Psalms 90
Psalm 90 is a psalm known as 'the prayer of Moses, the man of God,' and it is the only psalm in the entire Book of Psalms transmitted under Moses' name. This psalm deeply reflects on the brevity of life, God's eternal nature, and how a weak human being should live before God. The overall structure can be divided as follows:
- Verses 1-2: Praise of God's eternity
- Verses 3-6: The limitedness and futility of human life
- Verses 7-11: Human wrongdoing and God's wrath
- Verses 12-17: A prayer asking for wisdom in life and God's mercy
1verseA Prayer by Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations.
2verseBefore the mountains were born, before you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
3verseYou turn man to destruction, saying, “Return, you children of men.”
4verseFor a thousand years in your sight are just like yesterday when it is past, like a watch in the night.
5verseYou sweep them away as they sleep. In the morning they sprout like new grass.
6verseIn the morning it sprouts and springs up. By evening, it is withered and dry.
7verseFor we are consumed in your anger. We are troubled in your wrath.
8verseYou have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9verseFor all our days have passed away in your wrath. We bring our years to an end as a sigh.
10verseThe days of our years are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty years; yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for it passes quickly, and we fly away.
11verseWho knows the power of your anger, your wrath according to the fear that is due to you?
12verseSo teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13verseRelent, LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
14verseSatisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15verseMake us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.
16verseLet your work appear to your servants, your glory to their children.
17verseLet the favor of the Lord our God be on us. Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands.
God's Eternity and Humanity's Limitations
The opening (verses 1-2) shows the psalmist confessing that God is our dwelling place—from old to eternity—our protector and our source. This passage is where everything in history and life is acknowledged to be under God's control. Verses 3-6 emphasize that human beings come from dust and return to dust. Life before God passes as quickly as a moment, and it is described as grass that blooms in the morning and withers by evening.
Human Sin and the Pain of Life
In verses 7-11, the psalmist confesses that people's short lives are placed under God's wrath and sin. He says that all hidden sins and wrongdoing are revealed before God, and as a result, our time is filled with pain. This is the part that helps us realize that life itself can be placed under God's wrath. But he does not stop there; he expresses a hope that we would receive a wise heart by counting our days.
Prayer and Resolve: Humans Seeking Mercy
Verses 12-17 shift from the shortness of life to the psalmist's earnest prayer to God. Here he asks for wisdom to number our days, God's kindness and joy, and for the accomplishment of work and God's purpose to appear in our reality. In this section, he admits that without God's mercy and guidance, humans cannot live a meaningful life.
Points for Reflection
- How do I accept the brevity of life?
- Before God's eternity, how does the meaning and position of my life change?
- Am I seeking God's wisdom and mercy for my life plans and time?
- How can I live wisely in this short life?
Apply It to Yourself
- Living humbly while remembering God's eternity in daily life
- Realizing the value of time and filling today with gratitude and meaning
- Not forgetting to pray for God's kindness and mercy even amid mistakes and wrongdoing
- Asking for the LORD's grace and guidance in the work I do with my own hands
