John Gill Commentary Psalms 86

Bow down your ear, O Lord, hear me
This is spoken of God after the manner of men, who, when they listen and attentively listen to what is said to them, stoop and bow the head, and incline the ear; and it denotes condescension in the Lord, who humbles himself so as to look upon men, and to bow down the ear and listen to them: this favour is granted to the saints, to whom he is a God hearing and answering prayer, and which Christ, as man and Mediator, enjoyed; see (Hebrews 5:7) (John 11:41John 11:42) .

for I am poor and needy;
weak and feeble, destitute and distressed, and so wanted help and assistance; and which carries in it an argument or reason enforcing the above petition; for the Lord has a regard to the poor and needy; see (Psalms 6:2) (12:5) (35:10) . This may be understood literally, it being the common case of the people of God, who are generally the poor and needy of this world, whom God chooses, calls, and makes his own; and so was David when he fled from Saul, being often in want of temporal mercies, as appears by his application to Ahimelech and Nabal for food; and having nothing, as Kimchi observes, to support him, but what his friends, and the men of Judah, privately helped him to; and the character well agrees with Christ, whose case this was; see (2 Corinthians 8:9) (Matthew 8:20) (Luke 8:2Luke 8:3) . Moreover, it may be taken in a spiritual sense; all men are poor and needy, though not sensible of it; good men are poor in spirit, are sensible of their spiritual poverty, and apply to the Lord, and to the throne of his grace, for the supply of their need; and such an one was David, even when he was king of Israel, as well as at this time, (Psalms 40:17) , and may be applied to Christ; especially when destitute of his Father's gracious presence, and was forsaken by him and all his friends, (Matthew 27:46) (26:56) .

Preserve my soul
Or life, which Saul sought after; and this prayer was heard: David was often remarkably preserved by the Lord from his attempts upon him; and so was the soul or life of Christ preserved in his infancy from Herod's malice; in the wilderness from wild beasts, and from perishing with hunger; and often from the designs of the Jews, to take away his life before his time; and he was supported in death, preserved from corruption in the grave, and raised from thence: instances there are of his praying for the preservation of his life, with submission to the will of God, in which he was heard, (Matthew 26:39Matthew 26:49) (John 12:27) (Hebrews 5:7) .

The Lord is not only the preserver of the lives of men in a temporal sense, but he is the preserver of the souls of his people, their more noble part, whose redemption is precious; he keeps them from the evil of sin, and preserves them safe to his kingdom and glory; yea, their whole soul, body, and spirit, are preserved by him blameless, unto the coming of Christ:

for I am holy ;
quite innocent, as to the crime that was laid to his charge by Saul and his courtiers; or was kind, beneficent, and merciful, to others, and to such God shows himself merciful, they obtain mercy: or was favoured of God, to whom he had been bountiful, on whom he had bestowed many mercies and blessings; and therefore desires and hopes that, to the rest of favours, this of preservation might be added; or, as he was a sanctified person, and God had begun his work of grace in him, he therefore entreats the Lord would preserve him, and perfect his own work in him: some, as Aben Ezra observes, would have the sense to be,

the character of an Holy One eminently and perfectly agrees with Christ, as well as the petition; see (Psalms 16:1Psalms 16:10) .

O thou, my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee ;
both temporally and spiritually: the arguments are taken from covenant interest in God, which is a strong one; from relation to him as a servant, not by nature only, but by grace; and from his trust and confidence in him; all which, as well as the petition, agree with Christ; see (Psalms 22:1Psalms 22:8Psalms 22:10Psalms 22:20Psalms 22:21) (Isaiah 42:1) .

Be merciful to 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 to you daily ;
or "all the day"; every day, and several times in a day, (Psalms 55:17) (Psalms 55:17) constant and importunate prayer is the duty of saints, and available with God, (1 Thessalonians 5:17) (Luke 18:1–7) . Christ was much in the exercise of it, (Luke 6:12) .

Rejoice the soul of your servant
With the discoveries of love, of pardoning grace, and mercy, before made sad with sin or sufferings; and with the light of God's countenance, before troubled with the hidings of his face: this may be applied to Christ, in sorrowful circumstances, who was made full of joy with his Father's countenance, (Matthew 26:37Matthew 26:38) (Acts 2:28)

for unto you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul :
in prayer, as the Targum adds; and it denotes the devotion, fervency, heartiness, and sincerity, of his prayer; the doing of it with a true heart, the lifting up of the heart with the hands unto God, (Lamentations 3:41) or by way of offering unto the Lord, not the body only, but the soul or heart also; or as a depositum committed into his hands; so Christ lifted up his eyes, and his heart and soul, to his divine Father; and also made his soul an offering for sin, and at death commended his spirit into his hands, (John 17:1) (Isaiah 53:10) (Luke 23:46) , (See Gill on Psalms 25:1).

For you, Lord, are good
Essentially and independently good, from whom every good and perfect gift comes; good in himself, and good to others; good to all, in a providential way; and good to his own special people in a way of grace: this is asserted by Christ, (Matthew 19:17)

and ready to forgive ;
there is forgiveness with him, and it is to be had without difficulty; he has largely provided for it; he is forward unto it, he freely giving it; it is according to the riches of his grace; he does abundantly pardon; no sooner is it asked but it is had; this David knew by experience, (Psalms 32:5) ,

and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon you ;
in truth, in sincerity, in a right way, through Christ, and faith in him; to such not only the Lord shows himself merciful, but is rich and abundant in mercy; he has a multitude of tender mercies, and abounds in his grace and goodness, and in the donation of it to his people; all which encourage their faith and hope in their petitions to him.