“For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 22:24 Mean?
This verse comes from Psalm 22 — the Psalm Jesus quoted on the cross ("My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"). After the agony of the first half, David pivots to praise and makes this declaration: God has not despised the affliction of the afflicted. He didn't hide His face. When the sufferer cried, God heard.
The three negatives are powerful: not despised, not abhorred, not hidden. Each one contradicts what the sufferer felt during the crisis. It felt like God despised him. It felt like God was disgusted. It felt like God had turned away. But the feeling was wrong. God was there. He heard. The cry reached Him.
In the context of Christ's crucifixion, this verse is the answer to the opening cry. Jesus felt forsaken on the cross. But God had not despised His affliction. The Father heard. The resurrection proved it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Have you ever felt abandoned by God — and how does this verse speak to that feeling?
- 2.What's the gap between your experience of God's absence and the reality of His presence in a hard season?
- 3.How does knowing that Jesus felt forsaken on the cross — and was heard — change how you process your own 'forsaken' moments?
- 4.Is there an affliction you've assumed God despised that this verse says He actually heard?
Devotional
He didn't despise it. He didn't hide His face. When the afflicted cried, He heard.
This is the answer to every moment you've felt abandoned by God. Psalm 22 begins with the worst feeling in the human soul — my God, why have you forsaken me? — and ends here: He didn't despise you. He didn't turn away. He heard you. The whole time.
The distance between the opening cry and this verse is the distance between feeling and reality. The sufferer felt forsaken. The truth is that God was present. The sufferer felt despised. The truth is that God was attentive. The gap between what you experience and what is actually happening in the spiritual realm can be enormous.
Jesus quoted the beginning of this Psalm on the cross. But the Psalm doesn't end there. It ends here — with the declaration that God hears the afflicted. The cross felt like abandonment. The resurrection proved it was anything but.
If you're in the first half of Psalm 22 right now — feeling forsaken, feeling invisible, feeling like God has hidden His face — keep reading. The Psalm has a second half. And the second half says: He heard you. He was never gone.
The affliction was real. The despising was not.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,.... That is, Christ, who was afflicted by men,…
For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted - This expresses the belief that his prayer had…
The same that began the psalm complaining, who was no other than Christ in his humiliation, ends it here triumphing, and…
For he hath not despisedas men do (Psa 22:22) nor abhorredas something loathsome and abominable (Isa 49:7, though the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture