Psalm 22 (21):25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Let all the descendants of Israel hold Him in reverence. Let those who have been reborn and restored to the sight of God hold Him in reverence. For He has not overlooked or dismissed the cry of the afflicted (Psalm 21:24). He did not turn away from the plea of someone who, in expressing their sins, sought to rise above the emptiness of life, but rather the plea of a humble individual who was free from vain grandeur. And He has not turned His gaze from me. Just as the one who lamented, ‘I will call to You, but You will not listen.’ Yet when I called upon Him, He did hear me.

Sing to the One who has become your Savior, who embraced your most humbled condition and, through my resurrection, made your redemption attainable.

I have neither dismissed nor overlooked the prayer of the impoverished. The Father, he asserts, did not disregard my supplication as I, in my humanity, triumphed over the adversary and bestowed this victory upon you. In this instance, the Lord referred to Himself as a beggar, reflecting both the vulnerability of His mortal form and His genuine deprivation of worldly wealth. God, and the Father, He affirms, has not averted His gaze from Me, unlike those who turn away from any individual. For a reference to this, consider the words: ‘How long will you hide your face from me?’ (Psalm 12:1). When I cried out to Him, He answered me; indeed, He says, as soon as I called upon the Father, He listened to the voice of my plea.

The Lord listens to our Savior Jesus Christ, who neither disregards nor belittles the cries of the needy. As we offer prayers for those things He cherishes, He compassionately hears us and allows us to witness His blessings in the land of the living. This is the Lord who reigns eternally with the Father in the oneness of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.

In this passage, the author explains the motivation behind the call for all to exalt God, illustrating that He answered the cries of the impoverished and desperate individual, not averting His gaze from him. David’s declaration serves as a reminder that believers can consistently anticipate receiving similar grace from God as he experienced. Additionally, through these expressions, he instructs us to endure adversities and hardships with patience, as long as it is God's will to provide us with assistance.

God the Father did not ignore the supplication of Christ the Lord, who humbled Himself to the point of the crucifixion for our benefit; for He arose from the dead, so that through His humility we may find richness (1 Cor. 8:9). Yet do not hide Your face. The Lord Christ does not turn away from the people who have strayed from the true faith, but He welcomes their prayers.