Psalm 90:1-17
Q.1. How did the Psalmist view God? What is man’s timeframe? How should we then live? – (Ps.90:1-12)
The Psalmist recognized that God has been man’s hiding place throughout the generations, and that He has existed before He made the world. He is sovereign Lord because – … Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God (Ps.90:2). He perceived eternity by comparing a thousand years for God with a watch in the night for man (Ps.90:4). God is the one constant, as generations are swept away like a flood and replaced by something new (Ps.90:5-6). Since we understand but little of His purposes, it appears that we are consumed by God’s anger and dismayed by His wrath (Ps.90:7 c.f. Ps.90:9). Nothing we do is hidden from God. The Psalmist observed – You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence (Ps.90:8). The Psalm is variously attributed to Moses or David (see preface). Since Moses lived to one hundred and twenty years, it is more likely a Psalm of David (c.f. Deut.31:2; 34:7). Genesis records that the lifespan before the Flood was around nine hundred years. This lifespan has been reduced to around seventy or eighty years (Ps.90:10). The point he made is that life will end all too soon. For that reason, he advised – So teach us to number our DAYS that we may present to You a heart of wisdom (Ps.90:12) Since life is so brief, we should seriously consider each and every day. We should ask the Lord to help us to see this brief life from His point of view.
Q.2. Why should we stay near to God when we are passing through trials? How did the Psalmist view the Lord? – verses 13-17
The Psalmist approached the Lord as his merciful and kind God. He accepted that God has the right to discipline and chasten His people for their wrongs (Ps.90:13-15). He pleaded– Do return, O Lord; How long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants (Ps.90:13). Since God is sovereign and our best efforts can be swept away in an instant, the Psalmist called on God to confirm the work of our hands (Ps.90:16-17).