Table of Contents
Background and Context
Psalm 90 is the first psalm in Book Four of the Psalter and is the only psalm in the entire collection attributed to Moses, the man of God. This attribution is profound, as it places the psalm in the context of the wilderness wanderings. It is the prayer of a leader who has witnessed the frailty of human life on a massive scale, seeing an entire generation perish in the desert as a result of God’s judgment on their unbelief (as recorded in the book of Numbers).
This psalm is a deep and sober meditation on the vast difference between the eternal, unchanging God and the fleeting, fragile nature of human existence. It is a community lament that acknowledges sin as the root cause of human mortality and suffering. Yet, it is not a psalm of despair. It is a prayer that moves from a stark assessment of reality to a heartfelt plea for wisdom, mercy, and divine favor, asking God to give meaning and joy to our short lives.
Theological Themes
This foundational psalm explores some of the most fundamental questions of human existence.
The Eternity of God: The psalm opens by establishing the eternal nature of God as the great contrast to human frailty. Before creation, “from everlasting to everlasting, you are God” (verse 2). He is the timeless, unchanging reality, the secure “dwelling place” for His people through all the fleeting generations.
The Brevity and Frailty of Human Life: Against the backdrop of God’s eternity, human life is pictured as incredibly short and fragile. We are like dust to which we must return, like a dream that is quickly forgotten, like grass that sprouts in the morning and withers by evening, and like a sigh (verses 3-6, 9). The psalm gives a stark and realistic assessment of our mortality.
Sin as the Cause of Mortality: Moses does not see death and hardship as natural or random. He connects them directly to God’s righteous anger against human sin. “We are consumed by your anger… You have set our iniquities before you” (verses 7-8). Our short and troubled lives are a consequence of living as sinful creatures under the judgment of a holy God.
The Pursuit of a Heart of Wisdom: The central petition and turning point of the psalm is the prayer for wisdom: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (verse 12). Recognizing the brevity of life is not meant to lead to nihilism or despair, but to a profound reordering of our priorities. Wisdom is living each day with an awareness of its preciousness and its accountability before God.
A Plea for God’s Favor and Lasting Meaning: The psalm concludes with a plea for God to replace His anger with His love. The prayer is for God to satisfy His people with His love, to give them joy, and to establish the work of their hands. It is a recognition that true meaning and lasting significance in our fleeting lives can only come from the favor and blessing of the eternal God.
Literary Structure and Genre
Psalm 90 is a community lament that also functions as a wisdom psalm. Its structure is a logical and powerful progression of thought.
- Part 1: The Contrast (verses 1-6): A declaration of God’s eternal nature is set in stark contrast to the fleeting, transient life of humanity.
- Part 2: The Cause (verses 7-11): An explanation for human frailty, rooting it in the reality of God’s righteous wrath against sin.
- Part 3: The Cry (verses 12-17): A petition for wisdom in light of this reality, and a plea for God’s grace, joy, and blessing to give life meaning.
Verse by Verse Commentary on Psalm 90
Verses 1-6: Eternal God, Fleeting Humanity
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God… You sweep people away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning: in the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered.”
The psalm begins by addressing the eternal God. He is our safe and permanent dwelling place. Before creation existed, God existed. He is everlasting. In stark contrast, God turns human beings back to dust. Our lives are swept away like a flood. A thousand years, a vast span of human history, is like a single day or a few hours of the night to the eternal God. The dominant image is that of grass. Our life is like a blade of grass that looks fresh and green in the morning but is cut down and withered by the end of the day.
Verses 7-11: The Reason for Our Frailty
“We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow… If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.”
Moses now explains the reason for this grim reality. Our mortality and suffering are a direct consequence of God’s righteous anger against our sin. God sees everything; He sets our iniquities and even our secret sins in the full light of His presence. Our entire lives are lived out under this reality of divine judgment.
Verse 10 gives the famous, stark summary of the human lifespan: seventy or eighty years. And even these years are not idyllic; they are characterized by trouble and sorrow, and they pass by quickly. The psalmist then asks a piercing question: do we truly understand and respect the power of God’s holiness and His wrath against sin?
Verses 12-17: A Prayer for Wisdom, Joy, and Meaning
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom… Relent, LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love… May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.”
This final section is the psalm’s cry for grace. The central petition is in verse 12. In light of our short lives, the psalmist prays for a heart of wisdom. This means learning to live each day with purpose, significance, and a right perspective.
He then pleads with God to relent from His anger and to have compassion. He asks God to satisfy them with His unfailing love (hesed) in the morning, a new start. He prays for a measure of joy and gladness that will be equal to the years of affliction they have endured.
The final prayer is for meaning. He asks that God’s splendor would be visible upon them. The concluding twofold plea is a prayer for God’s favor (or beauty) to rest upon them and to establish the work of their hands. It is a prayer that their short, fleeting lives would produce something of lasting value, something that only God’s blessing can secure.
Practical Lessons for Today
Live with an Eternal Perspective: This psalm forces us to confront our own mortality. This is not to make us morbid, but to make us wise. Remembering that our life is short helps us to focus on what truly matters and to live each day for the glory of the eternal God.
Take Sin Seriously: The psalm connects suffering and death to the reality of God’s wrath against sin. While it is wrong to attribute every specific tragedy to a specific sin, we must not lose the biblical perspective that we live in a fallen world that is under God’s judgment. This should lead us to repentance and a deeper appreciation for the grace we have in Christ, who absorbed God’s wrath for us.
Pray for a Heart of Wisdom: “Teach us to number our days” is one of the most important prayers we can pray. It is a prayer for perspective, for right priorities, and for the ability to live each day with purpose and intention, not wasting the precious time we have been given.
Find Your Meaning in God’s Favor: Our lives are short, and our work is fleeting. This psalm teaches us that lasting significance comes only when we ask for God’s favor to rest upon us and for Him to “establish the work of our hands.” True and lasting success is not what we build for ourselves, but what God builds through us.
Cross References
Genesis 3:19: “…for dust you are and to dust you will return.” God’s curse on humanity after the fall is the direct background for Moses’ statement in Psalm 90:3, “You turn people back to dust.”
Isaiah 40:6-8: “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them… But the word of our God endures forever.” The prophet Isaiah uses the same powerful metaphor as Psalm 90 to contrast the fleeting nature of humanity with the eternal nature of God and His Word.
James 4:14: “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” The apostle James echoes the wisdom of Psalm 90, reminding his readers of the brevity and uncertainty of life as a motivation for humble dependence on God.
Ephesians 5:15-16: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” This is the New Testament application of “numbering our days.” Because life is short and the times are evil, we are called to live with wisdom and intentionality, making the most of the time God has given us.