Psalms 86 Study Notes: David Prays for an Undivided Heart
David, poor and in need, asks the LORD to hear and save him, appealing to God's kindness and readiness to forgive. He praises God as beyond compare, foresees all nations worshiping Him, asks God to teach him and make his heart undivided, and pleads for help against violent enemies.
General
In 86:15, David's description of God as compassionate, gracious, and slow to anger repeats words God first spoke to whom?
Answer: To Moses, when the LORD passed by him
David first describes his enemies: proud men and a band of violent people are trying to kill him, and they care nothing for God (86:14). Then he turns with the word But to God's character (86:15). His description repeats almost word for word what the LORD proclaimed about Himself when He passed by Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:6). This self-description became a treasured confession in Israel, echoed by the prophets (Joel 2:13) and in other psalms (Psalm 103:8). David's hope against ruthless men rests on the name God Himself revealed.
- Psalm 86:14-15 (BSB)“The arrogant rise against me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life; they have no regard for You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.”David contrasts the violent men seeking his life with the compassionate and gracious character of God.
- Exodus 34:6 (BSB)“Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,”The LORD proclaims His own name to Moses as compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving devotion.
- Joel 2:13 (BSB)“So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.”Joel calls Israel to return to the LORD because He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger.
- Psalm 103:8 (BSB)“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.”David again describes the LORD with the words first revealed to Moses.
Theological
86:15 echoes the divine self-disclosure originally given to whom?
Answer: To Moses, when the LORD passed by him
86:14 describes the insolent and violent men who seek David's life without regard for God; 86:15 answers with the adversative But and a near-verbatim recital of the LORD's self-proclamation to Moses at Sinai (Exodus 34:6). This credal formula recurs throughout the Old Testament, as in Joel 2:13 and Psalm 103:8. David sets God's revealed character against the threat of his enemies, grounding his plea in what God has declared Himself to be.
- Psalm 86:14-15 (BSB)“The arrogant rise against me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life; they have no regard for You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.”David contrasts the violent men seeking his life with the compassionate and gracious character of God.
- Exodus 34:6 (BSB)“Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,”The LORD proclaims His own name to Moses as compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving devotion.
- Joel 2:13 (BSB)“So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.”Joel calls Israel to return to the LORD because He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger.
- Psalm 103:8 (BSB)“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.”David again describes the LORD with the words first revealed to Moses.
General
True or False: In 86:12-13 David vows wholehearted praise because God's loving devotion has rescued him from the deep realm of Sheol.
Answer: True
This is true. David promises to thank and honor God with his whole heart and to glorify His name forever (86:12). His reason is God's great loving devotion toward him: God has rescued him from the lowest reaches of Sheol (86:13). Sheol is the Old Testament name for the realm of the dead, the grave; here David pictures God rescuing him from the grip of death. He uses similar language when he thanks God for lifting him up from Sheol (Psalm 30:3) and when he describes Sheol's ropes wrapping around him before God heard his cry (Psalm 18:5-6), and Jonah prays the same way from the deep (Jonah 2:2).
- Psalm 86:12-13 (BSB)“I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your loving devotion to me; You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol.”David vows wholehearted praise because God's loving devotion has rescued him from the depths of Sheol.
- Psalm 30:3 (BSB)“O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol; You spared me from descending into the Pit.”David praises God for pulling him up from Sheol and sparing him from the Pit.
- Jonah 2:2 (BSB)“saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.”Jonah says he cried for help from Sheol and God heard him.
- Psalm 18:5-6 (BSB)“The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.”David describes the cords of Sheol surrounding him and God hearing his cry.
Theological
True or False: 86:12-13 grounds David's vow of wholehearted praise in God's loving devotion, which has delivered him from the lowest reaches of Sheol.
Answer: True
This is true. The vow of praise (86:12) is grounded with a causal clause (86:13): God's loving devotion toward David is great, shown in rescue from the lowest reaches of Sheol. The language pictures rescue from the grip of death itself. The same idiom appears in Psalm 30:3 (drawn up from Sheol), Psalm 18:5-6 (Sheol's ropes, and God hearing from His temple), and Jonah 2:2 (a cry for help from within Sheol).
- Psalm 86:12-13 (BSB)“I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your loving devotion to me; You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol.”David vows wholehearted praise because God's loving devotion has rescued him from the depths of Sheol.
- Psalm 30:3 (BSB)“O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol; You spared me from descending into the Pit.”David praises God for pulling him up from Sheol and sparing him from the Pit.
- Jonah 2:2 (BSB)“saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.”Jonah says he cried for help from Sheol and God heard him.
- Psalm 18:5-6 (BSB)“The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.”David describes the cords of Sheol surrounding him and God hearing his cry.
General
What does David say in 86:9 that all the nations God has made will do?
Answer: Come and bow down to honor His name
In the middle of his personal prayer, David breaks into praise. No so-called god compares with the Lord, and no one else does works like His (86:8). All the nations God has made will come, bow before Him, and give glory to His name (86:9), for He is great, does wonders, and is the only God (86:10). Israel sang a similar praise after crossing the sea (Exodus 15:11). God calls every part of the earth to turn to Him for salvation (Isaiah 45:22), and a song sung in heaven in Revelation echoes this language, saying people of every nation will gather to worship Him (Revelation 15:4).
- Psalm 86:8-10 (BSB)“O Lord, there is none like You among the gods, nor any works like Yours. All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name. For You are great and perform wonders; You alone are God.”David praises God as beyond comparison and foresees all the nations He made coming to worship Him.
- Exodus 15:11 (BSB)“Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?”Israel's song at the sea asks who among the gods is like the LORD, who performs wonders.
- Revelation 15:4 (BSB)“Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.””The song in heaven says all nations will come and worship before the Lord, who alone is holy.
- Isaiah 45:22 (BSB)“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”God calls all the ends of the earth to turn to Him and be saved, since He alone is God.
Theological
What universal response of the nations does 86:9 anticipate?
Answer: Come and bow down to honor His name
86:8-10 moves from God's incomparability among the gods, to the nations' worship, to the confession that He alone is God. The nations are described as the ones He made, and they will come, bow, and glorify His name. The incomparability formula echoes the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:11), the call in Isaiah 45:22 extends salvation to every far corner of the world on the basis of God's uniqueness, and Revelation 15:4 takes up the same language in the song of the victorious saints.
- Psalm 86:8-10 (BSB)“O Lord, there is none like You among the gods, nor any works like Yours. All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name. For You are great and perform wonders; You alone are God.”David praises God as beyond comparison and foresees all the nations He made coming to worship Him.
- Exodus 15:11 (BSB)“Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?”Israel's song at the sea asks who among the gods is like the LORD, who performs wonders.
- Revelation 15:4 (BSB)“Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.””The song in heaven says all nations will come and worship before the Lord, who alone is holy.
- Isaiah 45:22 (BSB)“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”God calls all the ends of the earth to turn to Him and be saved, since He alone is God.
General
In 86:1, what reason does David give for asking the LORD to hear and answer him?
Answer: He is poor and in great need
The superscription presents this psalm as David's prayer. He asks God to bend down and listen because he is poor and needy (86:1). He goes on to ask God to guard his life because he is devoted to God and trusts Him, and to bring him joy because he lifts his soul to the Lord (86:2-4). David does not claim to deserve an answer by his achievements; he pleads his helplessness and his loyal trust. He remembers elsewhere how the LORD heard a poor man's cry and saved him (Psalm 34:6), again calls himself poor and needy (Psalm 40:17), and asks for grace because he is lonely and afflicted (Psalm 25:16).
- Psalm 86:1-4 (BSB)“A prayer of David. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul, for I am godly. You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I call to You all day long. Bring joy to Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.”David opens his prayer by asking to be heard, pointing to his need, his loyalty, and his trust in God.
- Psalm 34:6 (BSB)“This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.”David recalls that when a poor man cried out, the LORD heard and saved him.
- Psalm 40:17 (BSB)“But I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do not delay.”David again describes himself as poor and needy and looks to God as his helper.
- Psalm 25:16 (BSB)“Turn to me and be gracious, for I am lonely and afflicted.”David asks God to turn and be gracious because he is lonely and afflicted.
Theological
What ground does David first plead in 86:1 for God to incline His ear?
Answer: He is poor and in great need
This prayer of David (86:1) grounds its first petition in the petitioner's need: he is poor and needy. The following clauses add his covenant loyalty (godly, one devoted to God), his trust, and his lifting up of his soul to the Lord (86:2-4). These are not claims of merit but marks of a dependent covenant member appealing to his covenant God. The same dependence appears in Psalm 34:6 (the poor man cried and was heard), Psalm 40:17 (poor and needy, looking to God as deliverer), and Psalm 25:16 (a plea for grace in affliction).
- Psalm 86:1-4 (BSB)“A prayer of David. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul, for I am godly. You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I call to You all day long. Bring joy to Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.”David opens his prayer by asking to be heard, pointing to his need, his loyalty, and his trust in God.
- Psalm 34:6 (BSB)“This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.”David recalls that when a poor man cried out, the LORD heard and saved him.
- Psalm 40:17 (BSB)“But I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do not delay.”David again describes himself as poor and needy and looks to God as his helper.
- Psalm 25:16 (BSB)“Turn to me and be gracious, for I am lonely and afflicted.”David asks God to turn and be gracious because he is lonely and afflicted.
General
According to 86:5, toward whom does the Lord overflow in loving devotion?
Answer: To every person who calls on Him
David bases his prayer on who God is. The Lord is kind and forgiving, overflowing in loving devotion (His loyal, covenant-keeping love) toward all who pray to Him (86:5). God's generosity is not reserved for the sinless or for people who have earned it; it reaches all who turn to Him in prayer. David then repeats his plea, calling on God in his day of trouble because God answers (86:6-7). Paul uses the same idea when he says the one Lord is generous toward everyone who calls to Him, and that anyone calling on His name receives salvation (Romans 10:12-13, quoting Joel 2:32). The closing prayer of Micah likewise praises God for forgiving because loving devotion is His delight (Micah 7:18).
- Psalm 86:5 (BSB)“For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.”David grounds his prayer in God's character: kind, forgiving, and generous in loving devotion to those who call on Him.
- Romans 10:12-13 (BSB)“For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””Paul says the one Lord is generous to all who pray to Him and saves anyone who calls on His name.
- Joel 2:32 (BSB)“And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised, among the remnant called by the LORD.”Joel promises deliverance to anyone who calls upon the LORD.
- Micah 7:18 (BSB)“Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?”The closing prayer of Micah praises God for pardoning iniquity because He delights in loving devotion.
Theological
Toward whom does 86:5 say the Lord abounds in loving devotion?
Answer: To every person who calls on Him
86:5 grounds the petition in the divine character: the Lord is kind, forgiving, and abundant in loving devotion toward all who call upon Him. The scope is defined by calling on Him, not by prior worthiness, and 86:6-7 renews the plea in confidence that God answers when distress comes. Paul draws on the same pattern in Romans 10:12-13, where the one Lord is lavish toward everyone who invokes Him and, citing Joel 2:32, salvation belongs to whoever calls upon His name. Micah 7:18 likewise roots God's pardon in His delight in loving devotion.
- Psalm 86:5 (BSB)“For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.”David grounds his prayer in God's character: kind, forgiving, and generous in loving devotion to those who call on Him.
- Romans 10:12-13 (BSB)“For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””Paul says the one Lord is generous to all who pray to Him and saves anyone who calls on His name.
- Joel 2:32 (BSB)“And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised, among the remnant called by the LORD.”Joel promises deliverance to anyone who calls upon the LORD.
- Micah 7:18 (BSB)“Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?”The closing prayer of Micah praises God for pardoning iniquity because He delights in loving devotion.
General
According to 86:17, why does David ask God to show him a sign of His goodness?
Answer: So that his enemies see it and are put to shame
In his final requests David asks God to turn toward him, show mercy, give strength to His servant, and rescue him, calling himself the son of God's maidservant, a humble phrase set beside Your servant that presents him as one who belongs to God (86:16). Another psalmist pairs the same two phrases (Psalm 116:16). He asks for a visible token of God's goodness so that his enemies will see it and be ashamed, because the LORD has helped and comforted him (86:17). David elsewhere expresses confidence that his foes will be put to shame and driven back in disgrace (Psalm 6:10), and Paul praises God as the One who comforts His people in all their troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
- Psalm 86:16-17 (BSB)“Turn to me and have mercy; grant Your strength to Your servant; save the son of Your maidservant. Show me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see and be ashamed; for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.”David closes by asking God to turn to him, strengthen him, and show a sign of His goodness that his enemies will see.
- Psalm 116:16 (BSB)“Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.”Another psalmist likewise calls himself God's servant, the son of His maidservant.
- Psalm 6:10 (BSB)“All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.”David is confident that his enemies will be ashamed and turn back in disgrace.
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (BSB)“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”Paul praises God as the God of all comfort who comforts His people in their troubles.
Theological
What purpose does 86:17 give for the sign of God's goodness David requests?
Answer: So that his enemies see it and are put to shame
The closing petitions (86:16-17) ask God to turn, be gracious, strengthen His servant, and rescue the son of His maidservant, a self-description set in parallel with Your servant, as it also is in Psalm 116:16. The requested sign has a public purpose: that David's enemies may witness it and be shamed, because the LORD has helped and comforted him. The same expectation of enemies' shame appears in Psalm 6:10, and Paul confesses God as the source of every comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
- Psalm 86:16-17 (BSB)“Turn to me and have mercy; grant Your strength to Your servant; save the son of Your maidservant. Show me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see and be ashamed; for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.”David closes by asking God to turn to him, strengthen him, and show a sign of His goodness that his enemies will see.
- Psalm 116:16 (BSB)“Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.”Another psalmist likewise calls himself God's servant, the son of His maidservant.
- Psalm 6:10 (BSB)“All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.”David is confident that his enemies will be ashamed and turn back in disgrace.
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (BSB)“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”Paul praises God as the God of all comfort who comforts His people in their troubles.
General
In 86:11, what does David ask God to give him so that he may fear God's name?
Answer: A heart that is whole and undivided
David asks God to teach him His way so that he may live by God's truth, and to give him a heart that is united and not split in its loyalties, so that he may fear, or deeply revere, God's name (86:11). David knows that even a devoted heart must be taught and made whole by God. The prophets record God promising exactly this: a single heart and a single path, so that His people will revere Him (Jeremiah 32:39), and singleness of heart with a new spirit (Ezekiel 11:19). Paul says God Himself produces in believers both the desire and the ability to do His will (Philippians 2:13).
- Psalm 86:11 (BSB)“Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.”David asks God to teach him His way and to unite his heart to fear God's name.
- Jeremiah 32:39 (BSB)“I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will always fear Me for their own good and for the good of their children after them.”God promises to give His people one heart and one way so that they will fear Him.
- Ezekiel 11:19 (BSB)“And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,”God promises to give His people singleness of heart and a new spirit.
- Philippians 2:13 (BSB)“For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.”Paul says it is God who works in believers both to will and to act.
Theological
What does David request in 86:11 as the means to fearing God's name?
Answer: A heart that is whole and undivided
86:11 joins a request for instruction in God's way with a request for inner renewal: an undivided heart, so that David may fear God's name. Wholehearted reverence is sought as God's gift, not assumed as a human achievement. This anticipates the new-covenant promises of a single heart and single path unto the fear of God (Jeremiah 32:39) and singleness of heart with a new spirit (Ezekiel 11:19), and fits Paul's teaching that God works in believers both the willing and the working (Philippians 2:13).
- Psalm 86:11 (BSB)“Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.”David asks God to teach him His way and to unite his heart to fear God's name.
- Jeremiah 32:39 (BSB)“I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will always fear Me for their own good and for the good of their children after them.”God promises to give His people one heart and one way so that they will fear Him.
- Ezekiel 11:19 (BSB)“And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,”God promises to give His people singleness of heart and a new spirit.
- Philippians 2:13 (BSB)“For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.”Paul says it is God who works in believers both to will and to act.