Why Psalm 22 is my favorite Bible verse

If you are a Christian and haven’t read Psalm 22… I highly recommend it. Here it is, lines 1-18, NIV:

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.[b] 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.[c] 4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. 15 My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce[e] my hands and my feet. 17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.

For context, this was written approximately 1000 BC. Crucifixion began to be used to execute people around 600 BC. However, it foreshadows the crucifixion beautifully.

For one, Jesus actually quotes the first line, “My god, My god, why have you forsaken me?” when he is on the cross (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34)

Second, the brutal death described in the verse has many parallels to the death of Jesus. Psalm 22:7: All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. Jesus was mocked all throughout his trial and execution. According to Matthew 27:27-31, he was mocked by Roman soldiers with the crown of thorns while being spat on and beaten. According to Matthew 27:39-43, he was mocked while he was on the cross by all who passed by.

Psalm 22:16: Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; In Hebrew, “dogs” often referred to Gentiles or enemies. During Jesus’s trial and execution, he was surrounded by Roman soldiers and hostile crowds (Matthew 27:27)

Psalm 22:17 They pierce my hands and my feet This is the most shocking line of psalm 22. This was written centuries before crucifixion even began as a practice. 400 years to be exact. Yet, it foreshadows the crucifixion of Jesus in a quite obvious way. This, combined with the previous verses foreshadowing his trial and execution, make this a beautiful verse and my favorite.