Psalm 88:1-18, Part 1 – “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst” John 4:14

Psa 88:1 A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
Psa 88:2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
Psa 88:3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
Psa 88:4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
Psa 88:5 Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
Psa 88:6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
Psa 88:7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
Psa 88:8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
Psa 88:9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
Psa 88:10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
Psa 88:11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
Psa 88:12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
Psa 88:13 But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
Psa 88:14 LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
Psa 88:15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
Psa 88:16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
Psa 88:17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
Psa 88:18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.

The biblical definition of Eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ. God’s people are blessed to ask Christ for the “gift of God” “that I shall give him” of God, which is to know Him and Jesus Christ. As we get to know them, we will by the faith provided be persuaded and believe, that we are an inseparable part of their workmanship. When we are convinced of this fact then we will “never thirst” and will know as our Lord did that we are here for one express reason that fulfills all thirsts and that is to do the works that have been assigned unto us to do via our Father in heaven through Christ.

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee (Joh 17:3), Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (Joh 17:3).

Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Jas 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Joh 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. [The work that He thirsted for and was consumed for the temple and the reason why he did not thirst for the things of this world because God’s will, was his bread, and source of energy that consumed him and satisfied him – Joh 2:17, 1Co 3:16.]

Joh 4:32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

We are blessed to know that eternal life or everlasting life is something that comes about by abiding in those eternal words and going through the baptisms of fire that purify God’s word that is dragged through a process that makes us meet for the master’s use. We are also blessed to be reassured through the promises of God that as Christ is, so are we in this life, and in like manner that which God started in Christ and completed will be started and completed in His bride the church.

Joh 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

2Ti 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
2Ti 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Heb 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

This study on Psalm 88 addresses the feeling of abandonment that our flesh must experience as we are surrounded by water in the destructive sense that God’s word destroys our old man through the fiery baptisms of fire and cleanses us of our own sinful nature via that process of baptisms or fiery trials. We are not to confuse that bruising, those stripes, those many tribulations, that chastening and scourging of the Lord with Him forsaking us, but rather keep fighting a good fight of faith and realize that these events give witness to the fact that you are sons and daughters being received. Therefore we ought not cast away our confidence in the process which God has working in each of our lives to put off the flesh, even as He creates something new through Christ and his body, the church.

Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Mat 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

I was given an interesting example of what God is doing with each of His children day by day as we die daily (1Co 15:30-31) having just completed a first-aid course for work where I was shown how a defibrillator works and what it does to the heart. In short, a heart that is not beating correctly and brings a person to be unconscious and not breathing is a heart that needs to be flat lined so that there is no unnatural rhythm or electrical signal at all. Then through the standard thirty compressions and two breaths of air that are given, the blood can course that oxygen along and hopefully trigger the heart back into a healthy rhythm via the electrical pulse that is artificially generated with the ADE (automated external defibrillator).

Obviously not every day that we experience in the flesh is as dramatic as this, and yet God shows us that in the spirit, it is a day-by-day narrow, yet certain, escape that He is providing through Jesus Christ who is our spiritual external and internal ‘defibrillator’ who enables us to walk in rhythm and in harmony with each other and our Father in heaven and the world around us. This is eternal life to know God and Jesus Christ today as we walk in harmony with those in the body of Christ and share the same mind with healthy oxygenated words that reach the entire body via a healthy heart-beat.

Act 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Not walking in harmony with the body of Christ can be likened to a heart murmur, and God instructs us to examine ourselves to be sure that there are no such murmurs in the camp and that we are not thinking above what is written in His word and that we humbly and gently go unto our brother as needed with the word of God, the defibrillator that can, when used properly, bring back the breath Life into a soul which is snared of the devil.

Num 11:1 And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

2Ti 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

The word ‘water’ is used 396 times in the word of God found within 363 verses. Not surprisingly, God has allowed this word to be written 396 times, which tells us that the process of spiritual completion (3) comes about through judgment (9) upon the first man Adam (6). In this study we will look at how God brings an end to our rebellious spirits via the rising of the water and storms which bring about waves that leave us feeling encompassed and sore pressed and full of troubles, even as our life draws near unto the grave. When we can understand that God is the one who is giving us those waters for our good, and that they will be accompanied with the living waters that will heal all the brokenness inside that we must experience, then we can greatly appreciate the promise made to us in our title “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. “(Joh 4:14). As we discussed last week it is springing up through the fountains and springs reminding us that there is a process that God sets in motion with His living water or words that will not return void, and that process starts with His kind of first fruits.

Isa 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Psa 88:1 A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:

This two-part Psalm begins with a declaration to God from the psalmist that he is going through a process of much sorrow which is causing him to cry unto the God of our salvation day and night. The definitions of the following words accompanied with this first and only verse of our study will help us understand more clearly the somber tone being set in this first verse and throughout this psalm.

Korah: H7141
Korah = “bald”

1) son of Izhar, grandson of Kohath, great grandson of Levi and leader of the rebellion of the Israelites against Moses and Aaron while in the wilderness; punished and died by an earthquake and flames of fire

2) the 3rd son of Esau by Aholibamah and one of the dukes of Edom

3) son of Eliphaz by Adah, duke of Edom, and nephew of 1

4) one of the ‘sons’ of Hebron

Part of Speech: noun proper masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H7139

Mahalath:H4257
BDB Definition:

1) Mahalath

1a) found in headings of Psa_53:1-6 [This Psalm is associated with workers of iniquity and the captivity of His people] and Ps 81

1a1) meaning dubious, probably a catchword in a song giving name to tune

Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H2470
Same Word by TWOT Number: 623h or 655c

Leannoth:H6031
ענה
‛ânâh

BDB Definition: [I’ve underlined some of the definitions of the word Leannoth which definitions are very loudly expressed in this Psalm]

1) (Qal) to be occupied, be busied with

2) to afflict, oppress, humble, be afflicted, be bowed down

2a) (Qal)

2a1) to be put down, become low

2a2) to be depressed, be downcast

2a3) to be afflicted

2a4) to stoop

2b) (Niphal)

2b1) to humble oneself, bow down

2b2) to be afflicted, be humbled

2c) (Piel)

2c1) to humble, mishandle, afflict

2c2) to humble, be humiliated

2c3) to afflict

2d4) to humble, weaken oneself

2d) (Pual)

2d1) to be afflicted

2d2) to be humbled

2e) (Hiphil) to afflict

2f) (Hithpael)

2f1) to humble oneself

2f2) to be afflicted

Part of Speech: verb

A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root [possibly rather identical with H6030 through the idea of looking down or browbeating]
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1651, 1652

Maschil: H4905
משׂכּיל
BDB Definition:

1) (Hiphil) poem, song or poem of contemplation

Part of Speech: noun masculine

This is a hope-filled part of the Psalm which reminds us that all these trials we are going through are preparing us so that we can deal with the world today with greater wisdom, skill and prudence (Jas 1:5, Luk 16:9-11].

A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H7919
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2263b

śâkal:H7919
שׂכל
śâkal
BDB Definition:

1) to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper

1a) (Qal) to be prudent, be circumspect

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to look at or upon, have insight

1b2) to give attention to, consider, ponder, be prudent

1b3) to have insight, have comprehension

1b3a) insight, comprehension (substantive)

1b4) to cause to consider, give insight, teach

1b4a) the teachers, the wise

1b5) to act circumspectly, act prudently, act wisely

1b6) to prosper, have success

1b7) to cause to prosper

2) (Piel) to lay crosswise, cross (hands)

Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2263, 2264

Heman: H1968
הימן
hêymân

BDB Definition:
Heman = “faithful”

1) a wise man to whom Solomon was compared

2) son of Joel, grandson of Samuel, and a Levitical singer and author of Psalm 88

3) a seer

Part of Speech: noun proper masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: probably from H539

‘âman:H539
BDB Definition:

1) to support, confirm, be faithful (Act 14:22)

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to support, confirm, be faithful, uphold, nourish

1a1a) foster-father (substantive)

1a1b) foster-mother, nurse

1a1c) pillars, supporters of the door (Exo 26:37, 1Ti 3:15)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be established, be faithful, be carried, make firm

1b1a) to be carried by a nurse

1b1b) made firm, sure, lasting

1b1c) confirmed, established, sure

1b1d) verified, confirmed

1b1e) reliable, faithful, trusty

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in (Eph 6:13)

1c1a) stand firm

1c1b) trust, believe

Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 116

Ezrahite: H250
אזרחי
‘ezrâchı̂y

BDB Definition:
Ezraite = “a native (as arising out of the soil)”(Jer 22:29)

1) Ezrahite, of the family of Zerach

Part of Speech: adjective
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: patronymic from H2246

chôbâb:H2246
BDB Definition:
Hobab = “cherished”

1) the son of Reuel, the Midianite father-in-law of Moses, also known as Jethro, and brother-in-law of Moses

Part of Speech: noun proper masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H2245

Hopefully we have laid the ground work with this initial study for more of the verses to come in the following weeks, God willing.

[Questions or comments can be directed to the author at anthocul@sympatico.ca]