Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 86
Overview:
The psalmist pleads his earnestness, and the
Mercy of
God, as
reasons why his
Prayer should be heard.
(1-7) He renews his
requests for help and comfort.
(8-17)
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.
8-17 Our
God alone possesses almighty power and infinite
Love.
Christ is the way and the
Truth. And the believing soul will be
more desirous to be taught the way and the
Truth of
God, in
order to walk therein, than to be delivered out of earthly
distress. Those who set not the
Lord before them, seek after
believers' souls; but the compassion,
Mercy, and
Truth of
God,
will be their
Refuge and consolation. And those whose parents
were the servants of the
Lord, may urge this as a plea why he
should hear and help them. In considering
David's experience,
and that of the believer, we must not lose sight of Him, who
though he was rich, for our sakes became
Poor, that we through
his poverty might be rich.