When Faith Feels Like Wrestling in the Dark
What’s Psalm 88 about?
This is the darkest psalm in the entire Bible – a raw, unfiltered cry from someone who feels completely abandoned by God. It’s the only psalm that ends without hope, resolution, or praise, making it both disturbing and strangely comforting for anyone who’s ever felt spiritually lost.
The Full Context
Psalm 88 stands out like a thundercloud in the book of Psalms. Written by Heman the Ezrahite, one of the temple musicians during David’s time, this psalm emerges from a place of profound spiritual and physical suffering. The historical setting likely reflects the harsh realities of ancient Near Eastern life, where illness, social isolation, and religious questioning intersected in ways that could completely overwhelm a person’s faith. Unlike other lament psalms that follow a pattern of complaint leading to praise, Psalm 88 breaks the mold entirely.
Within the broader structure of the Psalms, this piece serves as a crucial reminder that authentic faith includes space for doubt, despair, and even anger toward God. The psalm’s placement in Book III of the Psalter (Psalms 73-89) – a section dealing with national crisis and theodicy – suggests it was preserved not as an anomaly but as an essential voice in Israel’s worship. Its theological purpose seems to be giving permission for believers to bring their darkest moments directly to God without needing to wrap them in artificial hope or forced praise.
What the Ancient Words Tell Us
The Hebrew title of this psalm packs a punch right from the start. It’s called a maschil, which means “contemplation” or “instruction” – suggesting this isn’t just emotional venting but deliberate theological reflection. The word choice throughout the psalm is intentionally stark and uncompromising.
When Heman uses the word choshek for “darkness” in verse 6, he’s not talking about nighttime. This is the primordial darkness of chaos, the same word used in Genesis 1:2 before God said “Let there be light.” He’s essentially saying his life has returned to pre-creation chaos.
Grammar Geeks
The verb tense in verse 1 is fascinating – “I cry out day and night before you” uses the Hebrew imperfect, indicating ongoing, continuous action. This isn’t a one-time prayer but a relentless, desperate persistence that’s been going on for who knows how long.
The psalm’s structure mirrors its content – there’s no neat progression from complaint to confidence. Instead, it spirals deeper into darkness with each stanza, creating a literary experience that matches the emotional reality of deep depression or spiritual crisis.
What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?
Ancient Israelites hearing this psalm in temple worship would have been both shocked and relieved. Their religious culture emphasized God’s faithfulness and the importance of praise, yet here was an official temple song that gave voice to experiences they all knew but rarely spoke about publicly.
The reference to Sheol (the grave/underworld) in verses 3-5 would have resonated powerfully. Unlike our modern concept of heaven and hell, Sheol was seen as a place where everyone went after death – a shadowy existence cut off from God’s presence. For Heman to say he’s already there while still alive would have been both theologically jarring and emotionally validating.
Did You Know?
Heman was one of the three chief musicians appointed by David for temple worship, alongside Asaph and Jeduthun. That someone in such a prominent religious position could write something this dark would have been both scandalous and liberating for ordinary worshippers struggling with their own doubts.
The communal nature of ancient worship means this psalm wasn’t just Heman’s private journal entry – it became part of Israel’s official songbook. This tells us something profound about how the ancient community understood faith: it’s big enough to hold our worst moments without breaking.
Wrestling with the Text
Here’s where things get really interesting – and difficult. Verse 18 ends with the Hebrew word machshak (darkness), making this the only psalm in the entire collection that concludes in despair rather than hope or praise. Why would the editors of the Psalter include something so seemingly “incomplete”?
Some scholars argue this represents authentic faith at its most honest – sometimes we don’t get resolution, sometimes prayers aren’t answered in ways we can recognize, and sometimes faithfulness looks like continuing to address God even when God feels absent. The psalm’s very existence in Scripture suggests that bringing our unresolved pain to God is itself a form of worship.
Wait, That’s Strange…
The most puzzling aspect might be verse 8: “You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them.” This suggests social isolation, but we’re not told why. Sometimes suffering compounds itself – physical or emotional pain leads to relational breakdown, creating a spiral that feels impossible to escape.
But here’s what’s remarkable: even in his darkest moment, Heman keeps addressing God directly. Every verse contains some form of “you” directed at God. This isn’t atheism or abandonment of faith – it’s faith wrestling with God’s apparent absence while refusing to let go entirely.
How This Changes Everything
This psalm doesn’t offer easy answers, and maybe that’s the point. In a religious culture that often pressures people to “have faith” and “look on the bright side,” Psalm 88 gives us permission to sit in the dark and tell God exactly how we feel about it.
The absence of resolution in this psalm might actually be its greatest gift to modern readers. Not every prayer gets answered the way we want. Not every season of suffering leads to clear lessons or silver linings. Sometimes faith means continuing to show up and speak to God even when God seems silent.
“Perhaps the most radical thing about Psalm 88 is that it teaches us that unresolved pain brought to God is still worship.”
For anyone who has ever felt guilty about their doubts, angry about unanswered prayers, or isolated in their suffering, this psalm offers something precious: the assurance that these feelings don’t disqualify you from relationship with God. They might actually deepen it.
Key Takeaway
Psalm 88 teaches us that authentic faith is large enough to contain our darkest moments without requiring us to pretend they don’t exist. Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is keep talking to God, even when God seems silent.
Further Reading
Internal Links:
External Scholarly Resources:
- Tremper Longman III, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary
- Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150: A Commentary
- John Goldingay, Psalms Volume 3: Psalms 90-150
Tags
Psalm 88, Psalm 88:1, Psalm 88:6, Psalm 88:18, Genesis 1:2, darkness, suffering, lament, depression, spiritual crisis, doubt, faith, worship, prayer, Sheol, Heman, temple music, theodicy, despair, hope
