06/18/2026
God’s Eternity and Human Frailty
Psalm 90:1-12
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 turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.” For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night. You sweep them away; 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 consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance. For all days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh. The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
(NRSV)
This is a prayer for deliverance from a national adversity. This psalm is a group lament. The theme is that God’s eternal nature is contrasted with human frailty. Our time on earth is limited, and we are to use it wisely, not living for the moment, but with our eternal home in mind. This psalm is traditionally attributed to Moses. It is believed that this is one of the oldest psalms. So, throughout the history of God’s people, we have had this understanding.
Verse 1, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place (or our refuge) in all generations.” This introduces the theme of God’s eternity and the transience of human life. Verse 2, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” God was with humanity before creation. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning…” God was already there. Psalm 102 says God is with us, “before and no end”. The Hebrew word used for “had formed the earth” has a sense of childbirth; “since before you gave birth to the earth”. This is the same word that is used in the Sarah story, of giving birth. Eternity is perpetually unending.
Verse 3 goes on, “You turn us back to dust and say, ‘Turn back, you mortals.’” This solidifies our mortality, and how we are very different from God. Verse 4, “For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.” The night is divided into three watches, a short period of time. The author reminds us that a thousand years are like a day to the Lord. God is not limited by time. It is easy to get discouraged when years pass and the world doesn’t get better. We sometimes wonder if God is able to see the future. But don’t assume that God has our limitations. God is completely unrestricted by time. Because God is eternal, we can depend on God. 2 Peter 3:8 picks up this image of time to God, “Thousand years one day, on day a thousand years.”
Verse 5 tries to place time back in, “You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning.” We are still trying to use time measurements to define God. “In the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers”, continues verse 6. “The Word of God lives forever” Isaiah 40:6-8 says. The word we translate “fades” is the Hebrew word for “circumcise”. To be cut off or removed.
Verses 7 – 10 begin to show brevity, and sorrow of human existence. Verse 7, “For we are consumed by your anger, by your wrath we are overwhelmed.” Verse 8, “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.” “Iniquities”, that which deserves punishment. God knows all our sins as if they were spread out before him, even the secret ones. We don’t need to cover up our sins before God because we can talk openly and honestly with God. But while God knows all that terrible information about us, God listens. This should encourage us to come to God rather than frighten us into covering up our sin. “For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.” The phrase “like a sigh” means, to be completed, at an end, finished, accomplished or spent. “The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”
We pick up with verse 11, “Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.” In verses 11 and 12, the prayer is that people may learn wisdom from considering these points. Psalm 76:7 says, “God is to be feared”. Psalm 39:4 says, “Teach me to measure my days.” The original questions demand a negative response, “Who? No one.” And we finish this passage, “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.” Realizing that life is short helps us use the little time we have more wisely and for eternal good. Take time to number your days by asking, “What do I want to see happen in my life before I die? What small step could I take toward that purpose today?” A wise heart is the innermost of our being, the center of all we are. But God has heard the prayers of our inner-most being before all creation. God’s eternal plan already involves us. We just haven’t seen it yet.
