Psalm 22. " The Suffering of the Messiah. Messianic Psalm.

 Much of the center of thought on Messianic Psalms has to do with the sufferings of the Lord Jesus.
  Which of us can really know the sufferings of crucifixion? Not I? But we do know it was an agony beyond compare. We do have a Hollywood stereotype of crucifixion, we have seen a tall cross standing high above the horizon in many films.
  In reality, this was not the case. The Roman cross was short. In fact, the victim  of crucifixion was rarely more than two feet above the ground. While the victim remained alive, the wild dogs would come in from the desert and chew on his legs. Very often, a victim of crucifixion would live for two or thee days in agony.
 During crucifixion , the victim was placed on the cross which was lying on the ground. Nails were driven through the hands at the juncture of the wrist, and then through the feet, to secure him in that position. The cross being being raised and then dropped in a previously dug hole. When it struck bottom of the hole, the impact would usually pull loose the shoulder joints and ligaments, as the entire body weight pulled against the wrists with the force of the cross. As death began to slowly,  creep in a semi rigor mortis set in.
  Because of the fact that the bones were pulled out of  joint, the victim began to suffocate, but also the victim became very thirsty.  Add to the fact the victim was impaled naked and helpless. for all to see. It was pain, agony, and humiliation beyond. compare. and if that was not sufficient, the Lord Jesus suffered with a crown of thorns and a mutilated back as he bore our sins there on Calvary's tree.   Yet, we could wish him no greater diadem, [ than that crown of thorns which takes us back to the curse] in the Garden of Eden, when God said that nature would bring forth thorns as a result of Adam's fall. When they made the crown of thorns and pressed it on the head of the Savior, as He hung there suspended between heaven and earth, with blood streaming down His forehead, the thorny diadem had a great significance. He was bearing the "Curse" for all mankind and all creation, as He performed this act of redemption.
 The Scripture is very plain when it says, " It pleased the Lord to bruise him" ( Isa. 53 : 10).  Because He was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world,  in anticipation of his agony to be endured for our sakes, Christ opened His heart to the psalmist as he penned in psalm 22:1, "My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me". David was in desperate trouble when he penned this, and the Messiah would be in more desperate trouble when He used those words as He went to the cross. As he penned this, David must have wondered  what he was saying; but a thousand years later the Lord Jesus would literally experienced  this. The Prophecy continues in 22: 16-22) " They part my garments among them, and cast lots for my vesture.
 This is prophecy as Christ himself inspired David to write what He would experience, when He paid the ultimate penalty for our sin on Calvary's cross.
    His enemies were so confounded they did not say a word to challenge Him from that time forward.