Psalms90

Psalm 90, a prayer of Moses, contrasts God's eternal nature with humanity's fleeting existence. It laments the brevity of life, often consumed by divine wrath due to sin, and acknowledges that human lifespan is short and full of sorrow. The psalm concludes with a plea for God's mercy, wisdom to number one's days, and the establishment of their labor.
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God, Our Eternal Refuge

1
A Prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. ​
2
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. ​

The Brevity of Human Life

3
Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. ​
4
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. ​
5
Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6
In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

Mortality as a Consequence of Sin

7
For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. ​
8
Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. ​
9
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. ​
10
The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. ​
11
Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

A Prayer for Wisdom and Mercy

12
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. ​
13
Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. ​
14
O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15
Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. ​
16
Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. ​
17
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. ​

Study Notes for Psalms 90

Verse 1

The attribution to Moses is unique (the only Psalm attributed to him) and lends historical context, likely reflecting the mortality and judgment experienced by the Israelites during the forty years of wilderness wandering (cf. Numbers 14).

Verse 2

This verse emphasizes God's absolute eternality ('from everlasting to everlasting'), establishing a theological contrast with the temporal weakness and mortality of humanity that is developed throughout the rest of the psalm.

Verse 3

The phrase 'Return, ye children of men' connects directly to the curse of Genesis 3:19, highlighting God’s sovereign power to recall humanity to the dust from which it came.

Verse 4

This famous comparison illustrates the vast gulf between God's timeless perspective and limited human chronology; a thousand years is merely a fleeting moment in the scope of eternity (cf. 2 Peter 3:8).

Verse 7

The Psalmist attributes the pain and brevity of life not merely to natural mortality but specifically to the community's experience of God's active judgment and wrath against their sin.

Verse 8

The idea that God sets 'secret sins in the light' underscores His comprehensive knowledge and righteousness, suggesting that hidden transgressions contribute fully to the communal suffering and judgment.

Verse 9

Spending years 'as a tale that is told' (or a sigh/whisper) emphasizes how quickly and insubstantially human life passes when viewed in retrospect under the shadow of divine judgment.

Verse 10

Seventy or eighty years represents the typical lifespan. This may reference the shortened life expectancy instituted after the judgment on the wilderness generation, whose lives were limited by divine decree.

Verse 12

This crucial verse is the hinge of the Psalm, moving from lament to petition. To 'number our days' means to recognize their finite nature, leading to the practical application of seeking true wisdom (living rightly before God).

Verse 13

'Return, O LORD, how long?' is a classic element of lament Psalms, pleading for God to end the current period of affliction and to show compassion ('repent thee') toward His servants.

Verse 15

This request asks for proportional restoration: the duration of future joy and gladness should match the length of affliction and evil previously experienced under God's judgment.

Verse 16

The prayer asks that the current generation ('thy servants') may witness God's saving power ('thy work') and that this glory be successfully transmitted to the next generation ('their children').

Verse 17

The 'beauty of the LORD' (often translated as favor or grace) is sought to rest upon the people, ensuring that their daily labor ('the work of our hands') is fruitful, meaningful, and enduring.

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