Psalm 22:23–31 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 22:23–31 on biblegateway.com
Verse 23You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
Verse 24For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.
Verse 25From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
Verse 26The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever!
Verse 27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
Verse 28For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
Verse 29To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
Verse 30Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,
Verse 31and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
Devotion
When was the last time that you threw a dinner party to celebrate some direct experience of God’s salvation or blessing? Leviticus 7:11–15 describes a meal people were to throw in moments of thanksgiving. Deuteronomy 14 toward the end describes annual feasts of thanksgiving that people would throw. And note, they were to remember to include the Levitical priests, the orphans, the widows, and the “resident aliens” (displaced persons).
The author of Psalm 22 had experienced God’s salvation: God “did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.” The psalmist then says: “The poor shall eat and be satisfied” (22:26a). The psalmist may have merely been describing God’s characteristic abundance. But it is likely that the psalmist was throwing a thanksgiving meal in response to having experienced God’s mercy and deliverance—and he was including the poor. Next time you throw a dinner party, remember the poor and the hungry. If you can’t invite them, remember them in other ways.
Prayer
Merciful Savior, we thank you for all the ways that you deliver us from evil and give us our daily bread. May all the world know your love; may all be clothed and fed. Amen.