Daily Radio Bible - May 9th, 22

A NEW SONG

Our readings today are II Samuel 18, Psalm 56, and Matthew 27.  We are reading through the New Living Translation.

“O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!” (II Sam 18:33NLT)  

It’s a cry of a Father for his boy.  It’s a tragic cry of brokenness for all that’s wrong.  And in Matthews reading we have a cry of a boy for his father. 

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mt 27:46 NLT) 

This is known as jesus great cry of dereliction. Many have taught that this is where God has turned his back on his son, or even this is where God is Killing his son for the sins of the world.  But things are not always as they seem. And much of the early Church never saw it this way.

Jesus is actually quoting from Psalm 22 here. The psalm begins with the words My God, my 

God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when i call out for help? Like many of David’s psalms, they begin with a cry of dereliction from David, but they all end with David reaffirming God, as faithful, God who is present, God who never abandons. And that is in fact what we see in this psalm. Vs 24 reads “ For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me,[f  but heard when I[g] cried to him. 

Jesus is identifying with our experiences with betrayal, and abandonment in this life, he is tasting this just as we do.  But he is not being abandoned by his Father.  The end of the psalm makes this clear.  Paul goes further and tells us in 2 Cor 5:19 that “God was in Christ reconciling himself to the world.”  There was no division in the trinity at any point on the cross.  God the FAther does not abandon the son, and God the father will not abandon or forsake you.  And the prayer of my heart is that I will know the faithful love of God, who will never leave me or forsake me, just as Jesus the son knew this. And that I will know his joy. 

You are loved!