Ankle bone with a Roman nail through it.
Photo credit: https://crossroadsbible.net/2020/05/22/new-evidence-of-crucifixion/
“Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircle me, they pierce my hands and feet.”
Ps 22: 16, NIV
They say writers hit a wall, and to be honest, I don't really call myself a writer; I would call myself a preacher, but this verse had me stumped. Previously, I have reflected on David’s life and seen how God used events in his life, and these events echo those in Jesus' life.
However, nowhere in scripture does it state that David had his own hands and feet pierced. Moreover, scholars actually question the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament. They look at the Jewish Tanakh, where the word “lion” appears instead of the word pierced.
Yesterday, I was preaching at another church (I highly recommend Wednesbury Baptist Church), and I recalled a moment from a conference I had attended. We were singing God’s praises, and I simply didn’t want the time to end. Suddenly, I looked over and saw a woman dancing and waving a flag. She was lost in worship of her Creator God. It was a beautiful sight. However, as I looked at her, something felt wrong. Deep inside, I knew there was an issue. I returned to worshipping God just as the woman was doing, but my heart wasn't in it. I felt God urging me to go to her and deliver a message: “God wants to tell you that your worship is very good, a fragrant offering to Him.” That was all I had to say. For those who know me, I am happy to take leaps of faith, and I obediently approached her, shared those words, and then hugged her, as she basked in the knowledge of God’s acceptance of her worship of Him.
Why did I say this? Simply this: sometimes God intervenes directly in people's lives. There is no historical fact you can rely on. David was not crucified, but God intervened and inspired him to write these words: “They pierce my hands and feet.”
But my own anxiety was quickly eased when I returned to scripture. Yes, there was nothing I could see looking back, but there is a wealth of scripture looking forward. I felt so much better.
The Bible begins with Genesis and progresses forward, and we believe that the entire Bible narrates the story of Jesus Christ. It has a beginning and an end, and the same applies to Jesus' crucifixion. The start is not in the Gospels, but here in Ps 22. And as God’s word is proclaimed, we see it echoing back. Three hundred years later, the echo still resonated across the earth, reinforced by the prophet Isaiah, who wrote, “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isa 53: 5, NIV) God confirmed His word and used the prophet to compose the chapter that seemingly describes our Lord Jesus in every detail.
Later still, God raised up the prophet Zechariah. Throughout Israel's turmoil, a voice is heard. The faithlessness of Israel and Judah is astonishing. God permits the Assyrians to take Israel into exile, and they never returned. Judah was later taken into exile by the Babylonians but returned seventy years later, as prophesied by Jeremiah. (Jer 25: 11 & 12) And it is here, as the people returned and began rebuilding Jerusalem, that Zechariah speaks up. The voice was clear and distinct. It had nothing to do with rebuilding Jerusalem, “Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” (Zech 12: 10, NIV)
I often say that God will tell us what He will do, and then He does it. Here, God has spoken three times that there will be a piercing. And in God’s way of doing things, a piercing did take place. In the cruellest way imaginable, the inhumanity of man to man was laid bare.
Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of Man, innocent of any crime, was crucified on a cross. This innocent man didn’t protest when a kangaroo court condemned him. He didn’t protest when he took the place of the murderer and insurrectionist Barabbas. Jesus Christ, who was well-versed in scripture, knew what was going to happen to him, and didn’t object. He knew that he was going to have his hands and feet pierced by large Roman nails. But that didn’t stop him from carrying his cross towards Golgotha, the place of the skull, where his hands and feet were pierced for you and me. John records, another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” (John 19: 36, NIV) After his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples, "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have" (Luke 24: 39), and later on Thomas inspected his hands and side. (John 20: 20)
Today, we do not need to be a sacrifice for God. God does not demand that we have our hands and feet pierced, but we are called to be a living sacrifice for Him. When Paul referred to believers as a "living sacrifice," he meant that we should wholeheartedly dedicate our entire lives—body, mind, and spirit—to God as an act of spiritual worship. We are to continually submit to God and renew our minds to align with His will, rather than with the world’s expectations.
"David was not crucified, but God intervened and inspired him to write these words: 'They pierce my hands and feet.'":
Psa 22:16 was a song whose imagery even people of Jesus' day would have recognized, possibly from having sung it. _ESV Expository Commentary Vol. V Psalms-Song of Solomon_ presents the view offered by the song this way:
V. (22:12–18) I Am Surrounded by Enemies. The song returns to describing the situation. The song uses animal imagery for the enemies bent on evil who surround him: they are like “bulls” (v. 12), a “lion” (v. 13), and “dogs” (v. 16). The song uses bodily imagery to describe the singer’s desperate condition. He is “poured out like water,” his “bones are out of joint,” his “heart is like wax … melted” (v. 15), his “strength is dried up like a potsherd,” his “tongue sticks to my jaws,” and “you [God] lay me in the dust of death” (v. 16)—all describing dryness and weakness. The enemies have “pierced my hands and feet” (v. 16),197 leaving him helpless. He can even “count all my bones” (v. 17), that is, his flesh is so wasted away that his bones poke through his skin. He has no energy to resist, while the enemies “stare” (v. 17)...
That's some imagery. And then centuries later it also turns out to have been a detailed prophecy. Amazing!
This blog today, Pastor Robert, is SO timely--given the violent death of our beloved Charlie Kirk--who did indeed obey the admonition of St. Paul by submitting to the Holy Spirits call for his life--presenting his body a "living sacrifice" and he lived exuberantly and basked in the knowledge of his SURE SALVATION because he LOVED the Lord Jesus Christ and shared the beautiful Gospel message whenever the Spirit moved him to do so (and he did it in a very simple manner--but powerful as well). Charlie was one of a kind - I followed his TPUSA group for years and donated whenever I was able. His TPUSA family lost their leader/mentor and "guiding light". He truly is irreplaceable - but I believe TPUSA will grow even more powerful because the mission is clear--guide the youth of America (and the world for that matter) by asking direct, forceful questions that will OPEN UP THEIR MINDS to a different viewpoint than they have at present (which is horribly skewed by the propaganda and secular humanism philosophies that they have been 'fed' by MSM and academics who are "gods unto themselves".
Jehovah Jireh, Pastor Robert!!