Psalm 88

This is one of the saddest of the psalms. It relates the prayer of a person who suffered intensely over a long time yet continued to trust in the Lord. Heman was a wise man who was a singer in David's service and a contemporary of Asaph and Ethan (1 Kings 4:31; 1 Chron. 15:19; 16:41-42; 25:1, 6). The sons of Korah arranged and or sang this psalm.

 1. The sufferer's affliction 88:1-9a

88:1-2 These verses are an introduction to what follows. The psalmist announced that he prayed unceasingly to the God from whom he hoped to receive deliverance. He pleaded with God to entertain his request and act upon it by saving him.

88:3-9a Evidently his suffering had resulted in his friends separating from him. God too had apparently abandoned him. Heman felt very close to death. He viewed his condition as coming directly from God. He was alone and miserable.

 2. The sufferer's prayer 88:9b-12

Even though Heman had prayed for relief and restoration every day, God had not delivered him. He asked for mercy by posing rhetorical questions all of which expect a negative answer. If the writer died, he could no longer praise the Lord in the land of the living. What he said does not contradict revelation concerning conscious existence after death. It simply reflects Heman's desire to praise God this side of the grave.

 3. The sufferer's faith 88:13-18

For the third time Heman cried out to God for help (cf. vv. 1-2, 13). He asked for an explanation for his suffering (v. 14). Then he described his sufferings further (vv. 15-18). Still he kept turning to God in prayer waiting for an answer and some relief.

"With darknessas its final word, what is the role of this psalm in Scripture? For the beginning of an answer we may note, first, its witness to the possibility of unrelieved suffering as a believer's earthly lot. The happy ending of most psalms of this kind is seen to be a bonus, not a due; its withholding is not a proof of either God's displeasure or His defeat. Secondly, the psalm adds its voice to the groaning in travail' which forbids us to accept the present order as final. It is a sharp reminder that we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies' (Rom. 8:22f.). Thirdly, this author, like Job, does not give up. He completes his prayer, still in the dark and totally unrewarded. The taunt, Does Job fear God for naught?', is answered yet again. Fourthly, the author's name allows us, with hindsight, to see that his rejection was only apparent (see the opening comments on the psalm). His existence was no mistake; there was a divine plan bigger than he knew, and a place in it reserved most carefully for him."¹⁵³

When God does not relieve affliction the godly continue to pray trusting that He will eventually grant their petition if this is His will.