Psalm 22:11
Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
Do not be far from me
This phrase is a heartfelt plea from the psalmist, David, expressing a deep yearning for God's presence. The Hebrew root for "be far" is "רָחַק" (rachaq), which conveys a sense of distance or separation. In the context of ancient Israel, God's presence was often associated with the temple or the Ark of the Covenant, symbolizing His nearness and favor. David's cry reflects a profound desire for God's immediate intervention and comfort, especially in times of distress. This plea resonates with the believer's constant need for God's closeness, echoing the promise in James 4:8, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."

for trouble is near
The word "trouble" in Hebrew is "צָרָה" (tsarah), which denotes distress, adversity, or affliction. Historically, David faced numerous adversities, from personal betrayals to external threats. This phrase captures the urgency and intensity of his situation, emphasizing the proximity of danger. In a broader scriptural context, it reminds believers that trials are an inevitable part of life, yet they serve as opportunities to seek God's presence more earnestly. The nearness of trouble contrasts with the desired nearness of God, highlighting the tension between earthly challenges and divine assurance.

for there is no one to help
This phrase underscores a sense of isolation and helplessness. The Hebrew word for "help" is "עָזַר" (azar), meaning to support or assist. In the ancient world, alliances and kinship were crucial for survival, yet David finds himself without human aid. This situation drives him to rely solely on God, the ultimate source of help. Scripturally, this reflects the theme found throughout the Psalms and other biblical texts that God is a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). It serves as a reminder to believers that even when human support fails, God's assistance is unfailing and ever-present.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
Traditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 22, David was the second king of Israel and a man after God's own heart. This psalm reflects his deep personal struggles and prophetic insights.

2. God
The central figure to whom David cries out. The psalm reflects a deep relationship and reliance on God, even in times of distress.

3. Enemies
Though not specifically named in this verse, the context of the psalm suggests adversaries or troubling circumstances that surround David.

4. Messianic Prophecy
Psalm 22 is often seen as a prophetic foreshadowing of the suffering of Jesus Christ, particularly His crucifixion.

5. The Cross
While not directly mentioned in this verse, the entire psalm is frequently connected to the events of the crucifixion of Jesus, as He quotes the opening line on the cross.
Teaching Points
Dependence on God
In times of trouble, our first response should be to seek God's presence and help, recognizing that He is our ultimate source of aid.

God's Nearness in Distress
Even when we feel isolated or abandoned, God is near. We can trust in His presence and faithfulness, just as David did.

Prophetic Fulfillment
Understanding Psalm 22 in light of the New Testament reveals the depth of God's plan and the fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus Christ.

Prayer in Crisis
Like David, we should cultivate a habit of turning to God in prayer during crises, expressing our needs and trusting in His provision.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does David's plea in Psalm 22:11 reflect his relationship with God, and how can we emulate this in our own lives?

2. In what ways does Psalm 22:11 foreshadow the experiences of Jesus on the cross, and how does this deepen our understanding of His suffering?

3. How can we apply the principle of seeking God's presence in times of trouble to our daily challenges and struggles?

4. What other biblical examples can you find where individuals cried out to God in distress, and how did God respond?

5. How does the assurance of God's nearness in Psalm 22:11 encourage you in your current circumstances, and how can you share this encouragement with others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 46:1
This verse speaks of God as a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, echoing the plea for God's nearness in Psalm 22:11.

Matthew 27:46
Jesus quotes the opening of Psalm 22 on the cross, highlighting the connection between David's cry and Jesus' suffering.

Hebrews 4:16
Encourages believers to approach God's throne of grace with confidence, seeking help in times of need, similar to David's plea for God's presence.
Help in TroubleJoseph Irons.Psalm 22:11
A Picture of Suffering SainthoodD. Thomas, D. D.Psalm 22:1-31
A Struggle from the Gloom of Adversity to Peace and JoyW. Forsyth Psalm 22:1-31
Christ Forsaken of His FatherW. Pakenham Walsh, D. D.Psalm 22:1-31
Forsaken of God, But not FinallyS. Bridge.Psalm 22:1-31
From Darkness to Light; Or, the Song of the Early DawnC. Clemance Psalm 22:1-31
Summary of ContentsJohn Stevenson.Psalm 22:1-31
The Great Sufferer and His ReliefTalbot W. Chambers, D. D.Psalm 22:1-31
The Prophetic Image of the Prince of SufferersA. Maclaren, D. D.Psalm 22:1-31
The Saint Forsaken in What SenseJ. Cumming.Psalm 22:1-31
The Withdrawal of God's Sustaining Presence from the Divine SonDavid Caldwell, A. M.Psalm 22:1-31
Prayer in SufferingC. Short Psalm 22:11-21
People
David, Jacob, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Adversity, Helper, None, Trouble
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 22:11

     5876   helpfulness
     5885   indifference
     6738   rescue

Psalm 22:1-18

     8797   persecution, attitudes

Psalm 22:6-11

     5831   depression
     6233   rejection, experience

Psalm 22:9-11

     5199   womb

Library
Feasting on the Sacrifice
'The meek shall eat and be satisfied.'--PSALM xxii. 26. 'The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offering for thanksgiving shall be offered in the day of his oblation.' Such was the law for Israel. And the custom of sacrificial feasts, which it embodies, was common to many lands. To such a custom my text alludes; for the Psalmist has just been speaking of 'paying his vows' (that is, sacrifices which he had vowed in the time of his trouble), and to partake of these he invites the meek. The sacrificial
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

On Turning the First Page of the Review which Follows...
On turning the first page of the review which follows, follows, "by Rowland Williams, D.D. Vice-Principal and Professor of Hebrew, St. David's College, Lampeter; Vicar of Broad Chalke, Wilts,"--we are made sensible that we are in company of a writer considerably in advance of Dr. Temple, though altogether of the same school. In fact, if Dr. Williams had not been Vice-Principal of a Theological College, and a Doctor of Divinity, one would have supposed him to be a complete infidel,--who found it convenient
John William Burgon—Inspiration and Interpretation

Messiah Derided Upon the Cross
All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. F allen man, though alienated from the life of God, and degraded with respect to many of his propensities and pursuits, to a level with the beasts that perish, is not wholly destitute of kind and compassionate feelings towards his fellow-creatures. While self-interest does not interfere, and the bitter passions
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

My Brethren.
OUR Lord Jesus Christ calls those for whom He died and who have believed on Him "My Brethren." What a word it is! The Brethren of the Man in Glory! Brethren of Him who is at the right hand of God, the upholder and heir of all things! Pause for a moment, dear reader. Let your heart lay hold anew of this wonderful message of God's Grace; Brethren of the Lord Jesus Christ! What depths of love and grace these words contain! What heights of glory they promise to us, who were bought by His own precious
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

His Future Work
The Lord Jesus Christ, who finished the work on earth the Father gave Him to do, who is now bodily present in the highest heaven, occupying the Father's throne and exercising His priesthood in behalf of His people, is also King. To Him belongeth a Kingdom and a kingly Glory. He has therefore a kingly work to do. While His past work was foretold by the Spirit of God and His priestly work foreshadowed in the Old Testament, His work as King and His glorious Kingdom to come are likewise the subjects
A. C. Gaebelein—The Work Of Christ

His Head is as the Most Fine Gold, his Locks as the Clusters of the Palm, Black as a Raven.
By the locks covering his head are to be understood the holy humanity which covers and conceals the Divinity. These same locks, or this humanity extended upon the cross, are like the clusters of the palm; for there, dying for men, He achieved His victory over the enemies and obtained for them the fruits of His redemption, which had been promised us through His death. Then the bud of the palm-tree opened and the church emerged from the heart of her Bridegroom. There the adorable humanity appeared
Madame Guyon—Song of Songs of Solomon

Note B. On the Word for Holiness.
The proper meaning of the Hebrew word for holy, kadosh, is matter of uncertainty. It may come from a root signifying to shine. (So Gesenius, Oehler, Fuerst, and formerly Delitzsch, on Heb. ii. 11.) Or from another denoting new and bright (Diestel), or an Arabic form meaning to cut, to separate. (So Delitzsch now, on Ps. xxii. 4.) Whatever the root be, the chief idea appears to be not only separate or set apart, for which the Hebrew has entirely different words, but that by which a thing that is
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

The Crucifixion.
"He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth."--Isaiah liii. 7. St. Peter makes it almost a description of a Christian, that he loves Him whom he has not seen; speaking of Christ, he says, "whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Again he speaks of "tasting that the
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

Brokenness
We want to be very simple in this matter of Revival. Revival is just the life of the Lord Jesus poured into human hearts. Jesus is always victorious. In heaven they are praising Him all the time for His victory. Whatever may be our experience of failure and barrenness, He is never defeated. His power is boundless. And we, on our part, have only to get into a right relationship with Him, and we shall see His power being demonstrated in our hearts and lives and service, and His victorious life will
Roy Hession and Revel Hession—The Calvary Road

The Death of Jesus
"And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, He calleth Elijah. And one ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink, saying, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to take Him down. And Jesus
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Letter Xlv (Circa A. D. 1140) to the Canons of Lyons, on the Conception of S. Mary.
To the Canons of Lyons, on the Conception of S. Mary. Bernard states that the Festival of the Conception was new; that it rested on no legitimate foundation; and that it should not have been instituted without consulting the Apostolic See, to whose opinion he submits. 1. It is well known that among all the Churches of France that of Lyons is first in importance, whether we regard the dignity of its See, its praiseworthy regulations, or its honourable zeal for learning. Where was there ever the vigour
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Trials of the Christian
AFFLICTION--ITS NATURE AND BENEFITS. The school of the cross is the school of light; it discovers the world's vanity, baseness, and wickedness, and lets us see more of God's mind. Out of dark afflictions comes a spiritual light. In times of affliction, we commonly meet with the sweetest experiences of the love of God. The end of affliction is the discovery of sin; and of that, to bring us to a Saviour. Doth not God ofttimes even take occasion, by the hardest of things that come upon us, to visit
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan

How is Christ, as the Life, to be Applied by a Soul that Misseth God's Favour and Countenance.
The sixth case, that we shall speak a little to, is a deadness, occasioned by the Lord's hiding of himself, who is their life, and "the fountain of life," Ps. xxxvi. 9, and "whose loving-kindness is better than life," Ps. lxiii. 3, and "in whose favour is their life," Ps. xxx. 5. A case, which the frequent complaints of the saints manifest to be rife enough, concerning which we shall, 1. Shew some of the consequences of the Lord's hiding his face, whereby the soul's case will appear. 2. Shew the
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Bunsen's Biblical Researches.
When geologists began to ask whether changes in the earth's structure might be explained by causes still in operation, they did not disprove the possibility of great convulsions, but they lessened necessity for imagining them. So, if a theologian has his eyes opened to the Divine energy as continuous and omnipresent, he lessens the sharp contrast of epochs in Revelation, but need not assume that the stream has never varied in its flow. Devotion raises time present into the sacredness of the past;
Frederick Temple—Essays and Reviews: The Education of the World

Judas' Betrayal and Peter's Denial Foretold.
(Jerusalem. Evening Before the Crucifixion.) ^A Matt. XXVI. 21-25, 31-35; ^B Mark XIV. 18-21, 27-31; ^C Luke XXII. 21-23, 31-38; ^D John XIII. 21-38. ^b 18 And ^d 21 When Jesus had thus said, ^b as they sat and were eating, ^d he was troubled in the spirit, and ^b Jesus ^d testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. ^b even he that eateth with me. ^c 21 But behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. [The foreknowledge of Judas' crime
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Johannine Writings
BY the Johannine writings are meant the Apocalypse and the fourth gospel, as well as the three catholic epistles to which the name of John is traditionally attached. It is not possible to enter here into a review of the critical questions connected with them, and especially into the question of their authorship. The most recent criticism, while it seems to bring the traditional authorship into greater uncertainty, approaches more nearly than was once common to the position of tradition in another
James Denney—The Death of Christ

The Necessity of Actual Grace
In treating of the necessity of actual grace we must avoid two extremes. The first is that mere nature is absolutely incapable of doing any thing good. This error was held by the early Protestants and the followers of Baius and Jansenius. The second is that nature is able to perform supernatural acts by its own power. This was taught by the Pelagians and Semipelagians. Between these two extremes Catholic theology keeps the golden mean. It defends the capacity of human nature against Protestants and
Joseph Pohle—Grace, Actual and Habitual

How to Make Use of Christ as the Truth, that we May Get Our Case and Condition Cleared up to Us.
The believer is oft complaining of darkness concerning his case and condition, so as he cannot tell what to say of himself, or what judgment to pass on himself, and he knoweth not how to win to a distinct and clear discovery of his state and condition. Now, it is truth alone, and the Truth, that can satisfy them as to this. The question then is, how they shall make use of, and apply themselves to this truth, to the end they may get the truth of their condition discovered to them. But first let us
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Interpretation of Prophecy.
1. The scriptural idea of prophecy is widely removed from that of human foresight and presentiment. It is that of a revelation made by the Holy Spirit respecting the future, always in the interest of God's kingdom. It is no part of the plan of prophecy to gratify vain curiosity respecting "the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power." Acts 1:7. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God"--this is its key-note. In its form it is carefully adapted to this great end.
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Of his Cross what Shall I Speak, what Say? this Extremest Kind of Death...
9. Of His cross what shall I speak, what say? This extremest kind of death He chose, that not any kind of death might make His Martyrs afraid. The doctrine He shewed in His life as Man, the example of patience He demonstrated in His Cross. There, you have the work, that He was crucified; example of the work, the Cross; reward of the work, Resurrection. He shewed us in the Cross what we ought to endure, He shewed in the Resurrection what we have to hope. Just like a consummate task-master in the matches
St. Augustine—On the Creeds

Messiah Suffering and Wounded for Us
Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: ..... He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. W hen our Lord was transfigured, Moses and Elijah appeared in glory and conversed with Him. Had we been informed of the interview only, we should probably have desired to know the subject of their conversation, as we might reasonably suppose it turned upon very interesting and important
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Growth in Grace
'But grow in grace.' 2 Pet 3:38. True grace is progressive, of a spreading and growing nature. It is with grace as with light; first, there is the crepusculum, or daybreak; then it shines brighter to the full meridian. A good Christian is like the crocodile. Quamdiu vivet crescit; he has never done growing. The saints are not only compared to stars for their light, but to trees for their growth. Isa 61:1, and Hos 14:4. A good Christian is not like Hezekiah's sun that went backwards, nor Joshua's
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Covenanting Sanctioned by the Divine Example.
God's procedure when imitable forms a peculiar argument for duty. That is made known for many reasons; among which must stand this,--that it may be observed and followed as an example. That, being perfect, is a safe and necessary pattern to follow. The law of God proclaims what he wills men as well as angels to do. The purposes of God show what he has resolved to have accomplished. The constitutions of his moral subjects intimate that he has provided that his will shall be voluntarily accomplished
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

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