Chapter 88

A song of the sons of Korah, a Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

2024 - Somehow, I previously missed this information in the MSB:  Heman was a musician from the family of the Kohathites, who founded the Korahite choir (cf 1Ch 6.33;, 2Ch 5.12; 35.15).  He may be the same person who was one of the wise men during Solomon's reign (1Ki 4.31).  So that tells us more.

This seems to be a crying out to God from one who has been severely judged by him, and wants to repent.

The second stanza seems to be reminding God that only the living can praise Him, acknowledge Him, be thankful for His ongoing blessings.  This is a plea to remain alive, for God to hold back death a bit longer.

The last stanza seems to be that this person has been under God's wrath from birth.  One taken in captivity?  One handicapped since birth?  Doesn't really come out and say either one.

The Psalm ends abruptly, without any closure, positive or negative.

This is a very sad psalm, and there is no uplifting conclusion to it.  The last verse is here:

18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness. [Psa 88:18 ESV]

A note in TCR says that last phrase can be rendered as "darkness is my only companion".  This person is as low as low can go.  He considers himself almost as the dead.  And his appeal is based on the fact that those in hell do not praise God.  So...is this a lost person, aching to be saved, aching for God's mercy, and yet denied time after time?

MSB note is much like mine.  There is no happiness at the end.  MSB thinks the person has been ill or injured since he was born, and has prayed for good health/healing for his whole life, and yet it has not come.  The fact that he still turns to God, even after all this time, indicates an underlying trust. But like Job, this man does not understand why such a life would be his lot, as he finds no sin within himself.

Possible FB post.

Perhaps the lesson of this psalm is that sometimes, God does not give us the relief we seek, sometimes he does not hear, yet we are not thereby excused from trusting him and looking to him.   His ways are not our ways, and even in the worst darkness, we are not allowed to despise his ways.  We can complain, as this writer does consistently, but we cannot, should not hate God for our lot in this world.  This is not the world we should focus on.

It just occurred to me that this person might well be a leper.  It would explain why there is no cure, why he cannot/does not get better, and why the whole world shuts him out, and he has zero friends to come to his aid.  The leper's prayer.

And yet this is from the Sons of Korah?  Was one of them a leper?  Was one of them isolated from the other Sons of Korah?