Psalm 90
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” For a thousand years in Your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning:
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. For we are brought to an end by Your anger; by Your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence. For all our days pass away under Your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of Your anger, and Your wrath according to the fear of You? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on Your servants!
Satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let Your work be shown to Your servants, and Your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! (ESV)
Introduction:
Ending the Lord’s Day with Eternity
1. The Permanence of Our Dwelling Place (vv. 1–2)
God is eternal; we are safe in Him.
1.1 God, not Man, is the Starting Point
1.2 A Homeless People with an Eternal Home
1.3 The Eternity of God: “From Everlasting to Everlasting”
1.4 God’s Eternity Makes His People Safe
2. The Frailty of Human Life (vv. 3–6)
We are brief because we are creatures.
2.1 Our Frailty is Rooted in our Createdness (v. 3)
– God is the Sovereign Author of our Origin and our End
2.2 Mortality is a Divine Summons, not Merely a Natural Process
– Ecclesiastes 12:7
2.3 Our Sense of Time is Vastly Distorted by our Finitude (v. 4)
– 2 Peter 3:8
2.4 Eternity puts Human Achievement in Proper Perspective
– Psalms 39:5
2.5 Human Life is Fragile, Easily Removed, and Quickly Forgotten (v. 5)
– Job 14:1-2
2.6 Life’s Achievements often Vanish like a Dream
– Psalm 73:18-19
2.7 Human Life is Beautiful but Brief (v. 6)
2.7.1 Scripture does not Deny Life’s Beauty – Psalms 104:24
2.7.2 Brevity of Life is Meant to Produce Wisdom, not Despair (v. 12)
2.7.3 Humility, Not Hopelessness – Isaiah 40:8
2.7.4 Christ Enters our Frailty instead of Escaping it – Heb. 2:14-18, Phil. 2:7-8
3. The Weight of Divine Wrath (vv. 7–11)
But:
3.1 Christ Bears the Wrath Psalm 90 describes
Christ is that mechanism for escape and freedom – Is. 53:5, Rom. 3:25, Gal. 3:13
4. The Prayer for Wise Living (v. 12)
Wisdom comes from God.
4.1 Christ is the Wisdom we Lack
• “Teach us to number our days” (Ps. 90:12)
• Psalm 90 calls for wisdom but does not yet supply it.
The New Testament identifies that wisdom by name:
• 1 Corinthians 1:24: “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
• Matthew 12:42: “Something greater than Solomon is here.”
Numbering our days rightly means:
• Living in repentance
• Walking in faith
• Anchoring hope beyond death
5. The Plea for Covenant Mercy (vv. 13–15)
Christ Secures Covenant Mercy and Joy
6. The Prayer for Lasting Significance (vv. 16–17)
Only God can establish our work
Christ Establishes the Work of our hands
• Redeems our work
• Purifies our motives
• Carries our obedience into eternity
Conclusion: Our Only Hope for the Days Ahead
Christ is the Answer to Time and Eternity