Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 86
The lxxxvi. PSALM.
David in this Psalm,Psalm lxxxvi. A prayer of David. made probably either during Sauls persecution of him, or after, in mindfulness of that his estate personating himself as then it was with him, praies for audience and deliverance because of his incessant intercessions and Gods innate goodness, and promises himself what he praies for; he extols God, and prophesies all the World shall do so too; prayeth for direction and establishment under his pressures; promiseth praise for what God hath done for him, and relates what manner of enemies his are, as bad as bad can be, but comforts himself in Gods opposit grace and goodness, which he praies for a sensible sight and taste of by some remarkable act of providence and power for him against them, to their shame and confusion, and to his corroboration and consolation.
A praier that David made in the time of his grievous affliction recorded as a pattern, and for the use of every faithful afflicted member of the Church.
1 THou,1BOw down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needie. Lord, that hast an ear for men in my case, and heart too, Let me I pray thee prevail for a gracious audience, and though thou beest of so immense greatness, and inhabitest heavens in unaccessable glorie, yet, Lord, have regard to a poor worm on earth, in this my deplorable helpless condition.
2 That my life,2Preserve my soul for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. Lord, is in danger thou knowest it, and that my heart is upright towards thee and innocent towards man, even to my very enemies, thou Lord art not ignorant of it: Therefore in righteousness deliver me out of their hands, and save my life which they would destroy. O Lord that art my God, both in near relation and dear affection, save me, that thou knowest am entirely thine in loving obedience, and faithful dependance and reliance.
3Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I crie unto thee dayly.3 Let thy goodness and my miserie move thee to have merciemercy on me, O Almightie Lord, and to vouchsafe me deliverance, for as I have cause, my pressures being exceeding great and incessant, so are my cries unto thee vehement and quotidian, because my faith and hope is in thee.
4Rejoyce the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.4 Set me free from my troubles, and these despondencies of spirit that accompany them, that I may with a joyful and thankful heart apprehend thy grace and merciemercy to me, for Lord thou knowest my trust and confidence is in none besides thee, as thou mayest perceive by my faithful and fervent addresses.
5For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive: and plenteous in merciemercy unto all them that call upon thee.5 For I know both from thine own word which I believe, and mine own experience, that thou art of a gracious compassionate nature to poor distressed suppliants, and though just to punish sinners, yet as ready to pardon penitents, and to shew merciemercy of every kind, both of forgiveness to humbled sinners, and of deliverance to distressed innocents, that in the faith thereof pray earnestly unto thee.
6Give ear, O Lord, unto my praier: and attend to the voice o… my supplications.6 And Lord, I am one of those, be thou therefore so to me, in thy goodness and merciemercy hear me calling and crying unto thee for relief in this my distressed estate.
7 And truly,7In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. Lord, that goodness of thine, and my confidence in it prompts me, what ever and whensoever I am in affliction to flie to thee by prayer and supplication, not doubting of a gracious answer and issue.
8 There are many gods worshipped in the world besides thee,8Among the gods there is none like unto thee, (O Lord,) neither are there any works like unto thy works. but for my part I know none but thee, nor will pray or seek to any else, for I am sure it is but lost labour. Thine onelyonly is the Kingdom, power and glorie; Thy works are worthy of thee, but they as they are no Gods, so there is nothing they can do, neither god nor man besides thy self, no creature whatsoever, can do any thing worthy a mans trust, for all that is done is either of thee or from thee, and those things wherein thou art pleased to appear, and to put forth thy power, how transcendent are they?
9 Yea,9All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord: and shall glorifie thy name. though it be a thing almost incredible, and seemingly impossible, considering that ignorance and enmity that is all the world over, yet shalt thou, that by thine infinit Almighty power hast made all nations, make to thy self a Church of every people in the whole earth aswel Gentiles as Jews, and they shall yield thee not constrained, but voluntarie obedience and acknowledgement under the Kingdom of Christ, whereof my Kingdom no less powerfully brought about by thee, shall be some resemblance; for then shall the heathen nations do thee homage and dread thy power. I shall convince them, but Christ shall convert them, whose people and servants they shall then be, as we now are.
10 For there is nothing impossible to God who is able to do whatsoever he will,10For thou art great and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. his power is infinit and omnipotent, as his wondrous works declare, and the strange transcendent things he hath done for his Church in all ages, and will do still, even make the whole world his Church, and himself to be worshipped and acknowledged of the very heathen, they that now are Idolaters and serve many Gods, yea, every thing for God but God, shall serve him and none besides him, as we do.
11Teach me thy way, O Lord, I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.11 O Lord, in the hour of temptation and time of trouble which is now upon me, thou knowest how apt we are to step aside, partly by ignorance, partly by frailty; my suit therefore is, that thou wouldest instruct me how to demean my self, so that I sin not against thee, and to that end mind me of my dutie in every emergencie, Let me hear a voice behind me, saying, this is the way, and my purpose is not to deviat from it, but my power must be from thee to make good this purpose, therefore, Lord, give me such grace and courage, and such seasonable supplement thereof, that I may be resolved to believe firmly in thee, and to walk exactly with thee, at all essayes; not staggering either in faith or a good conscience.
12I will praise thee, O Lord, my God, with all my heart: and I will glorifie thy name for evermore.12 As I have found thee mindful of me in trouble, so shalt thou find me no less mindful of thee, and my dutie to thee out of it, I will not forget nor fail to give thee praises, and that unfeigned ones uttered from my heart in the faith of thy power and grace, O Lord, my good God, yea, it shall be my constant practise to praise thee, and to magnifie thee in, and for them whilest I have any being.
13For great is thy merciemercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.13 For greatly have they been manifested in thy merciemercy towards me, and in so wonderfully preserving me from death and destruction, that so unavoidably assailed me, and had certainly devoured me hadst not thou mightily preserved me.
14 And indeed I had need of no less power than thine to preserve me,14O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul: and have not set thee before them. considering my humane help how weak it is, and mine enemies insolencie and rage how great they are, for multitudes of such as care neither for God nor man, that disdain to walk by any rules but their own dictates, without regard either to mine innocencie or thy severitie and justice, resolve to persecute me to death.
15 But thou,15But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious: long-suffering, and plenteous in merciemercy and truth.O Lord, art as gracious and merciful as they are cruel, as pitiful as they are pitiless, pardoning the sins, and sensible of the sufferings of thy servant, bearing with my frailties and passing by my infirmities in these my trials, and failest me not as I have need of thee, but hast abundantly approved thy goodness to be as large as thy truth and promise, and thy self to be every jot as good as thy word.
16 And so let me still find thee,16O turn unto me and have merciemercy upon me, give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. thy favour and grace, O Lord, vouchsafe me, and in a time of need have merciemercy upon me to deliver me; as I am thy servant, so, Lord, inable me to persevere, give inward strength of faith and courage to uphold me in and under these outward calamities, and power to wade through them, so as that I perish not in them, have a gracious regard to me, who thou knowest am a child, not onelyonly of thy visible but of thine invisible Church, an heir of the promise, born and bred under thy roof, of thine own family neerly related to thee, and therefore pray and hope for protection from thee.
17 As I stand in need of more than ordinarie supportation,17Shew me a token for good, that they which hate me may see it, and be asham…d; because thou Lord hast holpen me and comforted me. so also of extraordinarie consolation, and mine enemies of extraordinarie conviction by reason of their arrogance and malignitie. Therefore, Lord, vouchsafe some notable act of providence, in the behalf of my preservation, and of power in their confusion, that they which so extreamly hate me, may know thou lovest me, and hatest them for hating me, and be ashamed at their hating and persecuting one whom they see thou lovest and preservest, and for whose sake thou discomfits them, to be a help and comfort unto me.