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Psalm 88 | King James Audio Bible
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Psalm 88 expresses despair and there is an absence of the redemptive turn found in many other psalms. Traditionally ascribed to Heman the Ezrahite, this psalm explores depths of human suffering and spiritual desolation, offering a raw and unfiltered cry from the soul.
The psalmist addresses the Lord as the God of salvation, setting a poignant tone for the lament that follows. The psalmist’s plea is relentless, crying out day and night, seeking an audience with the Divine. The vivid language employed portrays a soul overwhelmed by troubles, drawing near to the very edge of the grave. The psalmist feels counted among those destined for the pit, devoid of strength and likened to the dead.
Imagery of being laid in the lowest pit, shrouded in darkness, and subjected to the waves of God’s wrath intensifies the psalmist’s experience of affliction. There is profound sense of being abandoned, with acquaintances distanced and the psalmist feeling like an abomination, imprisoned and unable to come forth.
The psalmist’s gaze turns inward as affliction takes a toll on the eyes, and the relentless suffering leads to a sense of daily mourning. The poignant questioning arises: Will wonders be shown to the dead? Can the dead arise and praise the Lord? The psalmist grapples with the seeming futility of divine intervention after death.
The psalm ends without the customary hopeful note, leaving the reader in the darkness of the psalmist’s affliction. Lover and friend are put far away, and acquaintances are shrouded in darkness, highlighting a stark sense of isolation.
Psalm 88 | King James Audio Bible KJV | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
Wilt thou show wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
Lord, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
Psalm 88 | King James Audio Bible KJV | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
- Relentless Lamentation: Psalm 88 is characterized by an unyielding expression of lamentation, expressing a soul’s persistent cry to God in the midst of profound despair.
- Desolation and Abandonment: The psalmist vividly portrays a sense of desolation, feeling abandoned and cut off from the divine presence. Themes of darkness and affliction permeate the psalm, reflecting depths of the psalmist’s suffering.
- Questioning Divine Intervention: The psalmist grapples with the seeming futility of divine intervention after death. Questions about wonders being shown to the dead and the praise of the Lord by those who are dead underscore complexity of the psalmist’s faith.
- Intense Personal Affliction: The psalmist experiences physical and emotional anguish, drawing near to the grave, feeling counted among the dead, and being subjected to the waves of God’s wrath. The language conveys the depth of personal affliction.
- Isolation And Separation: The psalm concludes with a poignant sense of isolation. Friends, lovers and acquaintances are put far away, shrouded in darkness; there is profound separation and loneliness experienced by the psalmist.
- Absence Of Redemptive Turn: Notably, Psalm 88 lacks the typical redemptive turn found in many other psalms. The absence of a shift towards hope or praise sets it apart, allowing it to stand as a powerful representation of the complexities of faith in the face of unrelenting suffering.
- Raw And Unfiltered Expression: The psalm’s unfiltered portrayal of the psalmist’s agony and the unrelenting nature of the lament contribute to its uniqueness. It provides a sacred space for the expression of raw, honest emotions and the complexities of the human experience.