NIV Psalm 88:1 A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
O LORD, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you.
2 May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength.
5 I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah
8 You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape;
9 my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, O LORD, every day; I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do those who are dead rise up and praise you? Selah
11 Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction?
12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
13 But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?
15 From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death; I have suffered your terrors and am in despair.
16 Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me.
18 You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.
7 Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah
Verse 7 above gives the reason for the psalmist's unmitigated sorrow, suffering, and sense of death.
[Please bear in mind as we go through this psalm that we are making an application of the first person voice of the psalmist to a prophetic rendering of the voice of Jesus Christ Himself. My reasons for feeling that it is scriptural to do so are written below.
First, this is the precedent established by many of the New Testament writers. For example, In Acts 2:25-35, the Apostle Peter explains in great detail the prophetic role of David in Psalm 16.
NAU Acts 2:25 "For David says of Him, 'I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE; FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN.
26 'THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED; MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE;
27 BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY.
28 'YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE; YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.'
29 "Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
30 "And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE,
31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY.
32 "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
33 "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
34 "For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
35 UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET."'
36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ-- this Jesus whom you crucified."
All of the capital letters above are quotations from the Septuagint version of the Old Testament. (This was a very common Greek version at the time the apostles lived. Our own versions sound very similar, just not word for word.)
Verses 25 through 28 are a quotation from Psalm 16:8-11b. Then in verse 29 above, the Apostle Peter begins to explain why the quotation from Psalm 16, even though written in first person, does not refer to David, the immediate author of the psalm. He gives the very simple reason that the prophecy in it did not come true with regard to David. Therefore, since biblical prophecy always comes true, this prophecy cannot be about David. This is how he proves it.
First, the verses prophesy that the soul, or life, of the speaker will not be left in Hades, the place of death, the grave, nor will the body of the first person speaker rot, or see decay. Next, Peter continues his argument with confidence by saying that very clearly David, the immediate author of the psalm, died (that's well-attested in scripture); furthermore, he was buried, and, if anyone wants to check up on the condition of his body--whether rotted or not--the answer would not be hard to find, because David's tomb was still with them in a well-known location. Therefore--this conclusion is implied rather than directly stated--the prophecy, being the word of God, which never fails--was not about David.
In verse 30, Peter tells his audience that David was in fact a prophet. As a prophet, he knew that God was speaking of one of David's descendants, whom God had sworn to seat on David's throne. Peter, in verse 30 of Acts 2 above, is drawing from a combination of Psalm 132:11, 2 Samuel 7:12f, and Psalm 89:3f. (Note: "f" means "forward"; that is, just keep on reading starting with and continuing from the verse preceding the "f".)
In Acts 2:31 above, Peter reveals that the prophet David, even though using his own first person voice, was in fact looking ahead to one of his descendants, who is Jesus Christ. David had been speaking of Christ's resurrection from the dead, not his own. Peter in this verse from Acts, repeats Psalm 16:10, which he had quoted previously in Acts 2:27, at the same time proclaiming the fact of Christ's spiritual and physical resurrection. That is, Christ in His entire being had been resurrected from the grave.
Peter's great and tremendously wonderful point is that David had never been talking about himself, not even in his own historical context. As a prophet he had always been speaking in these verses from Psalm 16 about one of his own descendants in the flesh. This prophecy, Peter declares, has now been fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ, who died, was buried, and resurrected. He says in verse 32, "we are all witnesses" of this.
Verse 33 continues the narrative of Jesus Christ in His exaltation and subsequent fulfilling of the promise of God to send forth the Holy Spirit. The phenomena which accompanied the sending of the Holy Spirit, described in Acts 2:1-13, forms the context of Peter's gospel declaration.
But Peter is not yet finished. He continues in verses 34-35 of Acts 2 above, with a quotation from Psalm 110:1--
NAU Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet."
Peter declares in verse 34 that it was not David who ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, but that the verse from Psalm 110 refers to Jesus Christ.
Then in Acts 2:36, Peter sums up the whole point of his argument--it's all about Christ! The entire point of Peter's talking to the crowd was to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, yet he used the Old Testament to do so. "...God has made Him both Lord and Christ-- this Jesus whom you crucified."
Jesus Himself applied Psalm 110:1 to Himself well before Peter understood the argument.
NAU Matthew 22:41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:
42 "What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?" They said to Him, "The son of David."
43 He said to them, "Then how does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying,
44 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET "'?
45 "If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his son?"
Jesus' reasoning runs like this: David is the author of Psalm 110, and the first verse is written in first person. The first LORD is Yahweh, the God of Israel. The second Lord, Adonai, refers to David's personal Lord--his Adonai. Adonai, however, is another word for God Almighty. One God, two different words for Him. Clearly, however, there are two beings referred to. The first one is readily understood as being Israel's national God--Yahweh. But who is the second?
This is the wonderful mystery of Old Testament prophecy that Peter speaks of in 1Peter 1:9-12 and Paul in Colossians 1:26-27. If the second "Lord" of whom David spoke was merely his son according to the flesh, then why would David be calling him Adonai--God? Clearly, he is so much more than David's genealogical son. In other words, Jesus is saying that David's prophecy goes way beyond both David and his "son", if, as the Pharisees apparently had been thinking, this son were thought of as a mere man. In other words, the point of David's prophecy is Christ, not humanity.
Paul gives another example of how the New Testament writers extended the strictly literal interpretation of Old Testament prophecy.
NAU 1 Corinthians 9:9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING." God is not concerned about oxen, is He?
10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops.
Although the example I just gave is not about Christ, it illustrates the general principle we are discussing--it is entirely scriptural , when considering Old Testament prophecy, to take the highest ground conceivable.
Why am I hammering this point? To answer that, I will give my second reason for giving an application of Psalm 88 as the first person voice of its author, Heman the Ezrahite, speaking prophetically about Jesus Christ. By way of summary, reason one, which has consumed all the writing in this particular blog post so far, is that it is in keeping with scripture to do so. Reason two is that the spiritual benefits are so much greater than a merely literal, historically bound application, as we saw with Paul's example about oxen above.
I am also seeking to hammer the point, because my daily study Bible which I use at home makes not one single reference to the Christ, my Lord, in all the notes it contains on Psalm 88. Not one. The study notes in this Bible of mine were written by a very famous, well-respected preacher and pastor. I am saying that many of us are taught to be too tight in how we allow the Holy Spirit to minister to our hearts as we read certain passages of scripture.
Yes, there is value in considering the trials of the psalmist from the point of view of his enduring faith in God. Yes, there is value in applying some of the psalms to the nation of Israel and to the church today. Yes, there is value in applying many of the psalms to our own lives. But for me, the greatest blessings of all have come as the Holy Spirit has been pleased to open to my heart an application of a psalm such as Psalm 88 to the very person of God's own beloved Son Himself.
Peter and Paul in the verses cited above (Peter speaks of in 1Peter 1:9-12 and Paul in Colossians 1:26-27), express their own wonder and amazement at the revealed mystery of the identity of the person of whom so many prophecies they cite were speaking!
NAU 1 Peter 1:10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries,
11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-- things into which angels long to look.
They were excited to meet this person of whom the prophets had spoken! Do you think God, the author of communication Himself, wants to keep from us this same excitement of first hand discovery?
We today have available to us the learning and wisdom of so many wise and intelligent scholars. By a long shot, I most definitely am not saying that we should ignore these gifts of God to His church. But, I do fear that by relying upon them as extensively as we so often seem to do, that we may be robbing ourselves of the joy of fellowship that is available to us by our spending quiet time alone with just the word of God and His Holy Spirit to apply that word Himself directly to our hearts, that is, without the immediate help/interference of study aids. Study aids are great! But most especially, after the Holy Spirit has had opportunity to fellowship alone with our hearts.
Put it this way, if given the opportunity, would you rather have a conversation with Jesus Christ? Or, would you rather have a conversation with a gifted scholar telling you all about Jesus Christ?
Briefly, there is yet a third reason why I have the personal freedom to apply Psalm 88 as a prophecy of Jesus Christ. Here it is.
My Bible study notes have a chart by Thomas Nelson, Inc., which lists 20 messianic prophecies in the psalms. Neither the chart nor my Bible study notes' author claim that this list is exhaustive, so why should I?
Further, New Testament scripture does not explicitly state that its writers have exhaustively cited all Old Testament passages that may refer to Jesus Christ. However, the New Testament does give indications that its citations may not be exhaustive.
NAU Luke 24:25 And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
NAU Luke 24:44 Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."
The two passages above contain the words of Jesus. The context of both are after His resurrection--the first, on the road to Emmaus, and the second, His appearance to the disciples when they had gathered together and were hiding out in the upper room. From Jesus' words in both passages, we can gather that both these conversations took some time, especially since eating a meal followed the conversation in the first passage and preceded the conversation in the second passage. Yet, neither passage tells us a single detail as to the content of the specific Old Testament passages Jesus used in opening His followers' understanding.
Then, there is the following statement by Jesus to His disciples before His death.
NAU John 16:12 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
Was the Holy Spirit poured out just upon the disciples and apostles? No. Was He poured out just upon the theologians? No.
NAU 1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
I strongly feel that in centuries past, pilgrims of the Way, such as the famous pilgrim Christian, created by John Bunyan in The Pilgrim's Progress--that Christians generally received more of their discipling and teaching straight from the hand of God by means of the Holy Spirit using the written word of God, the Bible, than by intermediaries claiming authoritarian dictatorship over accurate interpretation and application of God's word. The Roman Catholic Church claimed authority over scripture, and along came Luther to restore biblical freedom to us.
If Jesus had shared this current fear of the misuse of His Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father upon all believers, upon all children of God in Christ, then why would He have given this gift to the church in the first place? Further, I cannot believe that God intended the many blessings of spiritual fellowship with Himself through the Spirit and the word to be applicable to only highly educated scholars and apostles.
I am NOT saying that God gives new scripture today to anyone. That would indeed be heresy. But I am saying that God by His Spirit does reveal afresh, over and over again, the heart of His marvelous Son Jesus Christ, by means of His Spirit directly applying the written word of God, today, to the hearts potentially of all believers.
So, if my heart tells me, prayerfully, gratefully, humbly, that Psalm 88 refers to my most precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the time of His death upon the cross and burial in the tomb, and if that application is in keeping with all of scripture, not violating any specific passage of scripture anywhere, nor adding to it, then I will most gladly believe and trust what my heart is telling me. An alternative belief would be that the absence of any mention of Jesus Christ in my Bible study notes under Psalm 88, does in fact mean that a correlation between Psalm 88 and Jesus Christ would be incorrect. Blessedly, there is at least one saint, now deceased, Robert Hawker, who left writings to show me that the Holy Spirit shed light in his heart concerning Psalm 88 the same way He is shedding light in mine. So, I prefer the Christ-centered application of Psalm 88, rather than any which might leave Him completely out.
Summary of my reasons for being confident in the Lord that Psalm 88 can be understood as a prophecy in first person voice of Jesus Christ:
1. This reading is entirely in keeping with many New Testament examples which apply certain passages of Psalms to Christ.
2. Jesus claims in Luke 24:44 that He is written about in the Psalms.
3. Reading Psalm 88 as the words of Christ leads us to the highest ground of contemplation.
4. Nowhere in the New Testament is it claimed that the Old Testament citations in it, those which are prophetically speaking of Christ, are exhaustive.
5. God said the He would pour out of His Spirit upon all flesh.
NAU Acts 2:17 'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;
The Holy Spirit has freedom to reveal the Lord Jesus Christ in scripture to the least of all His saints as well as to the greatest.]
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Heavenly Father, Please forgive me for making things so difficult for myself, for not trusting You more simply, more as a child. I trust You, Lord, that You do what Your word says You do. Forgive me, Lord, for any spirit of contentiousness that may be in me, and I pray that if there be any in me, that You would reveal that to me also. I am so grateful, Lord, for Your gifts to us of Your word, Your Son, and Your Holy Spirit in our hearts, who teaches us all things. Thank You also, Lord, for all preachers and teachers of Your word, especially the one who wrote my Bible's study notes, these men who labor so faithfully to represent You accurately to us, Your flock. They are a great blessing to us.
In Jesus' name,
Christina,
Amen.
--Psalm 88:7f to be continued--
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