Psalm 119:86 NKJV
86
All Your commandments are faithful;
They persecute me wrongfully;
Help me!
A Cry for Help
My Notes
“All Your commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongfully; help me!” — Psalm 119:86
In the midst of unjust persecution, David found refuge in the faithfulness of God’s Word. While his enemies laid traps and twisted truth, he clung to the commandments of a holy, just, and true God. His prayer was simple, urgent, and profound: “Help me!”
God’s commandments reflect His character—they call us to sincerity, uprightness, and love. They teach us to treat others with compassion, to act with integrity, and to serve from a pure heart. Those who disregard these commands often become instruments of harm, driven by falsehood and pride.
David’s persecutors built their attacks on lies. He had done no wrong, and so he confidently appealed to the Lord, knowing that divine help was his only hope. And what a hope it is—when God helps us, no one can truly harm us. His help is sufficient, and His faithfulness is unwavering.
Many saints have whispered this same prayer through tears and trials: “God, help me.” It’s a prayer for every season—whether in pain, weakness, distress, or sin. It’s not a phrase to be used lightly, but a sacred petition that carries the weight of trust and surrender.
David’s cry reminds us that when we reach the end of our strength, we find the beginning of God’s. His help is not delayed, and His Word is not broken. In every trial, we can cast ourselves upon Him without fear, knowing that His faithful commands will guide us, and His mercy will sustain us.
SUMMARY
The content discusses Psalm 119:86, highlighting the faithful nature of God’s commandments. Despite suffering wrongful persecution due to adherence to these commandments, David maintains trust in God’s justice and calls for divine assistance. Various commentators, including Charles Spurgeon and John Calvin, emphasize that the law is reliable and worthy of obedience, even amidst adversity. They argue that true faith is worth suffering for, asserting that God’s help is crucial during trials. The prayer “Help me, Lord” encapsulates the longing for divine support in the face of challenges, underscoring the belief that God’s truth ultimately prevails.
Note: Psalm 119 is an acrostic pattern. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet; each of the 22 sections is given a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each line in that section begins with that letter. Today, we’re looking at verse 86, which is in the 11th section, which is called “כ KAPH”. According to the hebrews4christians.com website, the letter כ KAPH is the 11th letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of twenty. The pictograph for כ KAPH looks like the palm of a hand.
The website https://www.abarim-publications.com/Hebrew_Alphabet_Meaning.html defines the meaning of the letter כ KAPH as:
One of two regular words for hand (the other being the 10th letter). The noun כף (kap) denotes the hand as outstretched, asking, and weak. The word basically encompasses anything that is hollow or outstretched in order to receive something: a dish, a plate, etc. The letter kap is written ך when it occurs at the end of a word, and כ when it occurs at the beginning or halfway through a word.
As a prefix, the letter כ (kaph) expresses comparison (“like” as in the name Mi-ka-el, what’s God like?), and as a postfix, it governs pronouns of the second person singular. Note the graceful transition between the self-oriented fist of the letter yod and the other-oriented open hand of the letter kaph.
……Bill
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“All thy commandments are faithful.” He had no fault to find with God’s law, even though he had fallen into sad trouble through obedience to it. Whatever the command might cost him, it was worth it; he felt that God’s way might be rough, but it was right; it might make him enemies, but still it was his best friend. He believed that in the end God’s command would turn out to his own profit, and that he should be no loser by obeying it.
“They persecute me wrongfully.” The fault lay with his persecutors, and neither with his God nor with himself. He had done no injury to anyone, nor acted otherwise than according to truth and justice; therefore, he confidently appeals to his God, and cries,
“Help thou me.” This is a golden prayer, as precious as it is short. The words are few, but the meaning is full. Help was needed that the persecuted one might avoid the snare, might bear up under reproach, and might act so prudently as to baffle his foes. God’s help is our hope. Whoever may hurt us, it matters not so long as the Lord helps us; for if indeed the Lord help us, none can really hurt us. Many a time have these words been groaned out by troubled saints, for they are such as suit a thousand conditions of need, pain, distress, weakness, and sin. “Help, Lord,” will be a fitting prayer for youth and age, for labor and suffering, for life and death. No other help is sufficient, but God’s help is all sufficient, and we cast ourselves upon it without fear.
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Enduring Word
All Your commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongfully: The psalmist found faithfulness and refuge in the commandments of God; this was a strong contrast to the persecution he found from his enemies. In such times, he prayed the logical prayer: Help me! (Guzik)
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Albert Barnes
All thy commandments are faithful – Margin, “faithfulness.” The idea in the Hebrew is that they are worthy to be relied on. They are founded in truth, and they should secure our confidence.
They persecute me wrongfully … – Hebrew, a “lie, “or “falsehood.” That is, there is a “lie” or “falsehood” at the foundation of their persecutions. Those persecutions are not based on any just views of what I am, or of the treatment which I ought to receive at the hand of my fellow men. They charge on me tilings which are not true, and they act accordingly. See the notes at Psalms 119:78.
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John Gill
All thy commandments [are] faithful,…. Or, “faithfulness” they are made by a faithful God, who is holy, just, and true; they command faithfulness, sincerity, and uprightness; and require men to love their nneighborsas themselves, and to do all they do faithfully, cordially, and affectionately; they are to be done in truth and faithfulness, in charity, out of a pure heart, and faith unfeigned; and therefore to dig pits for men must not be after, but contrary, to the law of God;
they persecute me wrongfully; without a cause, purely out of ill will and for religion’s sake; which, as it is an argument with the saints to bear persecution patiently, it is used as an argument with the Lord, to arise and appear on the behalf of his persecuted ones, as follows:
help thou me; against my persecutors, and out of their hands: God is able to help his people; he has promised to do it; it may be expected from him; and he is a present help in time of trouble. This is a suitable petition in the mouths of God’s people, and should be a prayer of faith.
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Matthew Henry
1. He acknowledges the truth and goodness of his religion, though he suffered: “However it be, all thy commandments are faithful, and therefore, whatever I lose for my observance of them, I know I shall not lose by it.” True religion, if it be worth anything, is worth everything, and therefore worth suffering for. “Men are false; I find them do; men of low degree, men of high degree, are so, there is no trusting them. But all thy commandments are faithful; on them I may rely.”
2. He begs that God would stand by him, and succor him: “They persecute me; help thou me; help me under my troubles, that I may bear them patiently, and as becomes me, and may still hold fast my integrity, and in due time help me out of my troubles.” God help me is an excellent, comprehensive prayer; it is a pity that it should ever be used lightly and as a byword.
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Miscellaneous Comments
“All thy commandments are faithful.” David setteth down here three points. The one is that God is true; and after that he addeth a protestation of his good conduct and guidance, and of the malice of his adversaries: thirdly, he calleth upon God in his afflictions. Now, as concerning the first, he showeth us that although Satan to shake us, and in the end utterly to carry us away, subtilly and cunningly goeth about to deceive us, we must, to the contrary, learn how to know his ambushes, and to keep us from out of them. So often then as we are grieved with adversity and affliction, where must we begin? See Satan how he pitches his nets and layeth his ambushes to induce and persuade us to come into them, what saith he? Dost thou not see thyself forsaken of thy God? Where are the promises whereunto thou didst trust? Now here thou seest thyself to be a wretched, forlorn creature. So then thou right well seest that God hath deceived thee, and that the promises whereunto thou trustedst appertain nothing at all unto thee. See here the subtlety of Satan. What is now to be done? We are to conclude with David and say, yet God is true and faithful. Let us, I say, keep in mind the truth of God as a shield to beat back whatsoever Satan is able to lay unto our charge. When he shall go about to cause us to deny our faith, when he shall lie about us to make us believe that God thinketh no more of us, or else that it is in vain for us to trust unto his promises; let us know the clean contrary and believe that it is very plain and sound truth which God saith unto us. Although Satan casteth at us never so many darts, although he have never so exceeding many devices against us, although now and then by violence, sometimes with subtlety and cunning, it seemeth in very deed to us that he should overcome us; nevertheless he shall never bring it to pass, for the truth of God shall be made sure and certain in our hearts.
—John Calvin.
“All thy commandments are faithful.” The Hebrew is Faithfulness; that is to say, they are true, sure, equal, and infallible. “They have persecuted me wrongfully:” no doubt for asserting God’s truths and commands, and adhering thereto.
—John Trapp.
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Cross-References
Psalm 35:19 (KJV)
19 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me:
Neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
Psalm 109:26 (KJV)
26 Help me, O Lord my God:
O save me according to thy mercy:
Psalm 119:161 (KJV)
161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause:
But my heart standeth in awe of thy word.
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Closing Thoughts
Let our prayer today be: “Help me Lord”
כ KAPH כ: Fainting from affliction, revived by God’s word.
Psalm 119: 81-88
81
My soul faints for Your salvation,
But I hope in Your word.
82
My eyes fail from searching Your word,
Saying, “When will You comfort me?”
83
For I have become like a wineskin in smoke,
Yet I do not forget Your statutes.
84
How many are the days of Your servant?
When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?
85
The proud have dug pits for me,
Which is not according to Your law.
86
All Your commandments are faithful;
They persecute me wrongfully;
Help me!
87
They almost made an end of me on earth,
But I did not forsake Your precepts.
88
Revive me according to Your lovingkindness,
So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
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