Psalm 86

What’s Happening?

The psalmist, King David, is in danger and only God can rescue him (Psalm 86:1, 14). So he asks God, his Lord and Master, to be merciful. David has proven himself time and time again to be a faithful and trusting servant, and he wants God to act accordingly (Psalm 86:2-4). David knows God faithfully responds to his servants. When God rescued Israel from slavery, he told them he would always be abundant in love and faithfulness to his servants (Psalm 86:5). So David asks God to be true to himself and answer him in his distress just as he did for Israel in their slavery (Psalm 86:6-7; Exodus 34:6). There is no other deity who would part seas for his people, and there is no other god who will one day receive the worship of all the nations he has created (Psalm 86:8-9). God is uniquely powerful and David wants that unique power to act on his behalf (Psalm 86:10).

But David also asks God to teach him to remain faithful, even when he hasn’t seen God’s faithfulness yet (Psalm 86:11). He asks God to provide him an undivided heart that will not look to other gods or means to diminish his suffering. He wants to fully trust the God who has been so full of love and faithfulness in the past (Psalm 86:11-12). He doesn’t want to measure God’s faithfulness by his current distress but to believe, based on what he does know about God, that he will be faithful to raise him even if he dies (Psalm 86:13).

Right now, his death seems likely. Violent men are hunting him (Psalm 86:14). But referencing again the abundant love and faithfulness God promised his people after he saved them from slavery, David asks his master to protect, give strength, and show mercy to his servant (Psalm 86:15-16). While he waits, David asks for a sign. He asks God to give him a symbol that God’s rescuing love and his enemies' destruction is on the way (Psalm 86:17).

Where is the Gospel?

Ultimately, the sign David asked for was given in Jesus. Like David, Jesus was often in danger and attacked by bloodthirsty men. And like David, Jesus was faithful even when God did not rescue him. And like David, Jesus trusted that if he died, God would raise him from the dead (Philippians 2:7-8)—which God did. Jesus’ death and resurrection is David’s sign and symbol. What happened to Jesus the Master will happen to us his servants (John 15:20). We will suffer at the hands of the violent, but we will also rise in triumph over our enemies and even death itself (Romans 6:5).

There is no other deity like Jesus. Not only is Jesus the uniquely powerful God who rescued his people by parting oceans, he is also a uniquely humble Master who has become a servant to his servants (Mark 10:45). No other master but Jesus serves those underneath him, and no other Lord dies for his subjects (Matthew 20:28). Jesus is a unique God and Master who sacrificially enters the suffering of his people to raise them out of it. So with David we can confidently ask God our Master to be true to himself and serve us in our distress.

See For Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to see the God who is a compassionate Master. And may you see Jesus as both our servant and sign that God sees our suffering and has determined to raise us out of it.