Psalm 64, Justice Rebounds

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Another song by David, set to music. This begins with supplication and ends in praise. 

Psalm 64: 1-2, My complaint

 Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint;

 protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, 

from that noisy crowd of evildoers.

This song begins with a plea, a supplication, a complaint about a noisy, chaotic crowd of wicked men.

Psalm 64: 3-6, Cunning evil

 They sharpen their tongues like swords 

and aim their words like deadly arrows.

 They shoot from ambush at the innocent man; 

they shoot at him suddenly, without fear.

 They encourage each other in evil plans,

 they talk about hiding their snares; 

they say, "Who will see them?"

 They plot injustice and say, 

"We have devised a perfect plan!"

Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning.

David's enemies plot against him, ready to kill the innocent man, ready to act out cunning evil. The evildoers believe they can stay safely hidden. They boast in that they can do evil and get away with it.

The last line expresses a view of the deep deceitfulness of mankind: we can rationalize our selfish plans, burying envy and hatred deep within our subconscious.

Psalm 64: 7-8, Rebound!

 But God will shoot them with arrows; 

suddenly they will be struck down.

 He will turn their own tongues against them 

and bring them to ruin; 

all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

 All mankind will fear; 

they will proclaim the works of God 

and ponder what he has done.

But God will overturn the evil.  If they shoot with arrows from a hiding place, they will receive arrows shot at them. Everything they do rebounds against them.

Psalm 64: 10, But the righteous rejoice 

 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD 

and take refuge in him; 

let all the upright in heart praise him!

David summarizes the song with a chorus of joy, of praise.