Hearts of Wisdom – Psalm 90
Psalm 90
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
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!
NOTE:
Today’s commentary is by Dr. Kevin Watson, who is coming to Tulsa to become the Director of Academic Growth and Formation at the Tulsa Extension Site for Asbury Theological Seminary, as well as joining our staff at Asbury Church as Scholar-in-Residence. I wrote a post announcing and explaining this move.-Andrew
Psalm 90 is the first psalm in Book IV, which goes through Psalm 106. Psalm 90 is a communal prayer for help during a prolonged period where they have experienced God’s anger and wrath (see verse 7).
Verses 9-12 offer a sobering reflection on our mortality.
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. (v.10)
Life is often experienced as an indescribably precious gift (like the birth of a baby).
But life can also be painful and difficult. And it can end with excruciating suddenness.
What is the best response?
I cannot come up with a better one than making verse 12 our own prayer:
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Our awareness that our days our limited leads to making wise choices in the present. It can help us keep Jesus at the center of our lives.
Father, give us hearts of wisdom to follow you faithfully today. Amen.