Embrace the Word for Friday, July 10, 2026
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Psalm 88 is perhaps the darkest Psalm in the Psalter. Unlike most every other Psalm of deep distress and sorrow, Psalm 88 does not end with a resolution of hope. The superscription offers important insight into the Psalm, but it does not suggest any historical context: “A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.” This Psalm by Heman the Ezrahite, possibly one of the sons of Korah, thus a Levite and one of the men appointed by David for directing Temple worship and prophetic instruction (See 1 Chronicles 25:1-6). Or Heman the Ezrahite could be from Judah (as a son of Zerah) and is mentioned alongside Ethan the Ezrahite (who is referenced in the superscription of Psalm 89)—both men of renowned wisdom. It is hard to say for sure which Heman is referenced here in Psalm 88. If the Heman of Psalm 88 is a son of Zerah then the mention of the sons of Korah could refer to the Psalm being a collaborative effort. Touching on the rest of the superscription details, the term “Mahalath” is either the musical instrumentation that the Psalm was to be played to, or it identifies the musical setting; the term “Leannoth” is hard to say but it could allude to the song being sung in a mood of humility or in a downcast state; and the term “Maskil” in this Psalm probably highlights the wisdom which this Psalm reveals. Psalm 88 shares many terms with Psalm 86 as well as several connections to Psalm 84. Psalm 88 seems to be structured around the three times in which the Psalmist cries out to the LORD with no answer (88:1,9,13).
Psalm 88 opens with a desperate but persistent cry to the LORD: “O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!” (88:1-2). Heman has cried out to the LORD “day and night.” He has sought the LORD and with great intensity he appeals for a hearing before the LORD. Heman is in great distress. And yet, Heman’s cries are not cries of absolute distress, for he appeals to the “God of my salvation,” the One whom he lives in covenantal relationship with as noted by calling Him LORD. Heman is not looking anywhere else for help to come, but relying upon all the promises and purposes that God has ensured for His people. Note that as the darkness of this Psalm unfolds, no matter how forsaken Heman feels, he still interprets the depths of his distress through the assurance that he can call upon the LORD. Even as Heman feels forsaken, he knows he is not forsaken.
But as Heman describes his distress in greater detail, the intensity of his experience is made more clear: “For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength, like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand” (88:3-5). Heman uses a dark irony in describing his experience. He opens by saying that his “soul is full of troubles.” Literally, Heman states that he is “satisfied” in his distress. Not satisfied as it normally means in a positive and fulfilling way, but more along the lines of having more than enough, more than he’d wish, for Heman feels as if he is dying and about to reach the place of death. As Heman describes his experience of being on the edge of death, he states “like one set loose among the dead.” The idea of “set loose” conveys being set free, but in this context there is a great irony once again. Heman is experiencing a horrible freedom—he feels as though he is “free” to go anywhere he wants, so long as it is among the dead. He feels as though he is like one lying slain in the grave. Heman feels spent—all of his strength is gone. And even worse, Heman feels as though the LORD no longer remembers him, that is, no longer providing watch over him and loving care. Heman is saying that it is like he has been forgotten and abandoned by the LORD, beyond any sense of hope.
Even though he has not provided any historical details, Heman has expressed how he feels in the midst of his deep distress and sorrow. In a word, Heman feels as though he’s dead. But what Heman has described is not simply death, but something more akin to the horrors of hell. One of the great horrors of hell is the realization that only God can put someone there. Thus, Heman continues: “You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; my eye grows dim through sorrow” (88:6-9a). Heman states that the LORD has put him “in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep.” Heman is describing a state of profound misery, a condition of utter dismay, an experience of intense darkness. As Heman moves from where God has placed him as to why God has placed him there, he explains, “Your wrath lies heavy upon me.” Implicit in acknowledging God’s wrath, Heman is acknowledging his sin and his guilt, for God’s wrath is His settled, holy, and just anger against sinners. Heman likens such wrath as an unbearable weight crushing him, but also like the overwhelming waves of a flood of judgment that is drowning him. Heman admits that the LORD has distanced all of his companions to be far from him—he is like an abomination to them, and therefore, he has no way of escape.
Heman is expressing that he is forlorn, forsaken, and forgotten, but remember, he prays to the LORD, the God of his salvation: “Every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you” (88:9b). Similar to verse 1, this now repeated urgent plea is stressing Heman’s persistence. As Heman prays he inquires of the LORD with three questions: “Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah. Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?” (88:10-13). Rehearsing his experience of feeling as though he was on the edge of death, and would soon be dead, Heman appeals to the LORD to let him go on living that he might continue to praise the LORD. As a side note, Heman understands that the purpose of life—the reason for life—is to glorify God by seeing the wonders of God, declaring the wonders of God, and praising the wonders of God. God’s wonders are His mighty acts, such as redeeming and preserving His people, as well as judging His enemies. God’s wonders are simply an extension of his steadfast love, faithfulness, and righteousness. Heman proposes that if he were to die, he would cease to see God’s wonders and therefore not be in a position to praise Him. Heman appeals to the LORD is that if he dies and stays dead, then the praise that the LORD deserves will not go forth. Put conversely, if Heman were allowed to live, then he would continue to see the glorious wonders of God and therefore he would praise the LORD, declare the LORD’s steadfast love and faithfulness, and also acknowledge the LORD’s righteousness on the earth. Heman wants to go on living, and in living, he knows what to do.
Heman states his third cry in the midst of his distress: “But I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you” (88:13). Heman is emphatically crying out to the LORD. Perhaps the mention of “in the morning” suggests a note of hope, but the distress is still profound. Heman asks yet another question: “O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?” (88:14). In asking why, Heman is not disputing with the LORD as much as he is seeking to understand the purpose behind all that he has experienced. Heman is recognizing God’s hand in all that has unfolded, but what has been the most distressful is the thought that the LORD had rejected him, hiding His face from him. Heman knows the character of the LORD, as he is trying to reconcile his awareness of Exodus 34:6-7 with what he is experiencing. So Heman is appealing to what he knows the LORD is like as a God full of steadfast love and mercy. Yet, Heman restates his situation—he is afflicted, attacked, alone, and abandoned: “Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless. Your wrath has swept over me; your dreadful assaults destroy me. They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in on me together. You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness” (88:15-18). Note the acute terms that Heman highlights—he “suffers your terrors,” he is “helpless,” the LORD’s wrath has “swept” over him, he feels destroyed by the LORD’s dreadful assaults, “surrounded” by a flood of God’s wrath, has had all his closest loved ones run off by the LORD, and currently lives with one companion: darkness. There is no happy ending put forward to conclude this Psalm. Heman concludes in a horrific, terrible, lonely, and dark place.
As we reflect on Psalm 88, we can consider the Lord Jesus Christ as One who is qualified to truly sympathize with Heman. Jesus knows Heman’s experience, for He too was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces” (See Isaiah 53:3). Jesus tasted even a fuller measure of being afflicted, attacked, alone, and abandoned: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (See Matthew 27:46). Therefore, Jesus understands: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (See Hebrews 4:15). When in darkness, look to Jesus: “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him” (See Hebrews 5:8-9). Jesus was forsaken that His people could be comforted; made a curse that His people would be blessed; bore His peoples’ sins on the Cross so that His people would be pardoned and adopted as well-loved children, suffered outside the camp to bring His people into the LORD’s presence. Jesus knows the way out of darkness, and He will bring all who are His out with Him.
That’s all for Embrace the Word for Friday, July 10, 2026. I look forward to being back with you for the Monday, July 13, 2026 episode of Embrace the Word as we take a look at Psalm 89.