“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!”” -Psalm 35:1–3
David petitions the Lord for help using war language. He asks him to be his champion. Perhaps he is thinking of the kind of battle he fought with Goliath, the Philistine champion (1 Samuel 17). This was a common course of action in the ancient world as other literature of the period demonstrates (e.g., Homer’s Iliad). Instead of entire armies being slaughtered, a champion from each army would meet on the battlefield to settle the matter.
The Lord is our champion, who fights our battles for us. He alone is our salvation! We can ask the Lord to fight our battles, assuming ours is the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12).