Psa 88:14 | KingComments | STEP | With the word “but” ( ) Heman indicates the contrast with the hereafter. After his questions about the hereafter and his depiction of the situation there, he lets it be known by his calling that he is still in the land of the living. In the realm of the dead is silence, darkness and oblivion, but he is not silent. He cries out to the LORD, for he is still in affliction. The psalmist’s prayer is now not about the question of salvation, but about why he is still in affliction. He does not understand the ways of God. His ways are so high, he cannot understand them. The psalmist and later, in the end time, the remnant and the maskilim wrestle with this question. In the New Testament the believer, having come to know the love of God in the Lord Jesus, can say in faith: “We know that to those who love God all things work together for good” ( ). He can say: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” ( ). He has already said that he calls to God “by day and in the night” ( ) and that he calls to God “every day” ( ). Now he says that his prayer “in the morning” “comes before” God. This is a wonderful way for him to indicate that he wants to have an encounter with God in his prayer, early in the morning, right after he wakes up. He continues to pray even though he gets no answer. He feels rejected by the LORD ( ). But “why” does He reject him, he asks. He sees no reason why He has rejected him, yet He has done so. Heman continues to plead with the LORD, even though he feels rejected. Because he keeps pressing, but God doesn’t answer, he asks his second ‘why question’. That is why God hides His face from him. He doesn’t understand it all. He loves God and wants to be in His presence, but God does not let Himself be found. This fills him with despair ( ). We see the same wrestling in Job. He is in such a miserable state. “From” his “youth on” he has had to deal with suffering as a committed believer (cf. ). He is familiar with it. From his youth he has put his trust in the LORD and has never been ashamed of it (cf. ), but now this trust does not seem to be working. He does not bear God’s favor, but His threats. Thereby he is “overcome”, or: embarrassed. He does not know what to do anymore. There is no question of rebellion, but he no longer understands. How can it be that God, whom he loves so much, behaves toward him as if He were his enemy (cf. ). The affliction in which Heman finds himself, he experiences as the “burning anger” of God passing over him ( ). They are God’s “terrors”, terrors that emanate from God. How will he be able to resist them? That is impossible. The only effect they have is that they “destroy” him. God’s terrors mean death for him. They surround him without a moment’s pause “like water all day long” ( ). He cannot catch his breath and is in danger of drowning in it. “They have encompassed” him, “altogether”. They are like an army that God has set up against him and whose every soldier, without exception, has the arrow pointed at him. So did Job express himself about the terrors that had come upon him ( ). Heman concludes his maskil or teaching by pointing out once more the great loneliness into which God has brought him ( ; ). God hides Himself from him and He has also “removed” his “lover and friend” far from him. He is all alone in his suffering. His “acquaintances” are not in darkness [ in does not belong to the original text, as shown by the square brackets], but they “are darkness” themselves. The last word of Heman is ‘darkness’. With this, the psalm seems to have reached an absolute and hopeless low point. Many psalms go from darkness to light. That is not the case here. Yet the end does not speak of despair. Heman has turned to God. God will answer his cry. He will do so in His time. When it is new moon, when the moon no longer shows a single ray of light, when there is deep darkness, this is at the same time the start of the run to the full moon. Thus it may be in the life of a believer that all hope of salvation is gone. However, this does not mean that all prayers have been in vain. Sometimes we have to reach such a low point to come to complete surrender and resignation. Then we see that God is going to work. Ultimately, the psalmist will have to learn that Christ’s path to glory is through suffering. This is why the Lord announced His suffering three times ( ) and taught the Emmaus disciples: “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” ( ). A similar lesson must be learned by the remnant; a similar lesson must be learned by us today ( ).

‏ Psalms 88:14

Rejected

With the word “but” (Psa 88:13) Heman indicates the contrast with the hereafter. After his questions about the hereafter and his depiction of the situation there, he lets it be known by his calling that he is still in the land of the living. In the realm of the dead is silence, darkness and oblivion, but he is not silent. He cries out to the LORD, for he is still in affliction.

The psalmist’s prayer is now not about the question of salvation, but about why he is still in affliction. He does not understand the ways of God. His ways are so high, he cannot understand them. The psalmist and later, in the end time, the remnant and the maskilim wrestle with this question.

In the New Testament the believer, having come to know the love of God in the Lord Jesus, can say in faith: “We know that to those who love God all things work together for good” (Rom 8:28). He can say: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).

He has already said that he calls to God “by day and in the night” (Psa 88:1b) and that he calls to God “every day” (Psa 88:9). Now he says that his prayer “in the morning” “comes before” God. This is a wonderful way for him to indicate that he wants to have an encounter with God in his prayer, early in the morning, right after he wakes up. He continues to pray even though he gets no answer.

He feels rejected by the LORD (Psa 88:14). But “why” does He reject him, he asks. He sees no reason why He has rejected him, yet He has done so. Heman continues to plead with the LORD, even though he feels rejected. Because he keeps pressing, but God doesn’t answer, he asks his second ‘why question’. That is why God hides His face from him. He doesn’t understand it all. He loves God and wants to be in His presence, but God does not let Himself be found.

This fills him with despair (Psa 88:15). We see the same wrestling in Job. He is in such a miserable state. “From” his “youth on” he has had to deal with suffering as a committed believer (cf. Psa 129:1). He is familiar with it. From his youth he has put his trust in the LORD and has never been ashamed of it (cf. Psa 71:5), but now this trust does not seem to be working.

He does not bear God’s favor, but His threats. Thereby he is “overcome”, or: embarrassed. He does not know what to do anymore. There is no question of rebellion, but he no longer understands. How can it be that God, whom he loves so much, behaves toward him as if He were his enemy (cf. Job 30:21).

The affliction in which Heman finds himself, he experiences as the “burning anger” of God passing over him (Psa 88:16). They are God’s “terrors”, terrors that emanate from God. How will he be able to resist them? That is impossible. The only effect they have is that they “destroy” him. God’s terrors mean death for him.

They surround him without a moment’s pause “like water all day long” (Psa 88:17). He cannot catch his breath and is in danger of drowning in it. “They have encompassed” him, “altogether”. They are like an army that God has set up against him and whose every soldier, without exception, has the arrow pointed at him. So did Job express himself about the terrors that had come upon him (Job 6:4 ; Job 27:20).

Heman concludes his maskil or teaching by pointing out once more the great loneliness into which God has brought him (Psa 88:18; Psa 88:8). God hides Himself from him and He has also “removed” his “lover and friend” far from him. He is all alone in his suffering. His “acquaintances” are not in darkness [in does not belong to the original text, as shown by the square brackets], but they “are darkness” themselves.

The last word of Heman is ‘darkness’. With this, the psalm seems to have reached an absolute and hopeless low point. Many psalms go from darkness to light. That is not the case here. Yet the end does not speak of despair. Heman has turned to God. God will answer his cry. He will do so in His time. When it is new moon, when the moon no longer shows a single ray of light, when there is deep darkness, this is at the same time the start of the run to the full moon.

Thus it may be in the life of a believer that all hope of salvation is gone. However, this does not mean that all prayers have been in vain. Sometimes we have to reach such a low point to come to complete surrender and resignation. Then we see that God is going to work.

Ultimately, the psalmist will have to learn that Christ’s path to glory is through suffering. This is why the Lord announced His suffering three times (Lk 9:22-27 ; 43b-45 ; Lk 18:31-34) and taught the Emmaus disciples: “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” (Lk 24:26). A similar lesson must be learned by the remnant; a similar lesson must be learned by us today (Rom 8:17b).