Don’t pick a fight with this weakling. I’ve never been good at fighting, so I know to seek strength elsewhere.
I have a friend of blessed memory, a former schoolteacher who admitted her pleasure at watching school children fight! Well, she wouldn’t have gotten any kicks from watching me in the battle arena because I was physically weak, rather unlearned in the art of person-to-person physical combat. I was smart enough to avoid fighting at all costs because I’d be sure to lose every time.
But I’ve always been smart in the sense of being brainy. So, I knew what I did not know and that meant keeping away from fighting, being dotish at times, letting others take unfair advantage of me, if necessary. Please don’t talk of bullying. Back then, it was my choice to opt for the selection that guaranteed my victory, which was necessarily won by refraining from fist fights, biting, body tangles of whatever type.
I’m stating all this to make the point that it was and still is easy for me to identify with the psalmist and let Almighty God fight the perceived mighty on my behalf. I will gladly pray
1 “Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 2 Take hold of shield and buckler and rise up to help me! 3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul, ‘I am your Salvation.’”
Foolish me to imagine God engaging in this kind of fighting with puny mortals. Foolish I may be, I’m smart enough to know how to win, counting on strength that does not reside in my weak body.
Better you don’t try 7 “digging a pit for me.” And mark you, digging a pit is always “without cause” because I’m protected!
In default mode I pray 19 “Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.” In fact, I often find out after the fact that such adversaries were operative, because guess what, I’m protected!
And now and every time, 28 “my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long”.