RRB notes on Psalm 86

Psalms 86 KJV

A Prayer of David.

1. Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. [a]

[a] See comments on James 2:14-17; Matt. 25:35-40; 1 John 3:17.

2. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

3. Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. [b]

[b] The chapter is mostly devotional except for vss. 7, 9.

4. Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

5. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

6. Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

7. In the day of my trouble [c] I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

[c] See notes on Psa. 50:15, 31:7, 20:1, 37:39; Jer. 30:7.

8. Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; [d] neither are there any works like unto thy works.

[d] See notes on Psa. 82:1,6.

9. All nations [e] whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

[e] Num. 24:8; Deut. 26:19; Psa. 47:3, 7, 67:4, 129:5; Isa. 14:2, 60:12, 61:5-6; Ezek. 38:16-23; Dan. 2:44, 7:14; Zech. 10:5-12, 12:9, 14:3.

10. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

11. Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

12. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

13. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

14. O 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.

15. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

16. O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

17. Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

>>>>>>>Additional Notes<<<<<<<

Comments on James 2:14-17 KJV

14. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? [1]

[1] Verses 14-26 is what sparked the great controversy between Luther and the Catholics. The passage completely contradicts what Paul said in Romans 4:2-10, 5:1-9. According to those last two passages the answer to “can faith save him” is “of course it can.” The Catholics “liked to have driven” Luther crazy with these verses in James. That is why Luther didn’t like the book and said, “Some day I’m going to light my stove with James . . . it’s a ‘right strawy’ epistle.” His problem was that he couldn’t handle the book dispensationally. But we shouldn’t judge Luther too harshly in this regard because none of the modern scholars could handle the passage either.

Note that James’ two examples of “salvation” were both taken from the Old Testament. One was a Hebrew prophet (Abraham) and the other was a Canaanite whore (Rahab). Neither one was in the Body of Christ; neither one was spiritually circumcised; neither one was regenerated. Abraham’s justification did not even take place when God’s righteousness was imputed to him (vss. 21-23). Catholics would rather go to Hell here in James 2 than go to Heaven in Romans 4-5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5, etc.

15. If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, [h]

[h] Vss. 15-16 cf. comments on the rich and poor in the introduction.

16. And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. [i]

[i] Practically speaking (not doctrinally), in this age “faith alone” justifies, but not that faith “which is alone.”

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Comments on Matt. 25:35-40 KJV

35. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: [h] I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

[h] Matt. 10:41-42.

36. Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38. When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39. Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40. And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, [6] ye have done it unto me.

[6] These “brethren” are not the spiritual “brethren” of the Pauline Church Age epistles. They are the physical “brethren” of “the King” (Psa. 22:22; see also James 4:11, 5:9-10, 12 cf. 1:1). The confusion comes from the fact that when Christ addresses His “brethren” in the Gospels (Matt. 28:10; John 20:17), He is dealing with physical “brethren” who later become spiritual “brethren” in the book of Acts.

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Comments on 1 John 3:17 KJV

But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [h] of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

[h] See note on 2 Cor. 6:12.

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Note on Psa. 50:15

15. And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. [f]

[f] Psa. 31:7, 54:7.

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Note on Psa.  31:7

 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

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Note on Psa.  20:1 KJV

The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; [a] the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

[a] The Tribulation (Jer. 30:7).

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Note on Psa.  37:39

39. But the salvation of the righteous [o] is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

[o] Personal righteousness; not imputed righteousness.

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Notes on Jer. 30:7 KJV

Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; [c] but he shall be saved out of it.

[c] Tribulation (Dan. 12:1).

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Notes on Psa. 82:1, 6

1. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. [1] [a]

[1] The “gods” are not just statues. There are plenty of them around (1 Cor. 8:5), and God has told them what He’s going to do with them (Jer. 10:11). Mohammed (supposedly a devout monotheist) blows his whole fake show by telling you that Allah is only the “best of the creators” (Sura 37:125). When the most brilliant Arabic scholar of the Koran (Maulana Muhammed Ali) hits this Sura, he gets lockjaw and doesn’t comment on it. What’s the matter, sonny? “Camel got your tongue?”

[a] Psa. 95:3.

6. I have said, Ye are gods; [c] and all of you are children of the most High. [4]

[c] See comments on John 10:34-35.

[4] “The sons of God” in Genesis 6:2 were not “the sons of Seth”; they were “children of the most High.” They were spirits directly created by God (Heb. 1:7), but were not “begotten” as Christ was (Heb. 1:5).