Ps. 86.8-10 (the performance of Yhwh)

None is like you / among the gods / O my Lord
and there are no works / to compare with yours
all the nations / that you have made
will come / and bow down before you / O my Lord
and they will glorify your name
For great you are, / a Worker of Wonders!
You / O God / are without a peer. 

Without comparison and negativity. These lines provide the basis for the psalmist complete confidence that Yhwh “can answer” him. As such, they operate on both a formal and thematic level, the heart of the psalm. Formally, they begin the central section of the psalm—that which stands in between the two petition sections. Thematically, they begin to develop the imagery of the power of Yhwh that undergirds the psalmist’s assurance. The section is very focused on what I would call the ‘negative’ aspect of Yhwh: “none like you”, “no works to compare”, “without a peer”. For the psalmist, there is no standard or ruler by which to measure Yhwh because every god, work and peer do not compare to him. This lack of comparison, however, is clearly embedded not in a sense of Yhwh’s brute force or power but in his goodness and power to redeem. In other words, I think the lack of comparison is really a statement about the astonishing and overwhelming perception of God’s ‘positive’ disposition toward his people. The reason for this is found, first, in the reference to Yhwh’s “works”, a term that often denotes his redeeming power, particularly those effected in the exodus. As an analogy, there are passages that speak about Israel’s astonishment at Yhwh’s concern for them when they ask, in the context of the exodus, “Has there ever been another god that reached into a foreign land to deliver his people?” There, as here, God’s uniqueness in relation to the other gods is grounded in his profound and utter devotion to his people as displayed in his ‘works’. It is not that only Yhwh can perform ‘works’, but that his works so far outstrip any other god’s. This holds an important insight: that Yhwh’s works contain within themselves this overwhelming sense of ‘always-already-more’ than any other divine agency; however, and this is key as well, the entire thrust of this portion of the psalm is in the fact that Yhwh’s works are publicly perceived as such (and were performed to be publicly seen). They are meant to be placed in comparison to the other god’s works so as to display their utter superiority over them. It is a public contest by which Yhwh means to win the world over to his reign. 

From the gods to the nations. The psalmist now moves down ‘the chain of being’, focusing on the nations. These are important lines as they describe a drama and not a permanent state. The nations have their origin in Yhwh’s ‘making’, but they do not possess their end—bowing down and glorifying Yhwh’s name. There is a clearly contemplated historical progression through the nations arrive in Zion to worship Yhwh (Zion because that is where ‘the name’ and ‘the glory’ are, in the Temple). Why the come is left unstated but it is important to address. This ‘coming of the nations’ is sandwiched between the ‘works without compare’ and the ‘Worker of Wonders’. What seems to be implied then is that the nations are going to stream into Israel (and to Zion) because of a ‘marvelous work’ that Yhwh performs in their sight that convinces them of Yhwh’s superiority over all the other gods. It is that work that will finally, and fully, establish this vision of ‘the kingdom of God’, with all nations glorifying Yhwh’s name. In other words, this one work will ‘draw all mankind to myself’ (…). This one work will make one kingdom, under the one God. 

Worker of Wonders. This line both concludes and summarizes these verses and is fundamental to their meaning. It has been suggested that ‘wonders’ could be translated as ‘impossibilities’, pointing to Yhwh’s utter freedom to perform works that are without precedent and unexpected. This ‘impossibility’ of Yhwh’s acts is in line with the opening verse about Yhwh being unlike any other god and his works being without compare. His freedom is not bound by some previous measure of what is possible. When he acts in these ways, they shine with their own witness to Yhwh and his bountiful and good freedom. They, in a sense, interpret (or, demonstrate) themselves and are their own standard. As such, Yhwh has made it possible for his people to perceive the impossible, and the god without peer. (Might we say that one must first perceive the possible to perceive the impossible? To know the ‘works of the gods’ before one can (adequately) appreciate the work of Yhwh?) Again, this drives home the point that this portion of the psalm is focused on display. Yhwh’s ‘wonders’, his performance-of-the-impossible not only does not take place in private but is meant to take place in public so as to be a witness to the nations. They are the ‘performance of Yhwh’ upon the stage of creation. It is there, in public, where the gods are shown to be in comparison to each other, but not to Yhwh and there where the nations will find their reason for coming to Zion. 

But why here? If all of this is true, what is the point in this psalm? I do not think the psalmist thinks his redemption by Yhwh will be the ‘sign’ that unites the nations. The point is, I think, two-fold. One, he is displaying to Yhwh his certainty in Yhwh’s utter mastery over the gods and the nations. As such, there is no enemy of the psalmist that is a real threat, so long as Yhwh acts. Second, any act performed by Yhwh on his behalf would be an ‘impossible act’ and, as such, would be display or witness to Yhwh’s uniqueness. His salvation would be a lazarus-event to the ‘resurrection’ that will call the nations. It would be both a real participation in and a pointer toward that final ‘wonder’.