PSALM PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 88:1. This is an individual lament. It is suited for a person who is so overwhelmed with troubles that even his friends shun him, and who suspects that the Lord has shunned him as well. The psalm does not specify the troubles, only that they feel like God’s punishment. Mos... [ Continue Reading ]
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 88:3 The next section describes the trouble in general terms, focusing more on the feelings (MY SOUL IS FULL OF TROUBLES) than on the external circumstances. YOUR WRATH LIES HEAVY UPON ME. That is, “it feels like I am dying, and worse than that, dying under your wrath, with no h... [ Continue Reading ]
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 88:10 The mention of dying under God’s wrath (vv. Psalms 88:3) leads to the question: DO YOU WORK WONDERS FOR THE DEAD? If one were to die under God’s wrath, then he could not anticipate any experience of God’s wonders, or any chance to praise him. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.g... [ Continue Reading ]
PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 88:13 DARKNESS is the last word in the psalm. Yet the faithful know that there is no alternative but to keep seeking the Lord in prayer. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]