Psalm 86:9 - All Nations Shall Come and Worship Before Thee
Psalm 86 is a prayer of David in which he cries to God for mercy, protection, guidance, and deliverance. In the middle of this personal prayer, David's vision expands beyond his own circumstances. He looks forward to the day when the nations God created will acknowledge Him and glorify His name.
Psalm 86:9 reminds us that the LORD is not merely the God of one nation. He is the Creator and Lord of all nations, and His purpose extends throughout the earth.
“All Nations”
David declares:
“All nations…”
This is remarkable because David was king of Israel, yet his understanding of God's sovereignty extended far beyond Israel.
The God of Israel is the Creator of the whole earth.
Psalm 24:1 declares:
“The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” — Psalm 24:1 KJV
Every nation exists under God's sovereign authority.
Different peoples may have different languages, cultures, histories, and lands, but there is only one Creator.
“Whom Thou Hast Made”
David does not simply say “all nations.” He adds:
“whom thou hast made.”
God created humanity.
This truth reaches back to Genesis:
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” — Genesis 1:27 KJV
Humanity ultimately has one Creator.
Therefore, no nation can claim that God belongs exclusively to them. The nations belong to God, because He made them.
This also establishes human dignity. People from every nation ultimately owe their existence to the same Creator.
“Shall Come”
David looks beyond his present circumstances and declares:
“shall come…”
This gives Psalm 86:9 a forward-looking dimension.
David sees the worship of God extending beyond Israel to the nations.
This theme runs throughout Scripture.
God told Abraham:
“and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” — Genesis 12:3 KJV
God's redemptive purpose was never ultimately restricted to one ethnic nation. Through Abraham's seed, blessing would reach the families of the earth.
“And Worship Before Thee”
The nations will:
“worship before thee, O Lord…”
True worship belongs to God.
David contrasts the LORD with every supposed rival in the previous verse:
“Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.” — Psalm 86:8 KJV
Then verse 9 declares that the nations will worship Him.
The connection is important.
There is none like God; therefore He alone deserves the worship of the nations.
“And Shall Glorify Thy Name”
The purpose of worship is not the glorification of humanity.
It is the glorification of God's name.
In Scripture, God's name represents His revealed character, authority, reputation, and identity.
David therefore anticipates a time when the nations will recognize the greatness of the LORD.
The following verse explains why:
“For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.” — Psalm 86:10 KJV
This is the foundation of verse 9.
Why will the nations glorify Him?
Because:
He is great.
He does wondrous things.
He alone is God.
From the Psalms to the Gospel
The vision of the nations worshipping God continues into the New Testament.
Jesus commanded His disciples:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…” — Matthew 28:19 KJV
The gospel was not to remain confined to one geographical location or one people.
Christ sent His disciples outward to the nations.
The book of Revelation ultimately presents worshippers before God from throughout humanity:
“a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues…” — Revelation 7:9 KJV
Psalm 86:9 therefore participates in a great biblical theme stretching from Genesis through Revelation:
God's purpose reaches the nations.
God Is Greater Than Our Immediate Circumstances
There is also something beautiful about where David places this declaration.
Psalm 86 begins with David crying:
“Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.” — Psalm 86:1 KJV
David has personal trouble.
Yet his prayer does not remain centered upon himself.
He moves from:
“I am poor and needy”
to:
“All nations…shall come and worship before thee.”
That is a powerful transformation of perspective.
Sometimes our immediate problems can become so large in our thinking that we forget the greatness of the God to whom we are praying.
David remembers:
My problem is real, but God's kingdom is greater than my problem.
Personal Application
Psalm 86:9 challenges us to enlarge our vision of God's purpose.
God's work is greater than our individual lives.
Greater than our local congregation.
Greater than our community.
Greater than our nation.
His redemptive purpose reaches people throughout the earth.
Therefore, we should pray for people beyond our immediate circle.
We should desire that Christ be proclaimed among the nations.
And our own lives should glorify the name that Scripture declares the nations will glorify.
David's prayer moves from personal need to worldwide worship:
“All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.”
The nations are His because He made them.
Worship belongs to Him because He alone is God.
And His name will be glorified because:
“For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.” — Psalm 86:10 KJV
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