ETERNITY-Psalm 90

Old Testament, Psalms, Sermons

A prayer of Moses the man of God. “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations” (Psalm 90:1).
  1. Praise God’s eternity (1-2).
  2. Perceive man’s frailty (3-11).
  3. Plead for God’s mercy (12-17).
Psalm 90, the only psalm of Moses, opens with: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations” (Ps 90:1). Considering the 40 years (1/3rd of his life) Moses spent wandering in the wilderness with no fixed dwelling place, it’s no wonder he says, “Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!” (NLT).

Psalm 90

Psalm 90 focuses on God’s eternal nature and man’s finite nature (1-6). It stresses God’s anger against sin (7-11) and appeals to His compassion to restore and bless His people (12-17). It is a reflection on the transience of life (Ps 90:3-6, 10). It contemplates life under God‘s wrath (Ps 90:7-9) and affirms the necessity of living aright in the presence of God (Ps 90:11-12). Only Isaiah 40 compares with this psalm for contrasting God‘s grandeur and eternity (Ps 90:1-2; Isa 40:5) with the frailty of man (Isa 40:6-8). But while Isaiah is comforting (Isa 40:1-2, 9-11), Psalm 90 is chastening and sobering, even though the clouds disperse in the final prayer (Ps 90:13-17). It also compares in some aspects to Genesis 1-3. Outline:
  1. God’s eternity (1-2) and man’s frailty (3-6).
  2. God’s anger over man’s sin (7-11).
  3. God’s mercy toward man’s affliction (12-17).
What is a dwelling place? It is a home, a familiar place, a place of refuge, a place of refreshment. “Dwelling place” in Hebrew means “refuge, shelter from danger or hardship, habitation.” Many of the psalms describe God in similar terms: “If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent” (Ps 91:9-10). “Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go” (Ps 71:3).
 
God as our dwelling place expresses the stability, dependability, and eternal constancy of God. Describing God as our dwelling place is also a picture of the unbroken, intimate fellowship God desires to have with His people. He longs to bring us home, near to Himself, so we can dwell in His courts and “be satisfied with the goodness” of His house and the holiness of His temple (Ps 65:4). He wants our desire to match His own so that we might pray like David in Ps 27:4.
  • Live with our mortality with eternity in mind: “Psalm 90 is a profound meditation on the eternal nature of God and the brevity of human life. It calls us to reflect on our mortality and to seek wisdom in light of eternity.” “Here Moses teaches us that until men perceive themselves to be frail and vanishing like smoke, they never submit themselves to God’s service, or seriously apply their hearts to true wisdom.” – John Calvin
  • “Psalm 90 reminds us that God’s eternal nature stands in stark contrast to our fleeting existence. It challenges us to live each day with wisdom and purpose, recognizing the limited time we have been given.” – Charles Spurgeon
  • “In Psalm 90, Moses reflects on the transience of human life and the enduring nature of God. It is a call to trust in God’s sovereignty and to find refuge in His eternal presence.” – Timothy Keller

References: Meditation on Psalm 90.

  1. Life‘s Transient Dream. Stott. 1988. 1. God’s Eternity (1-6). 2. God’s Wrath (7-11). 3. God’s Mercy (12-17). God of grace. Unfailing love.
  2. Longman III, Garland. 2008. Psalm 90: Teach Us to Number Our Days. (Brevity, Sin, Anger and Prayer for Restoration). A. The Lord is God (1-2). B. God’s Authority over People (3-6). C. God’s Wrath (7-10). C’. Proper response to God’s Wrath (11-12). B’. Prayer for God’s Mercy (13-16). A’. May the Lord be our God (17).
  3. Keller. 2015. 1. This short life (1-4). 2. We fly away (5-12). 3. Unfailing love (13-17).
  4. Kidner. 1973. 1975. “O God, our help.” 1. God the eternal (1-2). 2. Man the ephemeral (3-6). 3. Man under wrath (7-12). 4. God of grace (13-17).
  5. Motyer. 2016. Living with Mortality. A1. Generations past: our home (Ps 90:1-2). B. Present experience: transience and wrath (3-12). A2. Generations to come: contentment and security (13-17).
  6. The Eternity of God and Man‘s Frailty. A Humbled Life before God. [Skip Heitzig]: Man is a mixture of dust and divinity. We’re all going to die, but we’ll all live forever. We’re creatures of time, yet at the same time, we’re creatures of eternity. What we do here determines how we enjoy there. Make sure your time counts for eternity so that in eternity you have a great time.

 

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