Proud Enemies Rise, but Thou Art Compassionate and Gracious

The prayer closes with violent enemies on one side and God’s compassion on the other. Verse 15 deliberately echoes the LORD’s self-description in Exodus 34: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abundant in steadfast love and truth. David asks for strength and a visible sign of God’s goodness.

The deepest connection here is backward before it is forward: Psalm 86 is praying God’s own revealed character back to him. Christian readers know that compassion and grace supremely through Christ, but the psalm’s explicit scriptural anchor is the Torah’s revelation of God’s name and character.