Psalm 90 begins the fourth book of the Psalms. The psalms in this book are mostly liturgical, meaning they were used for public worship.
Psalm 90 is attributed Moses. We are not told the situation that prompted Moses to write it. However, it is clearly reflecting on a time of God’s wrath upon Israel’s sins. It might refer to Israel’s refusal to enter the promised land, resulting in an additional 40 years of wandering in the desert.
God Is Eternal
90:1-2
The psalm opens with statements of God’s eternality. He has been their dwelling place in all of their generations, meaning he has always been there.
God existed before creation of our world. (2) He is creator, not creation. He has always existed and he will also exist forever, from “everlasting to everlasting”. And he will always be God. He exists beyond time. He does not experience a succession of events - all of history is an eternal present to him.
Because God is eternal, he is always the dwelling place of his people, as Moses says in verse 1. He also said this to the people of Israel right before he died. He said “The eternal God is your dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:27)
Since he is eternal, he can grant eternal life. He comes to us and makes his home (dwells) with us when we come to him through Christ. (John 14:23)
Because God is eternal, we can dwell with him in every generation. Those of us who come to him in saving faith, will dwell with him forever. That is the picture presented in Revelation 21:3: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God itself will be with them as their God”.
We dwell with him and he dwells with us.
Men And Women Are Transitory
90:3-6
God’s eternality is exclusive. Only he has it. In contrast, men and women are transitory. We die. We return to dust. (3) This verse reflects the fall of man in Genesis 3. God told Adam: “you are dust and to dust you shall return”. (Genesis 3:19)
Since God is eternal, living forever, even what we consider a long time is nothing to him. Moses says a thousand of our years is like a day or part of a night. (4) This is just a poetic way of saying God is eternal, it is not that God actually counts years as days. Since all of history is before him all of the time, he is not measuring is existence by our time.
But our time is short, even to ourselves We are like grass that only flourishes for one day. It is like a fleeting dream that is here one minute and gone the next. It is like that vivid dream you wake up having, then cannot remember a few hours later.
Man’s Life Burdened By The Fall
90:7-12
The short life that men and women have is burdened by the consequences of Adam’s fall into sin. Once we realize God’s wrath upon sin, we are dismayed. (7)
And because of Adam’s sin, our years are brought to an end. Instead of immortality, humankind became mortal. God told Adam he would die if he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:17) When Adam disobeyed God, God decreed that he would return to the dust, that he would die. (Genesis 3:19) Paul explained that death came into the world through sin. (Romans 5:12)
Even the life we have is difficult. It is full of toil and trouble. This again is what God decreed as a consequence of Adam’s sin. He said the ground was cursed and work would be hard. (Genesis 3:19) Solomon wrote that our days are full of sorrow and our work is a vexation. (Ecclesiastes 2:23)
Of special note is the statement that God sets out our secret sins in the light of his presence. (8) Nothing is hidden from God. He often brings hidden things to light. He often brings hidden things to light.
We have certainly seen that to be true in recent times as pastors and religious leaders have had their supposedly secret sins revealed.
Many people do not consider the power of God’s anger and wrath. (11) If they did, they would look for a way to escape it. We know the only way is to come to faith in Christ and commit ourselves to him. As Paul wrote, we have been saved by Christ from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:9)
So, we should realize the shortness of our days and ask God to help us understand it. (12) Having realized this, we should devote ourselves to obedience to God and manifesting his glory. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)
Closing Prayer
13-16
Moses closes the psalm with a prayer for restoration of the Lord’s relationship with the people of Israel. He asks that the Lord satisfy them with his steadfast love so that they can rejoice and be glad. In fact, he asks God to make them glad for as many days as he has afflicted them.
Lastly, Moses asks God to show them his working on their behalf so they and subsequent generations may see his glorious power.
A. W. Tozer said: If God gives you a few more years, remember it is not yours. Your time must honor God. Your home must honor God. Your activity must honor God. And everything you do must honor God.
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