Psalms 86:8
English Standard:
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
We are focused on Pslams 86:8 this week. It is important that we grasp that the Psalmist is saying in essence: “There is none like God among the gods.”
Who is God?
According to Baler Word Study Dictionary the word God: אֱלֹהִים ʾelōhiym: A masculine plural noun meaning God, gods, judges, angels. Occurring more than 2,600 times in the Old Testament, this word commonly designates the one true God (Gen. 1:1) and is often paired with God’s unique name yehōwāh.
When David is pointing out God is above all gods, he is acknowledging the false gods of the world he lived in. As Dr. Michael Heiser and others have pointed out in their studies of Scripture the modern church often pushes out the spiritual and supernatural world around us.
The Supernatural World of David’s Time
David’s world was a supernatural world, as any reading of 1&2 Samuel demonstrates. The Prophet Samuel came under God’s spiritual direction and anointed young David. David confronted a true Giant, someone who was between seven and nine feet tall, a giant in a world of people who were on average five and half feet tall. David saw the power of the Ark of the Covenant in Battles. He also knew of Saul’s failure as king a man who had consulted a witch.
You see the supernatural was all around in David’s time. He knew the many false gods around in his time. Many scholars would like to simply write this verse off simply as “The one true God” being better than “false gods”. Many of us struggle with verses like this because we like to simply say an idol made by hands isn’t a god with power.
Look at 1 Samuel 5:1-12 to get deeper understanding of the reality of David’s words.
In the days just prior to David’s time Israel went to battle without God’s blessing. They were treating the Ark of the Covenant as a magic talisman that would help them win battles. Since God hadn’t commanded them to go to battle and had shown disrespect they lost the Ark and it was taken by the Philistines.
The Philistines put the Ark in the Temple of Dagon. The Statue of Dagon fell and bowed to the Ark twice, and it’s hands were broken off. Then the town was afflicted with tumors. In fact the Ark was passed along causing sickness in five towns.
Finally, the Philistines sent the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel, realizing the power of God over their gods. However, in the story we see the movement of Dagon’s statue revealing a supernatural battle going on.
When David is referring to God in Psalms 86:6 as “none like you among gods” he is saying God’s supernatural power is beyond that of any of the other supernatural powers of the world.
We are in a Spritual and Supernatural World Battle
Before you discount this, remember Paul reminds us of the eternal battle we are in. Read Ephesians 6:12
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (ESV)
Dr. Michael Heiser in his book “THE UNSEEN REALM” addresses this issue far deeper, but in essence he reminds us that we are still living in a world of the supernatural and spiritual.
Many Christians struggle in today’s sanitized faith living, because they read a Bible filled with supernatural accounts and they merely dismiss it. However, the Bible is a book of Spiritual power. It is just what Paul reminds us. It is the account of the supernatural battle of God verses evil and the spiritual forces of evil. We like David must come to the realization that our hope and strength is not in ourselves but in the Power of the One True God, and Savior Jesus Christ.
How are you doing with trusting the Eternal Supernatural Power of God? What areas do you need to grow or rely on God’s Spirit more?
May God help you to grow in his Holy Spirit’s power. May God bless you to stand firm and overcome the battles in your life today.
Blessings on the journey,
Dan
References:
- Warren Baker and Eugene E. Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003), 54.
- Heiser, Michael S.. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (p. 11). Lexham Press. Kindle Edition.
- The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016)
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