What does Psalm 88:10 reveal about God's ability to perform "wonders for the dead"? Setting the Scene in Psalm 88 • Psalm 88 is a lament psalm. Heman the Ezrahite pours out raw anguish, feeling abandoned and near death. • Verses 3–5 paint him as one “counted among those who go down to the Pit” (v. 4). • In that darkness, verse 10 erupts with a pointed, almost rhetorical question: “Do You work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise You? Selah” (Psalm 88:10). Why Ask About Wonders for the Dead? • The psalmist assumes that only the living actively praise God in the temple. • He feels so close to death that he wonders if God’s miraculous power reaches beyond the grave. • By posing the question, he is not denying the possibility; he is begging God to prove, here and now, that He truly can. Old Testament Echoes of God’s Power Over Death Psalm 88:10 hints at truths already embedded in earlier Scripture: • 1 Kings 17:17-24 – Elijah raises the widow’s son: God’s wonder intervenes after death. • 2 Kings 4:32-35 – Elisha does the same for the Shunammite’s boy. • Job 19:25-27 – Job anticipates, “Yet in my flesh I will see God.” • Isaiah 26:19 – “Your dead will live; their bodies will rise.” • Ezekiel 37:12-14 – The valley of dry bones shows God bringing life where there was only death. New Testament Fulfillment and Amplification • Mark 5:41-42 – Jesus tells Jairus’s daughter, “Talitha koum,” and she rises. • John 11:43-44 – Lazarus walks out of the tomb at Christ’s call. • Matthew 27:52-53 – Many holy people were raised after Jesus’ crucifixion. • Acts 9:40 – Peter, invoking Jesus’ name, calls Tabitha back to life. • 1 Corinthians 15:52 – A final resurrection for all who belong to Christ: “The dead will be raised imperishable.” Christ’s Resurrection: The Definitive Wonder • Jesus’ own resurrection is God’s ultimate answer to Psalm 88:10. • Romans 6:9 – “Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again.” • Revelation 1:18 – He holds “the keys of Death and Hades,” proving dominion over the grave. What Psalm 88:10 Reveals 1. God’s miracle-working power is not confined to this life. 2. The question acknowledges that only a divine act—“wonders”—can overturn death’s finality. 3. Later revelation confirms He indeed performs such wonders, validating the psalmist’s desperate hope. Implications for Believers Today • Because God raises the dead, no circumstance is beyond His reach. • Assurance of future resurrection fuels present praise even in suffering (1 Peter 1:3-6). • The believer’s lament can be honest, yet anchored in confidence that God’s wonders extend past the grave. Psalm 88 closes without visible resolution, but the rest of Scripture answers its question with a resounding yes: our God does, and will, perform wonders for the dead. |
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