Psalm 22:20

The sword shows that the enemy wants to kill.

The psalmist prays to God for help with his troubles. Only the Lord can protect him from dogs, lions, and oxen.

The psalmist switches between thinking about his current difficult situation and remembering the Lord's past faithfulness. He ends the psalm with a prayer for rescue.

All previous laments seem minor compared to this outcry against the enemy and God's abandonment. The psalm has two main sections:

• the lament (Psalm 22:1–21) and

• praise for redemption (Psalm 22:22–31).

This naturally leads to Psalm 23.

The apostles saw this psalm as expressing the sufferings of Jesus Christ. He ultimately fulfilled the purpose of David's humiliation, rejection by people, and divine abandonment (Matthew 27:35, 39, 43, 46; Mark 15:34; John 19:23–24, 28; Hebrews 2:12).

This series of psalms shows a journey from confidence and commitment (Psalms 20–21), through anguish and abandonment (Psalm 22), and finally to comfort, insight, and hope (Psalms 23–24).