Why Have You Forsaken Me???
Psalm 43
1 Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
deceitful and wicked.
2 You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?
3 Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Exodus 38
The Altar of Burnt Offering
1 They built the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, three cubits high; it was square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 They made a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar were of one piece, and they overlaid the altar with bronze. 3 They made all its utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 They made a grating for the altar, a bronze network, to be under its ledge, halfway up the altar. 5 They cast bronze rings to hold the poles for the four corners of the bronze grating. 6 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 They inserted the poles into the rings so they would be on the sides of the altar for carrying it. They made it hollow, out of boards.
The Basin for Washing
8 They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
Matthew 27:45-56
The Death of Jesus
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” 55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Reflections: Today again in the Psalms, David pleads for God to rescue him and vindicate his cause. He prays for God’s light and care to bring him to God’s holy mountain, where he can experience God’s presence in the midst of his turmoil. Though his soul is downcast, yet he commits to praising God within his difficult circumstances.
In Exodus, we continue to see the intricate details of the tabernacle, the place God set up where would dwell with the Israelites. Each part of the tabernacle had a special purpose in ushering the people into God’s presence. The courtyard was a place where they gathered for worship. The bronze basin was a place where they washed themselves, in preparation for meeting a holy God. The bronze altar was the place where sacrifice was made with the innocent lambs brought in to make atonement for the people’s sins. Of course this was all pre-cursor to the perfect, innocent Lamb of God, who would be sacrificed on the wooden altar of a cross.
It is fitting with what we see during Holy Week, as we get to height of the Passion, when Jesus cries out “Eli, Eli, Lema, Sabbachthani” which meant, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Because the people couldn’t understand what he was really saying they inferred he must be calling on Elijah, the prophet. But Jesus was talking to His heavenly Father and crying out to him in his final moments, before he breathed His last as a human being. He had come to show the world the full extent of God’s love, and now he had completed the task, which included being forsaken by God to bear our sins in His body, so He might become the righteousness of God (see 1 Peter 2:24) below.
Although it is hard for us to understand the gravity of what this meant and what it means to us today, it is worth trying. Every time we go to God to ask forgiveness for something we have done wrong, or something we have failed to do in Jesus’ name, God will forgive us because of what Jesus did on the cross. Take a moment to thank your Heavenly Father and Your Savior for what they have done for you. As we fully understand what this means there is no way that we cannot live for him in thanksgiving for what He has done for us.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for. Isaiah 40:2 (NIV)
Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness. 1 Peter 2:24
Dear God, we are so grateful that our debts have been released through the grace of your son, Jesus Christ. May we strive to pay forward the grace and love you have given us. In his name. Amen.
1 Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
deceitful and wicked.
2 You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?
3 Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Exodus 38
The Altar of Burnt Offering
1 They built the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, three cubits high; it was square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 They made a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar were of one piece, and they overlaid the altar with bronze. 3 They made all its utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 They made a grating for the altar, a bronze network, to be under its ledge, halfway up the altar. 5 They cast bronze rings to hold the poles for the four corners of the bronze grating. 6 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 They inserted the poles into the rings so they would be on the sides of the altar for carrying it. They made it hollow, out of boards.
The Basin for Washing
8 They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
Matthew 27:45-56
The Death of Jesus
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” 55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Reflections: Today again in the Psalms, David pleads for God to rescue him and vindicate his cause. He prays for God’s light and care to bring him to God’s holy mountain, where he can experience God’s presence in the midst of his turmoil. Though his soul is downcast, yet he commits to praising God within his difficult circumstances.
In Exodus, we continue to see the intricate details of the tabernacle, the place God set up where would dwell with the Israelites. Each part of the tabernacle had a special purpose in ushering the people into God’s presence. The courtyard was a place where they gathered for worship. The bronze basin was a place where they washed themselves, in preparation for meeting a holy God. The bronze altar was the place where sacrifice was made with the innocent lambs brought in to make atonement for the people’s sins. Of course this was all pre-cursor to the perfect, innocent Lamb of God, who would be sacrificed on the wooden altar of a cross.
It is fitting with what we see during Holy Week, as we get to height of the Passion, when Jesus cries out “Eli, Eli, Lema, Sabbachthani” which meant, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Because the people couldn’t understand what he was really saying they inferred he must be calling on Elijah, the prophet. But Jesus was talking to His heavenly Father and crying out to him in his final moments, before he breathed His last as a human being. He had come to show the world the full extent of God’s love, and now he had completed the task, which included being forsaken by God to bear our sins in His body, so He might become the righteousness of God (see 1 Peter 2:24) below.
Although it is hard for us to understand the gravity of what this meant and what it means to us today, it is worth trying. Every time we go to God to ask forgiveness for something we have done wrong, or something we have failed to do in Jesus’ name, God will forgive us because of what Jesus did on the cross. Take a moment to thank your Heavenly Father and Your Savior for what they have done for you. As we fully understand what this means there is no way that we cannot live for him in thanksgiving for what He has done for us.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for. Isaiah 40:2 (NIV)
Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness. 1 Peter 2:24
Dear God, we are so grateful that our debts have been released through the grace of your son, Jesus Christ. May we strive to pay forward the grace and love you have given us. In his name. Amen.
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