Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. Psalm 86:11
David’s Prayer for Mercy, with Meditation on the Excellencies of the Lord
Psalm 86 is a prayer of David in which he expresses grave concerns about his lowly state, as well as joy in the God who alone is merciful. David pleads his relationship with the Lord and God’s character when he prays for holiness and protection. God’s abounding love meets David’s deepest needs as he chooses to commit himself fully to God’s truth.
86:1-4 I am holy does not speak of the transcendence of God, as in Is. 6:3. Rather it speaks of the faithfulness and godliness of a righteous person who, by God’s grace, is living in accordance with God’s law. It is another way that David describes himself as a servant of the Lord. “I” These verses teach us what’s important about the person who prays. He or she is to *come empty, as one who is poor and needy; *come committed, as one who is devoted to God; *come confidently, as one who trusts in God; *come calling constantly. When this kind of person lifts up his or her soul to the Lord, God hears.
1 A Prayer of David. Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me; For I am poor and needy. 2 Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; Save Your servant who trusts in You! 3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, For I cry to You all day long. 4 Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
86:8-10 Among the gods: The ancient nations took their sense of identity in part from their ties to their supposed gods. When the nations found out that their “gods” did not exist, they would have to acknowledge that the Lord alone is God and thus anticipates the missionary thrust of the NT (Ps. 117; Matt. 28:18-20).
8 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works. 9 All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name. 10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.
86:11-13 Teach me Your way: David asks the Lord to teach him so that he will be able to praise God in the midst of the congregation. Mercy is the “loyal love” of the Lord. Depths of Sheol: David describes the Lord as mercifully delivering him from certain death (9:17; 116:3, 4).
11 Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. 12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore. 13 For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. 14 O God, the proud have risen against me, And a mob of violent men have sought my life, And have not set You before them.
86:15 The phrase abundant in mercy and truth is a precursor of the NT phrase “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Lord upholds the truth so that He can mercifully free those caught in falsehoods.
15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
86:16 save the son of Your maidservant: The idea here may be that since David’s mother was a pious woman, the Lord ought to save David from his lowly state (116:6).
16 Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your maidservant. 17 Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
** “Unite my heart to fear your name.” David’s prayer is closer to God. He asks God, his creator, to change the state of his heart from being divided to become a faithful and unchanging heart like that of our Lord.
86 1 A Prayer of David. Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me; For I am poor and needy. 2 Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; Save Your servant who trusts in You! 3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, For I cry to You all day long. 4 Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. 6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works. 9 All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name. 10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God. 11 Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. 12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore. 13 For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. 14 O God, the proud have risen against me, And a mob of violent men have sought my life, And have not set You before them. 15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. 16 Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your maidservant. 17 Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
