Observation: this is a pretty standard "deliverance psalm", in which the author asks God's help from attackers. Because it's attributed to David, your imagination can plug in lots of stories for reference. It could be about Goliath, Saul, the Philistines in general, even his son Absalom. One size fits all. But David trusts that God will be the one to resolve the situation.
Application: I can't help thinking about Pearl Harbor today reading this psalm. Even after 75 years, it's made an indelible mark on the American psyche: a day that truly has lived in infamy.
In the mid 1980s, when I was 5, my family went to Japan. I don't remember much, but to hear my parents tell it, traveling with three fair skinned blonde American toddlers in Tokyo was like being celebrities. One guy literally gave us free toys. What a difference a couple of generations makes.
When I think today about "evildoers," "those who are violent, who plan evil things in their minds and stir up Wars continually", it's true, a few images come to mind. Terrorists. ISIS. Crazed dictators like Kim Jong Un or Bashar Al Assad. But more than that, what scares me is the violent spirit that is always under the surface right here in America. In our 240 year history, our country has only spent a handful of decades not at war. Our current president has spent his entire 8 year tenure at war. It has almost become background noise: the air we breathe as 21st century Americans. And from that apathy and desensitization, we truly need deliverance.
Lord, deliver us from evil doers, especially when the evil doers are ourselves. Be with all who celebrate this solemn day of remembrance as the day which plunged us into bloody conflict. Let us remember so as not to repeat. Let peace begin with me. Amen.
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