S4: Week 30 Day 2: Going Deeper in Psalm 22

Summary

A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace Season 4, Week 30 Day 2: Going Deeper in Psalm 22 Release Date: July 22, 2025

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Introduction

In the "Going Deeper in Psalm 22" episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace, hosts Alexa and Katie guide listeners through an in-depth exploration of Psalm 22. This episode is part of Season 4, which follows the "Christ in All of Scripture" reading plan. The hosts aim to illuminate how Jesus is intricately woven throughout both the Old and New Testaments, enhancing believers' understanding and love for Him.

Context of Psalm 22

The episode begins with Alexa providing valuable historical and literary context for Psalm 22. She explains that the Psalms, considered the Israelites' songbook, were primarily authored by King David, who faced numerous hardships throughout his life. Although Psalm 22 does not tie directly to a specific event, Alexa speculates it may have been written during a period of oppression, such as David's flight from King Saul.

[00:55] Alexa: "The Psalms were written over the course of Israel's history, and they were essentially the Israelites' songbook. [...] In verses six through nine, David writes how people mock him. And in verses 12 through 18, he writes how he's surrounded and a gang of evildoers have closed in on him."

Katie builds on this by highlighting how understanding David's personal struggles makes the Psalm more relatable and emotionally impactful for listeners.

[02:10] Katie: "It's easy to come to Scripture and feel distant from the narratives and the people in Israel's history. But hearing that context just really humanizes David [...] and brings the psalm just up close and personal for us."

Analysis of God's Character in Psalm 22

The hosts delve into the depiction of God's character within Psalm 22. Alexa discusses how, in the initial verses, David feels abandoned by God, yet her understanding of God's omnipresence reassures that God remains nearby even when He seems distant.

[02:39] Alexa: "David feels that God has abandoned him and is not answering him. [...] We know that God was with David. It may have felt like God was far and silent, but God was still near and active."

Katie emphasizes the significance of David's honest dialogue with God, showcasing a profound personal relationship based on trust and dependability.

[04:10] Katie: "What a privilege it is to say that the God who commands the universe is also my God in Jesus."

Application and Insights

Alexa further explores the emotional and spiritual layers of the Psalm, encouraging listeners to find solace in their ability to express vulnerability to God. She underscores that David’s trust in God’s deliverance, despite his feelings of abandonment, serves as a powerful model for believers today.

[04:10] Alexa: "David has seen God deliver him time after time. So even though God felt far, David could trust that God would deliver him."

Katie reinforces this by highlighting the dual nature of God—as both mighty and intimately personal—providing comfort and assurance to those who feel overwhelmed or isolated.

Conclusion and Next Steps

As the episode concludes, Alexa and Katie preview the next session, where they will connect Psalm 22:1-2 with Matthew 27:45-50, drawing parallels that underscore the prophetic nature of the Psalm in relation to Jesus' crucifixion.

[04:29] Katie: "We will be back tomorrow to connect Psalm 22:1 and 2 with Matthew 27:45 50. We'll see you then."

Listeners are encouraged to continue their study with available resources on thedailygraceco.com and follow Daily Grace Co. on social media for additional support and materials.

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This detailed exploration of Psalm 22 not only provides historical and theological insights but also fosters a deeper personal connection with Scripture, illustrating the profound ways in which Jesus is the central figure throughout the Bible.

Transcript

[Host 1]

Welcome to A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. This year, we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study, Christ in All of Scripture. Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the new, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.

[Host 2]

Whether you are doing the study yourself.

[Alexa]

Or just following along with us here.

[Host 2]

We are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire biblical story, but but the center of it.

[Alexa]

Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of A Year in the Bible. My name is Alexa and I'm joined this week by my friend and co worker Katie.

[Host 1]

Hi, Katie.

[Katie]

Hey, friends.

[Alexa]

In the last episode, we discussed the annotation day on Psalm 22:1, 2. And now we want to dive deeper into this passage and learn more about it.

[Katie]

Yes. So to start us off, Alexa, can you share with us where this passage falls in the biblical story?

[Alexa]

Yeah. Last week we discussed Psalm 8, and this week we get to discuss another psalm, which I just love because the Book of Psalms is just one of my favorites in Scripture. The Psalms were written over the course of Israel's history, and they were essentially the Israelites songbook. The Psalms had different authors, but many of them were written by King David. And David went through a lot of hardships before and during his time as king, but David just regularly looked to God in his hard times. And while we do know of some psalms that were written during specific times in David's life, Psalm 22 doesn't have a specific event linked to it. But we do know from other Psalms and from first and Second Samuel that David often had people against him, King Saul, for example. So it's not out of the realm of possibility that David wrote Psalm 22 when he was running from Saul. But even though we don't know that for sure, what we do know is that David was experiencing some. Some kind of oppression from an enemy. In verses six through nine, David writes how people mock him. And in verses 12 through 18, he writes how he's surrounded and a gang of evildoers have closed in on him. So David is just certainly in a time of distress.

[Katie]

Thank you for helping us shed some context on this psalm, Alexa. That is super helpful to know just the context of David's life. It's easy to come to Scripture, you know, and feel distant from the narratives and the people in Israel's history. But hearing that context just really humanizes David, that he went through hard things too, and brings the psalm just up close and personal for us. So I love the Psalms too. All right, friend, let's move forward to discuss God's character. So what do we learn about God from these verses?

[Alexa]

Yeah, I mentioned yesterday that in just verses 1 through 2 of Psalm 22, we don't read anything explicitly about God's character. David feels that God has abandoned him and is not answering him. But like I said yesterday, because we know that God is an omnipresent and imminent God, we know that God was with David. It may have felt like God was far and silent, but God was still near and active. We don't know that from these verses alone. But later on in the psalm, we read of how God delivered David. Even though we don't read a lot about what God is doing explicitly in verses 1 through 2, we do see David crying out to God and calling God my God. And that just really shows us the relationship David has with God. David has a personal relationship with God, a relationship in which David is able to cry out to God for help and deliverance. And not to go too far into application, but I feel like Psalm 22:1 2 is encouraging to those of us who feel like God is distant. God is a God who we can cry out to. And David wouldn't have cried out to God if God wasn't someone that David could depend on and trust in. David has seen God deliver him time after time. So even though God felt far, David could trust that God would deliver him. And we eventually do see that deliverance later on in the psalm. But his honesty in this psalm reminds us that as we seek to trust God, we can cry out to him with vulnerability and be honest with him when he feels far. And we're able to do that because we have a relationship with God.

[Katie]

Yeah, that is so true. What a privilege it is to say that the God who commands the universe is also my God in Jesus. I hope that has encouraged you too today, friends. We will be back tomorrow to connect Psalm 22:1 and 2 with Matthew 27:45 50. We'll see you then.

[Alexa]

Thank you for listening to today's episode.

[Host 2]

Of a Year in the Bible with Daily Grace.

[Alexa]

Be sure to check out our show.

[Host 2]

Notes for some helpful links and resources related to today's episode.

[Alexa]

And make sure you're following Daily Grace.

[Host 2]

Podcast and hedaily Grace Co on Instagram for more Bible study resources and encouragement.

[Alexa]

We're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow. Bye friends.