Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
and may you establish the righteous—
you who test the minds and hearts,
O righteous God!
My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
God is a righteous judge,
and a God who feels indignation every day.
If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;
he has bent and readied his bow;
he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
making his arrows fiery shafts.
Comment: Poetry stretches my mind. Herein there is truth mixed with or hidden by imagery. Can you imagine God using a sharpened sword or a long bow with fiery arrows to execute His judgement? I can’t, but as I read these few verses I, in my mind’s eye, see David hiding behind God, who is his protector, taunting his accuser to step forward and appear before God. David pleads with God, in whom he trusts, to deal out just judgements. But the word ‘repent’ is there. And, in the midst of his call for personal justification, David seems to prefer it if his enemy repents and changes sides. The word repentance is such a major word in Bible language!
Prayer: Help me to keep short, honest accounts with You, my God.
As I read it! 
Thank you Barry for your comments on this Psalm. I appreciate your thoughts about the imagery and the poetry which David used. That helped me to see something more of the picture which was being described. “Repent” is of course, what each one of us must do to become righteous by the blood of Jesus. Without repentance towards God we are lost souls. God bless you.
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