Psalm 90
Psalm 90 is attributed to Moses, making it unique among the psalms. It reflects on God's eternal nature and humanity's frailty. The psalm teaches that human life is short and emphasizes the need for wisdom, humility, and dependence on God. It also expresses a prayer for God’s mercy and favor, asking for restoration and joy in the limited span of human life.
Psalm 90:1-2 (NKJV)
1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Moses begins by acknowledging that God has been the eternal refuge for His people throughout generations. Even before creation, God existed, transcending time from everlasting to everlasting. This emphasizes God's unchanging nature and His role as the source of stability in a world marked by change and mortality.
Psalm 90:3-6 (NKJV)
3 You turn man to destruction, And say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night.
5 You carry them away like a flood; They are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
6 In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers.
Human life is portrayed as fleeting and fragile. God has the power to return mankind to dust, highlighting the brevity of human existence. From God's eternal perspective, even a thousand years seem like a passing moment. The comparison to grass that flourishes briefly before withering underscores life’s transience and the inevitability of death.
Psalm 90:7-10 (NKJV)
7 For we have been consumed by Your anger, And by Your wrath we are terrified.
8 You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
9 For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh.
10 The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Moses reflects on God's righteous judgment, revealing that human sin is fully exposed before Him. Life is marked by toil and ends swiftly, like a sigh. Even the longest lifespan is filled with challenges, and seventy to eighty years serve as a reminder of human limitations and the inevitability of death.
Psalm 90:11-12 (NKJV)
11 Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
The psalm asks who can truly comprehend the extent of God's anger against sin. Acknowledging human frailty, Moses prays for wisdom to live purposefully and with reverence. Recognizing the brevity of life encourages people to seek wisdom and live in a way that honors God.
Psalm 90:13-15 (NKJV)
13 Return, O Lord! How long? And have compassion on Your servants.
14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
15 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, The years in which we have seen evil.
Moses appeals for God's compassion, asking Him to bring joy and mercy to His people. The request for satisfaction through God’s mercy reflects a desire to find lasting joy despite life’s hardships. Moses seeks that the time of restoration will be proportionate to the affliction they have endured.
Psalm 90:16-17 (NKJV)
16 Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children.
17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
The psalm concludes with a plea for God to reveal His power and favor to His people. Moses asks that the works of God's servants be established and blessed by His presence. This final request highlights the desire for meaning and purpose in life, anchored in God’s enduring favor.