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AN INTERTEXTUAL READING of PSALMS 22, 23, and 24 "My God

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AN INTERTEXTUAL READING of PSALMS 22, 23, and 24 AN INTERTEXTUAL READING OF PSALMS 22, 23, AND 24 NANCY L. deCLAISSE-WALFORD '~Q:tUI m~7 ·7~ ·7~. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Thus begins one of the most heartfelt laments in the Hebrew Psalter. It is a lament made more poignant, perhaps, because of its connection with the passion narratives of Jesus of Nazareth. Accord­ ing the writers of the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus spoke the opening words of Psalm 22 in his dying moment as he hung on the crucifixion cross. 1 In addition, Psalm 22 is the traditional psalm read at the feast of Purim, words placed on the lips of Esther as she risks her life to save her people. But Psalm 22 is poignant in itself, without any connection to the he­ roic efforts of Esther or to the passion narratives of the Christian scriptures. J. Clinton McCann, Jr., observes, in fact, that "Psalm 22 is not unique because it is used in the New Testament (and, we might add, used at Purim); rather it is used in the New Testament (and at Purim) because it is unique."2 The words of this psalm are gutsy, graphic, and grief-filled. They give the reader pause; they make the reader stop and consider. So let us pause for a moment and consider the words of Psalm 22. We will begin by observing that Psalm 22 is a usual psalm and yet an unusual psalm. In what ways is it usual? 1. It is a lament. 2. It is ascribed to David. In Book I of the Psalter, where Psalm 22 is located, twenty-seven of the forty-one psalms are laments. And all of the psalms in found here, except for Psalms 1 and 2, are "psalms of David."3 The superscription 1 Angela M. Hubbard, in "Psalm 2 and the Paschal Mystery," The Bible Today 36 (1998) 111, states: "The passion story is probably the oldest continuous narra­ tive about Jesus and Psalm 22 is tightly woven into that narrative." 2 J. Clinton McCann, Jr., "The Book of Psalms," in Leander E. Keck (ed.), The New Interpreter's Bible (Nashville: Abingdon, 1996) 4.762. 3 Psalm 10 is strongly linked to Psalm 9. See H.-J. Kraus, Psalms 1-59: A Commentary (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1988) 188-89; and William L. Holladay, The Psalms through Three Thousand Years: Prayerbook of a Cloud of Witnesses (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993) 77. Psalm 33 has solid linguistic links to Psalm 32. 140 NANCY L. DECLAISSE-WALFORD of Psalm 22 reads, for the leader: 11Jil;iiJ n~~~-translated variously as "upon the deer of the dawn," "upon the doe of the morning," or "ac­ cording to the hind of the dawn." It is usual; it is a lament; it is "of David." PSALMS 18-24 But Psalm 22 is also unusual. It is 13 of the first 17 psalms in Book I are laments: located in a portion of Book I of the Psalter that is different from the rest of Psalm 18-Royal Psalm the Book. Beginning with Psalm 18, Psalm 19-Creation Psalm Psalm 20 -Royal Psalm the psalms in Book I change for a Psalm 21 - Royal Psalm short while from the persistent la­ Psalm 22 - Lament Psalm menting of Psalms 3-17,4 to psalms of Psalm 23 - Trust Psalm different types. Psalm 18, which is Psalm 24 - Entrance Liturgy categorized as a royal psalm, praises 10 of the 17 remaining psalms the kind and good deliverance which are laments. God brings to the king: The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the hom of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. (vv. 1-3)5 Next comes Psalm 19, a creation psalm, which celebrates God's sov­ ereignty over the created world: The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of God's hands. (v. 1) Psalms 20 and 21, are - like Psalm 18 - royal psalms of thanks and praise: Now I know that the LORD saves the LORD's anointed ... For the king trusts in the LORD and through the steadfast love of the Most High; the king will not be shaken. (20:6; 21:7) Thus we find four psalms of thanksgiving and praise (Psalms 18-21) clustered at the end of an extended collection of laments - a break for the reader from the words of Psalms 3-17. Quite dramatically, though, the reader is returned to the realm of lament in Psalm 22: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? ... Oh my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer See Gerald H. Wilson's treatment in The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter (SBLDS 76; Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1985) 174-75. 4 In Psalms 3-17, only Psalms 8 and 15 are not laments. 5 We will use English verse designations throughout the article. .
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