LESSON EIGHT

PROPHECIES CONCERNING CHRIST—
HIS DEATH AND BURIAL

(2)

OUTLINE

3. Prophecies in the Psalms concerning Christ’s death:
   1. Trusting in God for deliverance.
   2. Suffering men’s reproach, despising, deriding, sneering, head-shaking, and mocking.
   3. Passing through the suffering of crucifixion:
      1. Being encompassed and surrounded by evil men.
      2. Being pierced on His hands, feet, and side.
      3. Being stripped of the right to be clothed and put to shame publicly.
      4. Enduring great pain and agony—being poured out like water, His bones being out of joint, His heart melting like wax, His strength being dried up, and His tongue being stuck to His jaws.
   4. Men giving Him gall and vinegar.
   5. Being forsaken by God and put into death.
   6. Not one of His bones being broken.
   7. Doing God’s will.
4. Prophecies in Isaiah concerning Christ’s death and burial:
   1. Bearing our sicknesses and carrying our sorrows—being wounded for our transgressions that we may be healed by His stripes.
   2. Like a lamb being led to the slaughter and like a sheep being dumb before its shearers.
   3. Being executed with two transgressors.
   4. Interceding for the transgressors.
   5. Jehovah causing the iniquity of us all to fall on Him; His bearing our iniquities and becoming sin for us.
   6. Becoming the sin offering, pouring out His life unto death.
   7. Being buried with a rich man.

TEXT

In this lesson we will continue to see the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Christ’s death and burial.

III. PROPHECIES IN THE PSALMS
CONCERNING CHRIST’S DEATH

There are many prophecies in Psalms 22, 34, 40, and 69 concerning Christ’s death. In these psalms, David the psalmist typifies the suffering Christ. What he spoke became prophecies concerning Christ’s crucifixion and the condition of Christ’s suffering in His crucifixion.

A. Trusting in God for Deliverance

Psalm 22:9 prophesies that while He was suffering, Christ still trusted in God: “You are the One who drew me forth from the womb, / Who made me trust while at my mother’s breasts.” This indicates that Christ trusted that God would deliver Him. When people were mocking Him and deriding Him, He was trusting in God, because He had trusted in God even while He was at His mother’s breasts. Even though He intended to die, He trusted in God continually, believing that God would deliver Him, that is, cause Him to be resurrected from the dead.

B. Suffering Men’s Reproach, Despising, Deriding,
Sneering, Head-shaking, and Mocking

Psalm 22:6-8 prophesies that Christ was reproached of men and despised by the people. All who saw Him derided Him, sneered at Him, shook their heads, saying, “He committed himself to Jehovah; let Him rescue him; / Let Him deliver him since He takes pleasure in him.” To reproach is to shame, to despise is to look down on with contempt and scorn, to deride is to make fun of or laugh at in contempt, and to sneer is to smile or laugh at with facial contortions that express scorn or contempt. After being questioned by Pilate, the Lord was further made fun of by the Roman soldiers: “They wove a crown of thorns and placed it on His head and put a reed in His right hand; and they kneeled before Him and mocked Him, saying, Rejoice, King of the Jews! And they spat on Him and took the reed and beat Him on the head” (Matt. 27:27-30; Mark 15:16-19). When Christ was being crucified, those who were passing by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” Likewise, the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked Him and said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save...He trusts in God; let Him rescue Him now if He wants Him” (Matt 27:39-43). The rulers also sneered at Him this way (Luke 23:35). All these events accurately fulfilled the prophecy in Psalm 22:6-8. Hebrews 13:13 says, “Let us therefore go forth unto Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” Reproach here refers to the reproach in Psalm 22:6. This indicates that the New Testament believers need to go outside the camp of religion to follow the suffering Jesus and bear His reproach.

C. Passing through the Suffering of Crucifixion

Psalm 22:12-18 continues to prophesy concerning how Christ passed through the suffering of crucifixion.