PSALM NINETY

Psalm 90:1-17

"LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. 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. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. 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."

There are two ways to approach Psalm 90: taking the Psalm as a whole, that is, summarize it; or to "dissect" it piece by piece. Due to my Obsessive Compulsiveness, I do not like to take each individual detail because I will always feel like I have left something out. That being said, here are a few observations of what I understand the Psalmist to be saying:

1) God is eternal and man's days can be counted by generations (v. 1-2).
2) God chastises man in order to get him to repent (v. 3).
3) God is patient. Unlike man, He has "all the time in the world" (v. 4-6).
4) God's patience has a limit. He will judge mankind (v. 7-11).
5) Man's desire for God to teach us and give us wisdom (v. 12).
6) Man's desire for God's return (v. 13-16).
7) Man's desire to be like God, so that our works would be according to His will (v. 17).

Notice that my first four points describe the contrast between God's character and man's. God is eternal, He disciplines out of love, He is patient to a point, and then He judges man. My last three points describe a believer's humility in asking for God to teach us, give us the gift of wisdom, return so we might rejoice in His presence, and for Him to work through us. For the born again believer, there is nothing that brings more joy than knowing we are pleasing our God.

It is the ultimate irony that Satan tempted Adam and Eve with a fruit that would make them like God (Gen. 3:5). Apparently Adam and Eve did not know they already were like God (Gen. 1:26-27). It was by eating of the forbidden fruit that they ceased to by like God! The irony continues in that, while man was instantly created in God's image and likeness, regaining that status also happens instantly. When a believer places his trust in Jesus Christ, he is immediately born again (Jn. 3:1-36). However, just as human birth is the beginning of man's growth to maturity, the new birth is just the beginning. He begins as a "baby" (1 Pet. 2:2), and he eventually matures enough to be "self-sufficient" (1 Cor. 3:2; Heb. 5:12). God begins the transformation into Christlikeness (Phil. 1:6), and it is upon meeting Jesus face-to-face, that we are finally like Him (1 Jn. 3:2).

For me, all I can say is, "Come Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20)!!!!!!!