So that my enemy does not say, “I have overcome him,” and my adversaries do not rejoice that I have been shaken from my place.
David asks that his enemy not be able to boast, saying, “I have defeated him,” and that his adversaries not rejoice at his being shaken. Their aim is not only to harm David, but to see his complete downfall. The expression “I have been shaken from my place” shows the danger of losing stability and falling before the enemy. David feels his weakness and realizes that without God’s help he cannot remain steadfast. His concern is not only what people will think about him. The victory of his enemies would give them an occasion to boast and to think that they have been able to defeat, once and for all, a man who relies on God. Therefore David asks that the Lord not allow evil to have the last word. The verse shows that a believer may weaken and grow faint in trial, yet, by God’s keeping, not fall completely. Therefore, in time of hardship he can ask that the Lord strengthen him, not allow the enemy to boast in victory, and show that He does not abandon the one who relies on Him.