“Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.” -Psalm 17:13–14
What is unfortunate about Christians in the modern world is the tacit belief within a segment of the church that Christianity always equals the utmost congeniality. That’s not to say Christians are ever justified in acting like the wicked, but praying for the overthrow of the enemy, the pitiless, bloodthirsty devil and his own (John 8:44), is not unacceptable; it’s good and proper.
David’s repeated use of imperatives (i.e., Arise, Confront, Subdue, Deliver) shows his insistence that God no longer delays his judgment. He calls on God to fight his battle and put down the men of this world whose portion is in this life only. The contrast is between David who has an eternal perspective because believes God and those men whom we would call materialists, men whose only hope is in their familial legacy. God blesses them, they leave it to their children, who leave it to their children.
That is not to say there is not value in leaving a legacy for one’s children and grandchildren. Solomon reminds us, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.” -Proverbs 13:22. But for the wicked who have no hope of resurrection, what’s accumulated in this live and passed down to the next generation is there is to live for—one reason ancestor worship is so prevalent in non-Christian cultures.