"My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me," Explained

In Jewish tradition a speaker would quote an opening line or short fragment of a familiar scriptural passage as part of a teaching method. After hearing the opening line or fragment of scripture the students or listeners were expected to remember the text, to mentally supply the wider context. The Jewish term for this is remez. Remez means 'hint' or 'allusion.'

Jesus wasn't abandoned by God in his darkest hour. Jesus brought to remembrance Psalm 22. Jesus wanted the Jewish people to remember that passage of scripture which spoke of the crucifixion story.

📖 “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?””
Matthew 27:45-46 NKJV

📖 “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard. My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever! All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive. A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.”
Psalms 22:1-31 NKJV

📖 “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
John 19:30 NKJV

📖 “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.”
Luke 23:46 NKJV 

That Ugly Twin Called Self

Being a child of God doesn't mean we're perfect and have it altogether. It doesn't mean that we were born with or even have love for others, show kindness towards others, have peace of mind or peace in our life, patience, self-control, do what is right and live with a pure heart, always loyal to and trust in God, humble, or even helpful. As a matter of fact the complete opposite of that is what our flesh is made of. According to the Word of God our flesh, who we are, is sin. That's our go to, our North; self preservation is human instinct and it comes out looking ugly most of the time. 

So how do we tame that selfish, self centered instinct to self preserve at everyone else's expense? We trust God. We study the word of God and ask God to build our faith, increase our knowledge of him and his love for us, and ask Him to give us wisdom to trust Him with everything. And as for that selfish, ugly side that we all have.... Ask God to fill you with Holy Spirit and mature the fruit of the Spirit in your heart and mind and make His ways your ways. The fruit of Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and gentleness. When you see a believer struggling, just not making the cut at that moment, don't judge them, pray for them and offer them a word of encouragement. We have an invisible enemy who is the enemy of our soul. Bind him in the name of Jesus and call on God for his help, strength and might to be revealed in your inner man at that moment. 

Lisa C

God Sees and Loves You

Who do you think God is? Often we think of God, that superior and powerful being, that's perfect, the same way we think of the adults in our life when we were growing up. If our parents or caretakers were hard, indifferent, abusive or judgemental we unknowingly pin those characteristics to God. We don't know him and assume what he will be like from what we've heard or guessed. We hear from others that he hates sin so we assume he will hate us because we are so damaged, so imperfect, our lives are so messed up, we have sin in our life, we're weak and try to change but can't. 

Well, let me tell you, God is loving, kind, compassionate, empathetic, forgiving and he knows everything about you. He sees your heart. He sees a person that is loved by him and he pours out his mercy and grace. He is forgiving, so forgives, and blots out all of our sin when we come to know Christ. He wants you to know he's with you in the hard places. He's with you in those places in yourself that you want to change, that you wish didn't exist and you can't get away from. Jesus came for you and he is your greatest advocate. 

You see, God sees your heart. He knows the trauma you've been through. He heals you from being raped and prostituted and makes you feel clean from the inside out. God sees that hurt child inside of you that was mentally and physically abused, neglected and alone, left to fend for yourself. God sees that rebel heart, labeled a misfit, someone trying to survive in this world that can be so hard, cold and lonely. God heals those parts too. He will never leave you nor forsake you. And when you walk through storms in this life, he is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. 

God is constant and eternal. He loves us unconditionally. He's strengthens us from within. He changes us little by little and heals us inside. Jesus didn't come to this world to judge you and condemn you. Jesus came to love you, heal you, strengthen you and to give you an abundant life; abundant in joy, peace, hope, faith, his love, grace, mercy and blessings. God is love. And he meets you right where you are. Don't listen to people whom you can't see God's love, peace, mercy, inner joy and strength. Find a church, study the Bible, find the word being taught online. If you're in the Whiteville, NC or surrounding areas come to Whiteville Assembly of God . 

Lisa C