Psalm 88 (Contemporary English Version)
- (A song and a psalm by the people of Korah for the music leader. To the tune "Mahalath Leannoth." A special psalm by Heman the Ezrahite.) You keep me safe, LORD God. So when I pray at night,
- listen carefully to each of my concerns.
- am deeply troubled and close to death;
- am as good as dead and completely helpless.
- am no better off than those in the grave, those you have forgotten and no longer help.
- have put me in the deepest and darkest grave;
- anger rolls over me like ocean waves.
- have made my friends turn in horror from me. I am a prisoner who cannot escape,
- I am almost blind because of my sorrow. Each day I lift my hands in prayer to you, LORD.
- you work miracles for the dead? Do they stand up and praise you?
- your love and loyalty announced in the world of the dead?
- they know of your miracles or your saving power in the dark world below where all is forgotten?
- morning I pray to you, LORD.
- do you reject me? Why do you turn from me?
- since I was a child, I have been sick and close to death. You have terrified me and made me helpless.
- anger is like a flood! And I am shattered by your furious attacks
- strike each day and from every side.
- friends and neighbors have turned against me because of you, and now darkness is my only companion.
This is a rather despondent psalm. Unlike other psalms of a similar nature, it does not reveal any ray of hope. It begins with the words, "I cry out before You day and night," and concludes with "darkness is my only friend." The psalmist states in verse 15 that he has been "afflicted and near death" from his youth. I assume this to be physical affliction rather than emotional or spiritual. Some commentators suppose him to have leprosy and that he has been banished from society, as was the practice, and is near death at the writing of this psalm. Though we can't know if this is truly the case, it seems to fit the content of the psalm.
Though the psalmist expresses no hope and feels abandoned by God, he has, nevertheless, turned to God in this prayer. Is it merely to express his despair? No, I think it is more than that, for in verse 2 he expresses the wish that his prayer will reach God and that He will "listen to my cry," and in verse 13 he calls to God for help. Might verses 10-12 express a bit of sarcasm? He seems to be saying, "Are you waiting until I'm dead to work your wonders?" If this is what he is saying, then the questions he raises seem to have a note of sarcasm, "Do You work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise You?"
Why is this psalm even included among the psalms of scripture? Of what value is it? I believe the psalmist had not given up on God even though his suffering was great and he had seen no apparent answer to his previous prayers for help. What he experienced is not unknown even among God's people. As Matthew Henry said, "Those who are in trouble of mind may sing this psalm feelingly; those that are not ought to sing it thankfully, blessing God that it is not their case." We have to ask ourselves why we worship God and follow Him. Is it only to gain His blessings? Are we 'fair weather friends' of God who worship Him when things are going well and turn away from Him when they are not? The question for us to consider might be, is God really the creator of all that is including myself? Did He really provide salvation for me through the death of His son, Jesus? And did His work in Jesus gain victory over death and Satan? If any of this is true, then God is worthy of our worship and faithfulness, not just when He has blessed us. It seems that many only find God believable and worth worshiping if He has done something great for them.
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