David wrote this psalm while hiding from Saul’s pursuit. During this time he was being falsely accused by a certain man from Saul’s tribe named, Cush, whom David feared would “tear him like a lion.” In this psalm, David invited the Lord to be both his judge and deliverer. He called on the Lord to defend him. David’s dire condition caused him to pray not only for his situation, but that all wickedness in the world would come to an end.
Have you ever looked around at the world we live in, and prayed that the Lord would bring the “wickedness of the wicked” to an end? Have you ever prayed that the Lord would “establish the just?” Of course, we tend to put others in the first category and ourselves in the “just” one. That’s why God is the only one capable of such a judgment, for He alone can “test the hearts and minds.”
One day, David’s prayer will be answered. The wicked will be judged and their time brought to an end. And the Lord Jesus Christ will establish the just, those who have been made so by believing in His Name. Until then, we can pray as David did, depending on the Lord to be our Savior and Defender.