement attendant to blood loss, dehydration, fluid collection, pain, physical strain.

“Dried up as an earthen vessel is my power…” this is consequent to that vicious scourging He received prior to crucifixion (Mat 27:26), and then upon crucifixion more blood loss, dehydration, and unrelenting, persistent, excruciating pain—in the aggregate these robbed Him of His strength.

“And my tongue is cleaving to my jaws…” That is to say, His tongue, probably swollen, was sticking to the roof of His mouth. This is a picture of loss of dexterity, and numbness, owing to loss of blood, loss of strength, dehydration, heart complications, and great physical and emotional stress.

“And to the dust of death thou appointest me…” Here it is noteworthy that the word “dust” is used (BLB versions; cf. Gen 3:16-19). This is likely a confirmation of the substitutionary nature of this death Jesus is dying. Note also the word “appointest:” Jesus was appointed to die this substitutionary death (Gen 3:15, Psa 39:9, Isa 53:10, Jhn 18:11, Act 2:23), a charge He took willingly (Psa 40:7, Luk 22:42, Jhn 18:8, Hbr 10:7).

“For surrounded me have dogs, A company of evil doers have compassed me (see 22:12-13), piercing my hands and my feet…” There can hardly be a more explicit description of crucifixion than this.

“I count all my bones…” Stripped naked for crucifixion, this indicates to us that our Lord’s bones were exposed through His undoubted greatly flayed skin, which is an indication of the severity of the scourging He received prior to crucifixion (Isa 52:14). Moreover, our Savior’s bones were separating on the cross, which suggests a further ghastly penetration through His severely flayed skin and torn flesh as He shifted His weight to try to find some measure of relief from the pain [7].

“they look expectingly, They look upon me…” Look expectingly, that is, waiting for Him to die, which to them was proof positive that He was an imposter, a blasphemer, pretending to be the very God (Mar 14:61-62). And the stares, some stares of reveling in His suffering, some stares appalled by His ghastly form, some stares upon His nakedness.

“They apportion my garments to themselves, and for my clothing they cause a lot to fall…” His clothes (Jhn 19:23-24), His skin, His flesh, His very bones separating, His human dignity, and priceless deity laid aside—when He died, there was nothing left to give. Thus our great savior God loves us.

And then comes again the reverberating plea of His Passion, which is denied ‘…Papa, please, come hither, be nearby, my Strength and Deliverer, my beloved Father…’ (cf. 22:9-11). O the miserable aloneness the unbelieving, disdaining, mockers of God shall taste; one cannot bear to think of it (Hbr 10:28-31; today is the day of Salvation, for tomorrow may be too late, “A Letter of Invitation”). Finally, a word that at first thought seems out of context: “…from the horns of the high places Thou hast answered me!…” Clearly, this is a view to the Resurrection (Psa 16:10, Mat 16:21, 17:22-23, 1Cr 15:3-8, Hbr 5:7). That is to say: ‘…Yea, forsaken today, but resurrected on high the third day…in the full strength of Life’ (BLB versions).

22:22-26 O Let the Redeemed Praise Jehovah God, Hallelujah!

YLT TEXT: I declare Thy name to my brethren, In the midst of the assembly I praise Thee. Ye who fear Jehovah, praise ye Him, All the seed of Jacob, honour ye Him, And be afraid of Him, all ye seed of Israel. For He hath not despised, nor abominated, The affliction of the afflicted, Nor hath He hidden His face from him, And in his crying unto Him He heareth. Of Thee my praise [is] in the great assembly. My vows I complete before [8] His fearers. The humble do eat and are satisfied, Praise Jehovah do those seeking Him, Your heart doth live for ever. Psa 22:22-26

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of David: The sweet psalmist of Israel did indeed praise Jehovah to his brethren; this is literally fulfilled by way of the many psalms, that is, songs of praise he wrote to Jehovah God. In the temple, then the synagogue, and ever since the inception of the Christian Church in the sanctuary, these psalms have been central to the worship of Jehovah: “…In the midst of the assembly I praise Thee…” [9].

David teaches us that a natural consequence of fearing Jehovah God is to praise Him. This puts a good foundation under the term “Fear of the Lord.” It goes a long way in defining that term insofar as what that term means and what it cannot possibly mean, for praise attends a very specific bent of the heart and perspective of the mind (“Be Holy”).

“…All the seed of Jacob, honour ye Him, And be afraid of Him, all ye seed of Israel …”—this is literally Israel, but by “grafting” it is also Christendom (Gen 18:18, 22:18, 26:4, 28:14, Rom 4:13, 11:17-20, Gal 3:8-9, 3:16, Rev 7:9)—all must praise and honor Jehovah declares David. Here are the words of a lover of God; David greatly loved Jehovah God in that he thought constantly of how to bring Him honor and praise.

It is noteworthy that a man who had just before spoken so despairingly of being forsaken by God in the midst of his affliction here affirms God’s faithfulness in attending to the cries of the afflicted. How can this jibe? As said above, David knew that Jehovah God had forsaken him for his Sin; had forsaken him for the cause of Righteousness (22:1-3). David makes clear here that is not the case however for the righteous. God is faithful to His people. And God’s justice, divine justice, is cause for praising God: “…The humble do eat and are satisfied, Praise Jehovah do those seeking Him, Your heart doth live for ever…”

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of our Savior Jesus: “…I declare Thy name to my brethren, In the midst of the assembly I praise Thee…” Do not those words ring sweet Christian brethren, coming from Jesus through the lips of David; Amen?! Here is Jesus, “in the midst of the lampstands” (Rev 2:5), praising Father God through you and me, by our mutual worship of God in His, Jesus’ blessed and holy Name. Here is Jesus affirming our special familial ties to one another and to God.

That the afflicted are heard by God finds its grounds in Jesus: Jesus can say these words because He has sanctified a people unto God, and these blessed ones, righteous before God, are never forsaken by God. His Redemption is the very reason these words concerning God’s response to the afflicted are consistent throughout this psalm.

Notice: Jesus completes His vows (Psa 40:7, Hbr 10:7-10) before His (Father God’s) fearers. That is to say, He consummates Redemption before those that fear God (Mar 3:32-35), and those alone it must be understood: “… My [=Jesus] vows I complete before His [=Father God’s] fearers…” (Psa 66:16). It is not enough to pay Father God sundry kinds of melodious sounding salvific lip-service (Isa 29:13, Mar 7:6-7)—without fearing Him, Redemption cannot be consummated in a soul, precisely because it is Jesus that justifies a lost soul, and if He does not consummate His vows before us there is no justification and hence no Redemption (BLB versions) [10].

22:27-31 Unto the Ends of the Earth Shall This Gospel Be Preached

YLT TEXT: Remember and return unto Jehovah, Do all ends of the earth, And before Thee bow themselves, Do all families of the nations, For to Jehovah [is] the kingdom, And He is ruling among nations. And the fat ones of earth have eaten, And they bow themselves, Before Him bow do all going down to dust, And he [who] hath not revived his soul. A seed doth serve Him, It is declared of the Lord to the generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done [it]. Psa 22:27-31

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of David: There can be no doubt that David saw his God as utterly sovereign (cf. Moses Exd 9:29, David again Psa 24:1). David recognized humankind’s Sin bent: Zealous abandonment of Jehovah God in lieu of other gods [11]. That is to say, he saw the central problem between humankind and God. But his thoroughgoing faith in Jehovah’s sovereignty brought him to the conclusion that all must, in one way or another, return to Jehovah God and bow down before Him (Isa 45:22). This was a foregone conclusion to David.

The last verses: “A seed doth serve Him, It is declared of the Lord to the generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done it.”, like above with respect to the crucifixion of Jesus (22:14-21), are highly prophetic and fit best the context of the fruits of the Salvation Jesus wrought—here is declared long before its inception the Christian Church; the Body of Christ, His Bride.

COMMENTARY-From the vantage point of our Savior Jesus: It is through our Savior that David’s words here are realized, specifically through the Word of God, reflected in Jesus. That is to say, the Gospel, the preaching of the good news of Salvation, itself squarely centered on Jesus, to those distant and far from Jehovah God (Mat 24:14), sets up the possibility for their return to God (Psa 89:15-17, Rom 10:11-15) [12]. This is the function of the Christian Church, here prophetically anticipated: “…A seed doth serve him, It is declared of the Lord to the generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done it…” That is to say, that our God has redeemed humankind (Gen 3:15, see 22:14-21), and based on that Redemption is calling us now to enter into a blessed, eternal, and beautifully holy fellowship with Himself (Mat 28:18-20).

Those that hear this Gospel, and accept it, those who come to saving belief and faith in the Savior Jesus in response, do willingly return to Jehovah and yield their allegiance to Him (bow down before Him), as implied by these verses, and those that hear and do not accept (the “fat of the earth,” that is, those secure in themselves and this world), will bow before Him as well, whether they like it or not—all will bow before the great and awesome Jehovah God one day (Phl 2:10) [13]. The logic set forth is so simple and clear: If one must bow before Him ultimately (for He is quintessentially sovereign), why not bow before Him willingly, earnestly, and gain the benefit of His blessed, eternal fellowship, which is tantamount to Life in its fullest (A Letter of Invitation)?

Praised and cherished be your Name great savior God.