David needed information and wisdom in view of his need. If he did not receive them from the Lord soon, he despaired of life. "Lightening the eyes" refers to refreshing one"s vital powers (cf. 1 Samuel 14:27; 1 Samuel 14:29; Ezra 9:8). If he died, his enemy, who was also the Lord"s enemy, since David was God"s representative, would conclude he had overcome him and would rejoice. The "sleep of death" may be a metaphor for deep depression and suffering. [1][source]
"His thought is dominated by one anxiety only, the anxiety that he might waver in his faith and lose confidence in God and so might provide for his adversaries the opportunity of gaining an easy victory [2]." [3][source]
"Awareness of God and the enemy is virtually the hallmark of every psalm of David; the positive and negative charge which produced the driving-force of his best years." [4][source]
"We do not need to engage in any ontological speculation about whether God knows this [2]5 before the speech is spoken. Inside the psalm the speech proceeds on the assumption that Yahweh is now being told what Yahweh needs to know. And that, of course, is the premise on which all serious prayer operates." [6][source]