Lover and Friend Far From Me - Psalms 88:18

In Psalms eighty eight the Psalmist said to Jehovah God, “I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer your terrors I am distracted. Your fierce wrath goes over me; your terrors have cut me off. They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together”, and in chapter eighty eight and verse eighteen of Psalms the Psalmist said, “lover and friend have you put far from me” where we read,

Lover and friend have you put far from me, and my acquaintance into darkness.

The verse begins, “Lover and friend have you put far from me, ...” The Psalmist began with the words, “lover and friend” or “people whom the Psalmist had a great affection for and a companion, intimate fellow-citizen, brother, neighbor and associate” “have you put far from me” which means “have you, Jehovah God, made to be removed, separated, sent and extended a distance apart from me, the Psalmist”. The Psalmist said Jehovah God separated his “people of affection and neighbors” from him.

The verse continues, “... and my acquaintance into darkness.” The Psalmist added the words, “and my acquaintance” or “and my, the Psalmist's, known, perceived, discerned, discriminate and distinguished people” “into darkness” which means “into a hiding-place, dark region, secrecy or grave”. The Psalmist said Jehovah God caused the people who were discriminate and discerning toward him were put into hiding or a dark place.

When we think through the words in this verse, we see how the Psalmist felt abandoned by people who were both close to and barely known to him. He felt alone and said Jehovah God was the reason these people left him. God knows when we feel alone, and He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross to demonstrate His love and constant presence in our lives. When we surrender to Him, He will forgive our sins and grant us everlasting life. We shall give Jehovah God praise, honor and glory as we understand His desire to be in a relationship with us, and when we believe and trust in Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, we will never be alone regardless of who abandons us or leaves.

Next time we begin a new chapter and see the Psalmist Ethan say, “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".