What is your favorite Psalm from the book of Psalms?
I tend to rate them by how mysterious they are. I have very little idea about what they sound like. Most of them seem at first very similar. There's no music and they keep using the word 'LORD' all the time. The names are merely numbers, so that doesn't help. Call out into any crowd "What is Psalm 88?" Nobody will know the answer unless they are a super geek that memorizes psalms for fun.
Psalm 88, by-the-way, is written by a group called the Sons of Korah who have a unique story. They are the descendants supposedly of the man who once was swallowed alive for some kind of rebellion. They, having seen how Korah was swallowed by the ground, became some of the most faithful servants of the temple even staying faithful in times when most people were slacking off. Actually I am lying about this. They aren't the descendants of Korah. Whoever is singing the song is a son of Korah. That is they are singing it as a son of Korah. When you sing it or read it, you're supposed to think of how you narrowly escaped being swallowed up. You become Korah's son. If you had been there with your dad in his rebellion you would have perished, but you stayed faithful. You were kept alive.
Here is verse five:
"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."
Its similar to the prayer of Jonah from within the fish, isn't it?
[Jon 2:3 NIV] 3 "You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me."
Psalm 88 also has similarities with lines from Job:
[Psa 88:8 NIV] "You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape;"
Finally the Son of Korah is not merely talking about being saved. They are talking about having to give up the relationship they had. This is psalm about times when you have to walk away from unhealthy friendships or have to be at odds with the people around you. It is in this moment that you are a son of Korah. The last verse is:
"You have taken from me friend and neighbor— darkness is my closest friend."
Wow! Where is the happy ending?