Truth for Tomorrow – Psalm 90:1-17
- January 5, 2023
- Pastor
- 0 Comments
Psalm 90:1-17
Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Psalm 90. As you’re finding your spot, I think it’s safe to say that you haven’t broken your New Year’s resolution(s) just yet. After all, we’re only about 11 hours (or so) into the New Year. If your resolution has anything to do with your faith: reading the Bible daily, praying more, attending worship, even fasting, then I’m glad to say that you’re right on track.
Many of our resolutions have to do with our physical health. If that’s the case, then perhaps our worship service has assisted in that area too – a little more standing and sitting. Granted, we haven’t worked up a sweat just yet, but maybe you could put a check in the exercise box. We’re going to partake of the Lord’s Supper in just a moment, and if you’re hoping to lose a bit a weight this year, well, I’ve directed the deacons not to give you too much bread and wine – just a morsel, just a sip. Once again, the church is looking out for your figure.
Some of us commit to giving and serving more; once again, the church is happy to help you out. Maybe you want to learn a new skill, perhaps a new language… Almost every Sunday, I’m giving you some new Greek, Hebrew or Latin word. Who needs Babble when you have my sermons? Then again, my boys have sometimes accused my sermons of sounding too much like babble. Anyway, if you think about it, when you start off the New Year going to church and worshipping Jesus those resolutions just fall into place.
Well, maybe it’s not that simple, but like it or not, most of us use today as a springboard – hoping to spark positive change for the coming days. And it’s in that vein that I want to offer us some truths for tomorrow. Hopefully, you’ve found your spot in Psalm 90. If not, then you can always follow along on the screens. Psalm 90 begins with the heading: From Everlasting to Everlasting, and the subheading: A Prayer of Moses, the man of God – more about that in just a minute, but for now, let’s read Psalm 90:
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place [our refuge]
in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 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.
11 Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
12 So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
17 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!
“Father, we pray now for the help of the Holy Spirit, as we turn to the Bible that we might have ears to hear, and eyes to see, and hearts to trust, and wills to obey; that we may not simply understand but that we would be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit through the instruction of the Word, for we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.”
Let me begin with just a quick word about the history and the context of this psalm. As noted, it’s a psalm written by Moses. Most of us grew up learning or, at least, hearing that King David wrote the psalms. And, indeed, he did write most of them. But there are at least seven other authors of the psalms, including Solomon, Asaph, the sons of Korah, Ethan and Heman (both Ezrahites, which was a branch of the tribe of Levi), and perhaps an anonymous psalm here and there. And because Psalm 90 is attributed to Moses that tends to make it the oldest psalm in the Psalter.
When you pastor two million people, you and God do a lot of talking, and God and Moses were in close contact. Now, to be fair, we don’t know exactly when he wrote it. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to give you at least an opinion. Scholars tend to put this psalm into the historical context of Numbers 13 or Numbers 20. And since we’re all familiar with the book of Numbers, I don’t need to remind you about chapters 13 and 20, do I? Or, perhaps, in the words of the great theologian, Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend.”
Ok, so, Numbers 13 is when Moses sent the 12 spies into the Promised Land to check things out, and 10 came back and said, “Don’t go. We’re dead meat”; but the other two (Caleb and Joshua) said, “Absolutely, God is big, let’s go take it.” Well, what happened is the majority of the people believed the majority report, which often happens. So, they were filled with fear rather than faith, and as a result they spent the next 40 years wandering around the desert. That’s one possible historical setting.
The other one is Numbers 20, which is roughly 38 years after the one we just discussed. Moses is now at the end of his life and 3 very important things happen in that chapter: 1.) Moses’ sister, Miriam, dies; 2.) Moses’ brother, Aaron, dies, and 3.) because of Moses’ disobedience in the wilderness (where he struck the rock in anger), God said, “You can’t go into the Promised Land.” So, no matter where you place it, both were times of great loss and disappointment for Moses. And with that as a background, let me offer us 5 truths and 5 applications that could transform our New Year.
God Is Great – Magnify Him
The main subject of the psalm is not Moses, and it’s not the circumstances surrounding Moses’ life. The main subject is God. Moses looks back through all of the generations – his generation, his parents’ generation, his great-grandparents’ generation, and all the way back to creation. And he says, “[God,] You have been our dwelling place in all generations.”
Maon is the Hebrew word. It means, “dwelling” or “habitation.” “You’ve been our shelter.” “You’ve been our fortress.” “You’ve been our house.” One translator said it would be best translated, “You’ve been our den.” Think about that for a minute. “Lord, You’ve been our den.” There’s the formal living room and the dining room and the kitchen, but then you have a den. Some people call it a family room. If you’re invited into a house and you only make it to the formal living room, then you’re not really family. Salesmen get the formal living room. People that stop by that you don’t want to hang out get the formal living room. It’s a little cold and, hence, formal. But if you get invited into the family room, into the den, that’s a good sign. That’s a sign of relationship. That’s a sign of being welcome. That’s a sign of intimacy.
“Lord, You’ve been our den in all the generations.” Think about it. The children of Israel; wandering for 40 years. Before that they were slaves in Egypt. But “Lord, You’ve been close to us. You’ve been our den.” Question for you: Are you at home with God? Are you at ease with God? Do you invite Him into the den of your life for a good hearty and healthy conversation, or is it strictly business? Does he only make it into the formal living room? The place in your life where everything is properly on display and neat and clean and seemingly perfect – like going to church? Maybe sit with that analogy for a while. Some of you are thinking, “Man, if I was honest, God has been in the closet of my life.” For Moses it was easy to say, “Lord, You’ve been our dwelling place through all the generations.”
Now here’s the most obvious thing about Psalm 90; Moses has a great big view of God. Even though Moses and God have a den-like relationship, that doesn’t mean that Moses takes God for granted. In fact, because they’re so close, God is huge to Moses. He makes a big deal of God. He paints God as worthy and magnificent and great and big.
Years ago, there was a professor at Princeton University named Robert Dick Wilson. This was a long time ago at Princeton (late 1800’s, way before it left its conservative Presbyterian founding). Anyway, Dick Wilson was a venerable professor of theology. And on one occasion, 12 years after he graduated, a student came back to preach at Princeton. (Again, this was a long time ago, when you could still preach at Princeton.) Well, the student preached in Miller Chapel at Princeton, and on that particular day Dick Wilson was in the audience. After his former student gave his sermon, Dick walked up to him and said, “If you come back again, I won’t come and hear you preach. I only come once. But I’m glad that you are a ‘big Godder.’ When my boys come back, I come to see if they are ‘big Godders’ or ‘little Godders,’ and then I know what their ministry will be like.”
Well, this former student looked a little puzzled, and so he said, “Could you explain what you mean by ‘big Godder’?” Professor Wilson said, “Well, some have a little god and they’re always in trouble with Him. He can’t do any miracles. He can’t take care of the inspiration and transmission of Scripture. He doesn’t intervene on behalf of His people. They have a little god and I call them ‘little Godders.’ But then there are those who have a great God. He speaks and it is done. He commands and it stands fast. He knows how to show Himself strong on behalf of them that fear him. You have a great God and He will bless your ministry.”
Moses was a ‘big Godder.’ In Moses’ mind, God was a giant. God was huge, and as a result Moses’ magnified God. Now, here’ what I want you to see: God was great whether Moses said He was or not. But here’s the point: Moses said God was great. He didn’t just think it. He actually said it. He legitimately magnified God. And the question for us on this New Year is: do we? Do we magnify God? Or do we just keep that to ourselves? Are we ‘big Godders’ or ‘little Godders’? Do our words and actions make God big or do we make Him small? Could it be, that for some of us God seems so distant because we just never bother to magnify how great He really is?
So that’s the first truth: God is big – magnify Him. Here’s the second truth; closely associated with the first: We’re frail – rest in Him.
We Are Frail – Rest In Him
You’ll notice in verses 3-8 the comparison between how big God is and how small or frail we are. God is infinite; we’re finite. God is unlimited; we’re limited. God is timeless, ageless, doesn’t follow the tick of a clock; we’re limited by time and space and age. In other words, we’re frail. And one of the biggest differences between us and God is a little word called “control.”
Ever meet a control freak – someone who always wants to be in control of a situation? Some of you are getting a little nervous right now. Some of you can be challenging to hang out with. By the way, we all have a control streak in each of us. It might not be as active as it is in other people, but we all want control at some level. But here’s the problem with wanting to control everything; there’s so much of life that we can’t control.
Look, I pray for people who are sick only to watch them die. I can’t control that. It’s not what I planned. It’s not what I wanted. I’ve given advice to people that I think is right, that I think is biblical, and I believe that if they were to apply it, that things would get better for them. But they don’t listen. I can’t control their decisions. And I’m guilty of this too. Some of you have offered good and godly counsel to me and I didn’t take it – or at least not yet. Listen, I can’t even control my own schedule half the time. Why? Because life happens. So much is out of our control. Here’s a motto for you in 2023: “Blessed are the flexible; they shall not be broken.”
All of us would love to bring justice to a world that seems out of control. But the truth is, God is great, and we are frail. God is totally in control, and we have such a limited amount of control. 2020-2021 was such a perfect illustration of this. One little virus can make the world go down. We’re so frail. We’re so weak. Verse 6, playing off the thought in verse 5 that we “are like grass which grows up: in the morning it flourishes,” but, “in the evening it is cut down and it withers.” The sun scorches it. His point is this: just as the grass withers, you wither. The older you get, the more you wither. Somebody said, “Time is a great healer, but a very poor beautician.” And time seems to accelerate as you get older. I know it doesn’t, but it seems like it does.
So, here’s the deal: if there’s so little that we can control in life, why not rest in the arms of the One who controls everything? That’s the point. God is big – magnify Him. We’re frail – rest in Him. Here’s the third truth, again, naturally progressing from the second: Life is short – live for Him.
Life Is Short – Live For Him
Verses 9-12, let me paraphrase them for you. “Generally speaking, you’ll only live 70 years, but if you happen to exercise daily and eat right and have good genetics and a decent healthcare plan, then you might make it to 80 or 90.” That’s what he’s saying. But notice the inevitable – death. So, in light of that, Moses tells us that we ought to view our life by our days, not our years.
I know this is going to sting a little, but it’s true. Some of you know exactly what Moses is saying. Some of you have finally learned to number your days. That sounds depressing, I know, but it’s actually enlightening. It adds perspective to life. “Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.” But let’s go a step further. Counting time is not nearly as important as making time count. Big difference between counting time and making time count. That’s the thrust of what Moses is saying. Life is short – live for Him.
Fine; how do we do that? Let me give you the ABC’s. “A” is acknowledge that there are no guarantees of how long you have to live. Notice the word “if” – “If by reason of strength you live to be 80.” That’s a big “if.” So, acknowledge there are no guarantees. “B” is breath more. I’m not talking about literal breathes. I’m talking about taking life in smaller chunks. Take one day at a time. Isn’t that what Jesus said in Matthew 6:27, “…which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” “C” is committing every day to the Lord. Tell Him every day, “Lord, I want your control. Lord, I do rest in you and not in me.” Perhaps make Psalm 37:5 your memory verse for 2023, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.” Or maybe Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” The ABC’s of making time count. Acknowledge there are no guarantees. Breath more. Commit every day to Him.
Here’s the fourth truth for tomorrow: Joy is possible – depend on Him.
Joy Is Possible – Depend On Him
Look at verses 13-15. Moses prays for joy. “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.” Moses is praying for joy in proportion to the sorrows they tasted out there in the wilderness.
I’ve tried to imagine what it would be like to live for 40 years in the desert, in tents, burying people every single day – an entire generation dead. So, in the midst all of that death and all of that loss, Moses prays for joy. How on earth can you have joy when all of that is happening around you? There’s only one way: by depending on God for it, by asking Him for it, by taking Him at His word. “Lord, help me to rejoice.” Just read Psalm 30. A short psalm of David that begins with the heading: Joy Comes with the Morning. Or hear the words of the apostle Paul from Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice.”
Here’s the fifth and final truth for tomorrow: There’s a plan – serve Him.
There’s A Plan – Serve Him
Verses 16-17, Moses continues his prayer and then he closes it. “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!” There’s a connection in these two verses. Notice in verse 16 Moses writes about “your work,” speaking of God’s work, then in verse 17 he says, “the work of our hands.” There’s the secret to making sure that our lives make a difference. When we invest our life into God’s work by making sure our work and His work are the same work, then He’ll bless it. He’ll favor it. He’ll establish it. It doesn’t matter what job you have or what occupation you followed; you can still do God’s work in that place – even in retirement. Make sure that you don’t just spend your time, but that you invest your time into something that will outlive you.
Today, as we begin 2023, may these truths for tomorrow: God is great – Magnify Him, We are frail – Rest in Him, Life is short – Live for Him, Joy is possible – Depend on Him, and There’s a plan – Serve Him, may they be truths we look to, may they be resolutions we strive for in the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Thank you, Father, for this reminder from the oldest psalm in the book. Moses reminds us that You are great and that we’re frail, that we do good to magnify Your greatness and in our weakness rest complete completely upon You. Lord, we do pray that You would help us to number our days and live for You, to depend on You as our source of joy, and to find your work and be involved in it. O God, as we come to Your table, we ask that the Holy Spirit impress upon our hearts these truths for tomorrow for we offer this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.”