What does Psalm 27:2 mean?

David expresses confidence that his enemies will not succeed. If they try to attack and destroy him, David is sure they will fail. In fact, he is certain they will fail. By identifying his foes as "evildoers," David indicates they are not just his enemies but God's enemies as well. It is certain, therefore, that they will stumble and fall.

David lived out that level of assurance when he engaged Goliath in combat. Goliath thought he would give David's flesh to the birds and wild animals, but David told Goliath that the Lord would deliver him into his hand, and David would give the Philistines' dead bodies to the birds and wild animals (1 Samuel 17:44–46). The apostle John realized our enemies—Satan and his followers—want to destroy believers, but he encouraged us to rely on the Lord for victory. He wrote, "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in [the evil world system]" (1 John 4:4).