In the last post on New Year’s Day, I asked the question, “Is it wise to mark the passing of time?” I made a Biblical argument for what time is and where it comes from, and we look at how both God and man relate to time.

We will continue with this theme by focusing on one particular passage that touches on many of the points we discussed previously. The 90th Psalm paints a vivid picture of God’s glory and man’s human frailty as seen through the lens of the passage of time. This Psalm may be familiar to you. Historically it has often been read on the occasion of a death or funeral for as the commentator Derek Kidner puts it this Psalm, “is a rehearsal of the facts of life and death.”

A portion of the Psalm is beautifully paraphrased by Issac Watts in the Hymn “Oh God Our Help In Ages Past”.

Exposition

Looking at the text of Psalm 90, I first want to point out the title which in most English Bibles appears before verse one. While we know that the chapter and verse divisions, and even the names of some books were added much later, or developed over time, these titles, which appear before many of the Psalms, are a part of the original text. This means that they are as much a part of Scripture as the verses that follow them, and we should never treat them as irrelevant.

The title of this Psalm reads, “A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.” We do not know if Moses wrote this prayer as a Psalm or if his prayer was later adapted into a Psalm by another, but we can be certain that he is the author. “The Man of God” was an honorary title of the prophets of which Moses was a premier example.

The Eternal God

This Psalm begins with a glorious picture of the eternal 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. (Psalm 90:1-2)

Moses portrays our dependence upon God by describing him as our dwelling place or refuge. That is, he has been a place of shelter and safety, protecting and preserving his people. One’s dwelling place is usually shared with one’s closest family. Here we see the grace of adoption as God makes his people to be his children. He guards them protects them, and cares for them, and this is true of every generation from the very beginning. This points us to the eternal nature of God.

Remember the three types of being we discussed in the previous article?

  1. Those which have a beginning and an end.
  2. Those which have a beginning but no end.
  3. That which is without beginning or end.

This third type of being applies to God, and only to him. Verse two reveals his unique eternal nature by describing him as “from everlasting to everlasting”. God existed eternally before creation, and he always will. He never changes. This is of particular comfort here, for if God has always been the refuge of his people we can have certainty that he will continue to preserve them.

The Feeble Man

In contrast to God’s eternality, man’s life is fleeting. Verses 3–11 of this Psalm highlight the pain and trouble of Man’s existence. Human life is full of trials and suffering. If that does not resonate with you yet, it will. All our lives are touched by pain and difficulty, whether it is the loss of a job, the betrayal of a friend, or the death of a loved one. Life is filled with troubles (Job 14:1).

This is not the result of God’s creation failing to be good but of mankind’s fall and God’s judgment upon sin. Genesis 3 makes clear that sin brings a curse of toil and pain. Indeed, Moses alludes to that exact passage in verse 3 in God’s telling man to return to the dust.

“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)

Death is a result of the fall. Because of sin, man’s life is not only hard, but it is brief. He is only here on earth for a little while and then he returns to the dust. Men are momentary—fleeting. Even the longest life span or the most ambitious human aspirations are insignificant when compared to the eternal God.

Man raises empires that last for centuries or a millennium, but what is that to the eternal God? Think of Adolf Hitler and his desire to create a thousand-year Reich. In his eyes that would have been a great achievement, but what is a thousand years to God? The events of the last thousand years are just like the events of yesterday to him—brief. They are like a watch in the night—those hours when you are asleep in your bed. They pass almost without notice. You wake up and never give them a thought. This reminds us that God is not bounded by time as we are. He is free from its constraints for he is its creator and its source.

On the other hand, fallen man appears briefly and then he is swept away in judgment. Look again at verses 5–6. Notice how he describes man’s brief existence. Their end in judgment is likened to a flood, sudden, swift, and destructive. It wipes them away without a trace. Like those destroyed by the flood in Genesis, they think that the promised judgment will never come. They feel secure until they are swept away without a trace. Again, it is like a dream, ephemeral, hazy, and quickly forgotten. It seems so vivid for a moment, but then you awaken and it fades from your mind, forgotten with the coming of another day.

Finally, Man’s brief existence is likened to grass. In the largely arid climate of the Middle East, the sparse grasses thrive in the cool of the early morning, but as they bake in the hot afternoon sun they fade, and by evening they wither, only to start the cycle over again. So are the lives of men. They flourish for a while, then wither away, and another takes their place. Down through history kings, emperors—great men of all sorts—appear for a while and then die and their possessions and power pass to others who rise up and then pass away. What men may think of as greatness is just one more brief cycle of withering grass—the feebleness of man on display.

The Wrath of God

For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed. (Psalm 90:7)

Although it was never eternal in the sense that God is, at creation, human life was not meant to be so. Man’s existence became short and troubled as a result of God’s just judgment on our sins.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Romans 5:12)

Death was the result of sin. God warned Adam that eating of the forbidden tree would bring death. God in his mercy did not kill Adam immediately, but from the moment he sinned death began, and Adam started his inexorable descent to the grave. Because of sin he and all the rest of Mankind are under the just wrath of God.

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. (Psalm 90:8-9)

Our sins are not hidden from the omniscient God. Instead, the Psalm says that they are set before him. Like exhibits of evidence presented in a court of law, our sins are on display before him declaring our guilt. Even so-called “secret sins” are not hidden from his sight. His presence, from which none can escape, is likened to a bright light, shining everywhere and exposing everything.

Nor is his wrath quickly spent. It is as eternal as he is. Without some means of atoning for sin all of man’s life is lived under God’s wrath. And what is its culmination, the pinnacle and endpoint of his life when death finally comes? It is a sigh—a moan.

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. (Psalm 90:10)

Seventy or eighty years of life is a principle, not a law meaning this is how it will typically be though there are exceptions. Many die young while Moses, who wrote this prayer, lived to be 120. Yet even the longest lives are troubled and soon over. The point here is that man’s life, however long, is brief compared to the eternality of God.

Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? (Psalm 90:11)

Here is a very interesting question. Who really gives consideration and careful thought to the anger of a holy God against sin? Paul in Romans chapter 1 says plainly that the unregenerate man does not. He or she suppresses the truth in unrighteousness, exchanging it for a lie. What excuses do you hear for the hardships people suffer? Bad Karma? Or maybe the stars aren’t aligned in their favor. They blame their upbringing, their ex-spouse, the economy, the government, etc., yet they never consider for a moment that their suffering is ultimately because they are sinners under God’s righteous condemnation.

What does it mean to consider wrath according to the fear of God? The fear of God refers not to terror but to an attitude of humble reverence. Only when we have an understanding of the perfect holiness of God do we begin to comprehend the necessity and rightness of his wrath against sin. And we cannot come to that place without the Holy Spirit opening our eyes to see that the root cause of our troubles is our own sin.

The Hope of Grace

At this point in the Psalm, there is a shift. The remainder of the Psalm is presented as a series of requests. This marks an important realization. Man has no reason to have any hope in and of himself. Only the eternal God can save us from the wrath we justly deserve. Verse 12 then is a pivot point.

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

The request here is that God would open our eyes so that we might clearly perceive the passing of time and the brevity of life. Only when we recognize this spiritual truth will we gain the wisdom to stop trusting in ourselves, and look to God for salvation and meaning.

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. (Psalm 90:13-15)

Once our eyes have been opened we recognize our separation from God and cry out for mercy. Once we sought fulfillment in our own pleasures, but now we look to him as the source of our joy and satisfaction. Notice the contrasts. Rather than a flower that flourishes in the morning and later fades, we desire his love in the morning, and from that comes joy and gladness that lasts throughout our days. Whereas before our days passed away under wrath, now we pray to be made glad through all our days (as many as). Finally, we have hope for what is to come.

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! (Psalm 90:16-17)

Where before the future was bleak, now there is hope that extends even to the coming generations (This brings us full circle back to the opening verses of this Psalm). We have hope that the same God who is working in our lives will work in the lives of our children.

Finally, we have hope beyond this life. The prayer to “establish the work of our hands” is the hope that when God’s grace works in our hearts, the things we now labor for (building the kingdom and spreading the gospel) will not fade and be forgotten, but they will reap eternal rewards.

Paul uses similar language to address this in 1 Corinthians 3.

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:11–15)

Application: Teach Us to Number Our Days

In conclusion, I want to offer some ways that we can apply these truths in our lives. In order to do that we must learn to number our days, that is, look at life and the passage of time through the lens of Scripture. Doing this will impact how we view the important topics that the Psalm addresses.

A High View of God

First, it will cause us to have a high view of God. As we carefully consider the eternal nature of God, we are reminded that His ways are not our ways— they are higher. As believers, we may struggle at times to understand the reason for our circumstances, and why God allows certain trials to come our way. When we are faced with circumstances in which everything seems to be falling apart, we can rest knowing that He is not limited to our finite view of the future. He sees the end from the beginning. His plans and purpose will stand. He is working all things for our good and his glory.

Likewise, as we consider his omniscience, we are comforted by knowing that no wrong goes unnoticed. No secret plot against us is hidden from him. This gives assurance and also serves as a warning that we should not be flippant about our own struggle with sin. And, we remember that God does not change. He has been our refuge and we will not forsake us now.

A Humble View of Man

Numbering our days will also give us a humble view of Men. It serves as a reminder that we are not autonomous, nor are we in charge of our own destiny. We are his creatures. He decrees the circumstances of our lives. He sets bounds of time that we cannot cross. Our grand plans and endeavors will succeed only insofar as they are established by him.

Also, we will realize that we are beings of very limited perspective. We do not know what tomorrow holds for us, what will come our way, or even when our life will end. We see only one small part of the picture.

An Honest View of Wrath

Numbering our days gives us an honest view of God’s wrath. As we look at the trouble and difficulties of the world around us, and as we witness the pain and suffering of mankind we are reminded that God’s wrath is being poured out. It is not just an abstract theological concept. It is a reality. Sin has consequences. Sin brings death.

We also, realize that God’s wrath against sin is eternal. All of man’s life from birth to death is lived under judgment for they can never satisfy the demands of God’s justice on their own. The only hope for bringing an end to humanity’s suffering does not lie in social programs or scientific advancements. Escape from the just wrath of God is only possible through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the message of hope that the world needs to hear.

A Hopeful View of the Future

Lastly, numbering our days gives us a hopeful view of the future. We recognize that our lives are in his hands. As believers, we know that no matter what we face in life, God is working for our good and for his glory according to his perfect decree. So rather than being fearful of what the future holds, we can have sure confidence and hope in the sovereign goodness of our God, and his plan for our lives.

And when the days that he has decreed for us are finished, we have a hope of life to come. Our labors and struggles here are not wasted. Through these years on earth, the Spirit of God is fitting us for eternal life to come. We are now being sanctified, transformed into the image of Christ, and when he appears we be like him, and we will dwell with him forever.

Returning to the initial question, I believe it is indeed wise for us to mark and contemplate the passing of time. Like Moses, we should pray that God would teach us to number our days and to carefully consider what scripture says about the passage of time, so that we may grow in wisdom and in our knowledge of the Eternal God.