It is written:
“I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.” (Psalm 22:22)
In the midst of His suffering and death, the Psalmist prophesied that He would still bring praises to God. He had certainly died (cf. Psalm 22:15, 29). How, then, would He be able to sing praises to God among His brethren?
“In verses 19-21 Messiah offers a prayer for help. Then verses 22-31 records the vindication of Messiah. Verse 22b reads, “in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” How can Messiah praise God in the midst of the assembly if he died? Only by resurrection.” (Massimo Lorenzini, The Promise of Messiah: A Survey of the Major Messianic Prophecies, 52 (Kindle Edition); Frontline Ministries)
Throughout Psalm 22-24, there are several subtle clues which foreshadow the resurrection of the Messiah. Recall from our previous studies that Psalm 22, 23, and 24 are united together in form and composition. Now, consider these words:
“Psalms 22, 23, and 24 are sometimes viewed as a trilogy, with Psalm 22 speaking of Christ as our suffering Savior, Psalm 23 representing Him as our daily Lord, and Psalm 24 as our coming King. Psalm 22 and 23 have been discussed previously, as messianic psalms. Psalm 24 also features Christ, but now as victorious over death and sin, preparing to complete His purpose in creation and to establish His eternal kingdom.” (Henry M. Morris with Henry M. Morris III, Treasures In The Psalms, 187 (Kindle Edition); Green Forest, AR; Master Books)
With this unity of Scripture in mind, consider the following powerful indicators of resurrection in the text:
“Why has the composer of Ps 22 delayed the overt and explicit confirmation of his demise to the conclusion of the psalm? A statement of that sort at v. 21 would possibly seem to have been more appropriate. However, its deferral to the end can be understood in view of what follows. Psalm 23 contains a similar construction using the same noun “( my) life.” The traditional rendering along the lines of, “he restores my soul” (HCSB “renews my life”) of Ps 23: 3 should be understood as a direct response to Ps 22: 29 which states literally, “he brought my life back.” The delay of an explicit death reference to the end of Ps 22 situates it closely to the answer in Ps 23: 3, where the same messianic king is resurrected from the dead. Not only are there matching nouns between Ps 22: 29 and 23: 3—nephesh (“ life”; HCSB “soul”), but also analogous verbal patterns of Piel and Polel. 37 Death in Ps 22 is defeated in Ps 23, and likewise the distance of Ps 22 is dissolved in Ps 23. A closely parallel use of language in Ps 30: 3 to Ps 22: 29 convincingly confirms that it is the messianic king who was not kept alive.” (Robert L. Cole, “Psalm 22: The Suffering Of The Messianic King,” in Michael Rydelnik & Edwin Blum, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy: Studies and Expositions of the Messiah in the Old Testament, 537 (Kindle Edition); Chicago; Moody Publishers).
The resurrection of the King was clearly foretold.
The Messiah knew that the suffering and death He would endure would not be the end.
Jesus knowledge of His resurrection from the dead gave Him hope and consolation in facing the trials He endured.
May the same certainty make us bold to follow where the Lord sends.
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