Psalms 86:3

Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. BE MERCIFUL UNTO ME, O LORD. The chief ground of hope, not merely my misery, but God's mercy (cf. )....

3_Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah! _The Psalmist again betakes himself to the mercy of God. The word חנן, _chanan, _which I have rendered _have mercy, _is substantially the same as to _gratify, to do a pleasure. _It is as if he had said, I bring no merit of my own, but humbly pray for deliverance solely on the ground of thy mercy. When he speaks of _crying daily, _it is a proof of his hope and confidence, of which we have spoken a little before. By the word _cry, _as I have already had occasion frequently to remark, is denoted vehemence and earnestness of soul. The saints do not indeed always pray with a loud voice; but their secret sighs and groanings resound and echo upwards, and, ascending from their hearts, penetrate even into heaven. The inspired suppliant not only represents himself as crying, but as persevering in doing so, to teach us that he was not discouraged at the first or

1-7 Our poverty and wretchedness, when felt, powerfully plead in our behalf at the throne of grace. The best self-preservation is to commit ourselves to God's keeping. I am one whom thou favourest, hast set apart for thyself, and made partaker of sanctifying grace. It is a great encouragement to prayer, to feel that we have received the converting grace of God, have learned to trust in him, and to be his servants. We may expect comfort from God, when we keep up our communion with God. God's goodness appears in two things, in giving and forgiving. Whatever others do, let us call upon God, and commit our case to him; we shall not seek in vain....

Verse Psalms 86:3. _BE MERCIFUL UNTO ME_] I have no _merit_; I plead none, but trust in thee alone. _I CRY UNTO THEE DAILY._] My state deeply affects me; and I incessantly cry for thy salvation....

BE MERCIFUL UNTO ME, O LORD - It was mercy after all that he relied on, and not justice. It was not because he had any claim on the ground that he was “holy,” but all that he had and hoped for was to be traced to the mercy of God. FOR I CRY UNTO THEE DAILY - Margin, as in Hebrew, “All the day.” The meaning is, that he did this constantly, or without intermission....

EXPOSITION THIS is the prayer of an afflicted and humble soul in a time of persecution (Psalms 86:14), intermixed with outbursts of praise (Psalms 86:5, Psalms 86:8, Psalms 86:15) and thankfulness (Psalms 86:12, Psalms 86:13). It is assigned in the title to David, and contains nothing, either in matter or style, to make the ascription unlikely. Still, most modern critics regard the psalm as probably of a later date, and consider it the work

BE MERCIFUL UNTO ME, O LORD,.... In my distressed and miserable condition, being an object of mercy, pity, and compassion; this petition is used by Christ in Psalms 41:10 FOR I CRY UNTO THEE DAILY; or "all the day"; every day, and several times in a day, Psalms 55:17 constant and importunate prayer is the duty of saints, and available with God, 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Christ was much in the exercise of it, Luke 6:12....

Psalms 86 A Prayer _ 1. The prayer of the poor and needy one (Psalms 86:1)_ 2. The praise of His Name (Psalms 86:10) This Psalm has for an inscription “A prayer of David.” We can hear in it the voice of the Son of David, our Lord, pleading in the place of humiliation, and also the pleadings of the remnant saints. The prophetic element enters in with Psalms 86:9. “All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord.” This will be the glorious result of His humiliation. Into the many and precious details of this Psalm we cannot enter. The name of the Lord (Adonai) is found seven times in this Psalm

LXXXVI. THE PRAYER OF A GODLY MAN IN AFFLICTION. This Ps. is little more than a cento from the rest of the Psalter. PSALMS 86:1. The Psalmist prays for succour, pleading God's mercy and his own piety. For piety, see Psalms 4:3. PSALMS 86:8. The incomparable greatness of God, which all nations will in the end acknowledge. PSALMS 86:11. Prayer for Divine guidance and for a token that God is on his side, not on that of his more prosperous foes. PSALMS 86:11. TO FEAR: read, to them that fear. The LXX reads

BE MERCIFUL. Show me favour, or Be gracious. LORD*. One of the 134 places where the _Sopherim_ say they changed Jehovah to Adonai. See App-32. DAILY. all the day....