The Heaviest of Hearts

One of the hymns that certainly hasn’t made anyone’s “Greatest Hits” list, is Psalm 88. The concluding verses read:

13 But to You I have cried out, O Lord, And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

14 Lord, why do You cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?

15 I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth; I suffer Your terrors; I am distraught.

16 Your fierce wrath has gone over me; Your terrors have cut me off.

17 They came around me all day long like water; They engulfed me altogether.

18 Loved one and friend You have put far from me, And my acquaintances into darkness. (Ps 88:13-18)

Thus it concludes with no apparent answer, but why would the Scripture include a psalm with such unresolved despair?

The heading says, “A Contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite.” 1 Chronicles 25:1 tells us that Heman was one of David’s three worship leaders, the other two being Asaph and Jeduthun. These men answered directly to the king, and were commanded that they and their sons were to prophesy on their instruments. To serve under Israel’s greatest psalmist in this capacity had to be quite an honor.

Twelve of Asaph’s psalms are recorded, with verses such as,

“Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.” (Ps 50:2), and

“Sing aloud to God our strength; Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.” (Ps 81:1).

None of Jeduthun’s writings are preserved, but there are three psalms (39, 62, & 77), two by David and one by Asaph, that were written for Jeduthun to sing. These contain lines like:

“He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.” (Ps 62:2), and

“You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples.” (Ps 77:14).

These wonderfully inspiring words are never found in the lone psalm of Heman. We’ve looked at the ending, but the rest of it is just as dreary. It begins with:

“1 O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You.

2 Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry.“

Our expectation is that somewhere in the following verses Heman would tell us how the Lord wonderfully answered his cry…but the answer never appears. Verse 15 says he had “been afflicted and ready to die from (his) youth,” and verses 6-7 say:

"6 You have laid me in the lowest pit, In darkness, in the depths.

7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah"

Where in the world did David find this depressed man to be a worship leader?

1 Chronicles 6:33-34a - 33 - And these are the ones who ministered with their sons: Of the sons of the Kohathites were Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 34 the son of Elkanah…”

We all know the story of Samuel’s sons, Joel and Abijah, and how their wickedness changed the political structure of Israel. The nation rejected these men and asked Samuel for a king. We wonder at how the sons of one of the godliest men in history could turn out like this? I don’t have an answer for that one, but look a little further. Heman was the son of Joel, who was the son of Samuel. Samuel’s son may have turned his back on the Lord, but his grandson was one of the greatest worship leaders Israel ever knew.

But what about the nature of Psalm 88, with all of its heaviness and unanswered prayer? Some believe that the ending of the psalm has been lost over the years. Possibly, but I think the answer is really found in the middle of the psalm:

“9 My eye wastes away because of affliction. Lord, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my hands to You.

10 Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah

11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?

12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

At the point of death, Heman still says that God is worthy of praise, still has lovingkindness, and still is faithful and righteous. For whatever reason, Samuel’s sons seemed to quickly turn away from God, but in His mercy the Lord raised up a grandson who, in spite of a lifetime of misery, refused to deny the faithfulness and lovingkindness of the Lord! Oh - what faith!! Perhaps this is the greatest type of prophecy – to see God when all around is dark. To peer through the depressing forces of this world and see the strong, loving face of the One who said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Sometimes it’s the heaviest of hearts that know the most about the greatness of grace.