Recently the bible study group in Kusatsu Church has been going through a study series on the book of Psalms. And the latest Psalm we’ve been studying is Psalm 90.
In Psalm 90, there is a contrast made between God’s eternal nature and the shortness of man’s life on earth. Verse 2 states that of the Lord,
“from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.”
Verse 4 adds,
“For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.”
Man, on the other hand, is compared to dust (verse 3) and easily swept away in a flood (verse 5). Man is as fragile as a dream—vivid for a moment, then forgotten when morning breaks. Like grass that shoots up at dawn and shrivels by dusk, our lives pass more quickly than we realise.
Such is our smallness in the presence of an almighty and everlasting God.
From a theological standpoint, the passage gave the group much to ponder and discuss. Psalm 90 is also striking because it is attributed to Moses rather than David. Its reflective tone—almost like looking back over a lifetime—naturally prompted many in the group to do the same, especially since most of them are in the later years of their lives. All are above sixty, with two already in their eighties.
Verse 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.”
Verse 10 was especially meaningful to the eldest of the group and it led to some of them recounting how they had spent their lives.
Given that I’m the youngest in the group, only being in my 40s, it was quite eye-opening to hear older Christians (double my age!) reflect upon their years following the Lord. As their bodies have given way to age, their fervour to serve the Lord has not. Though they are constantly aware of their own limitations – their backs are bent, their legs ache and their arms are no longer as strong as they once were, they are content to continue sharing testimonies of the Lord’s blessings to whoever they speak to.
One more lesson which I have learnt from their perspective is from verse 3 where the Lord says, “Return, O children of man!”
While I thought that verse 3 sounded like a command, demonstrating the Lord’s sovereignty and power over man’s life, to one lady it was a sign of mercy. After a life of toil and trouble (verse 10), here was the Lord calling for her to return to Him. With a twinkle in her eye, she said this to everyone in the group, “When you get to my age, you will understand this feeling.”
Aside from these lessons, I personally have been touched by the words of this Psalm, in particular verse 12,
“So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
In 2016, when all of my life felt set and things were looking peaceful, that was when I was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD). It is a genetic disease that could eventually lead to kidney failure. This event stopped me in my tracks, confronted me with my own mortality, and by forcing me to number my days, changed my life trajectory completely.
But numbering our days and being aware of our own mortality is not, by itself, what makes us wise. Without the Lord, such awareness can easily lead to despair or hopelessness. True wisdom comes when we recognise who holds our lives in His hands and who gives our days meaning. It is this deeper realisation – of God’s sovereignty and grace – that ultimately shapes a wise heart.
Psalms 90:7-9 brings us face to face with a holy righteous God.
“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.”
Nothing we do is hidden from Him. And when we recognise who God is – and who we are in relation to His everlasting majesty – it should fill us with both reverent fear and deep awe. Standing before Him, we are reminded of our helplessness, yet also of His greatness and mercy.
Proverbs 9:10 says,
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
Psalm 90 is a reminder of who the Lord is. It is a reminder that only He is rightly described as from everlasting to everlasting. It is also a reminder of who we are – impermanent, frail, sinful. Indeed, our lives would be so lost without the Lord.
Moses ends the Psalm (vv 14-17) on a positive note with a heartfelt plea to the Lord to do many things for His people.
“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 favour of the Lord our God be upon us,and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!”
Such is the depth of the Lord’s love for us, that despite all our flaws, our inadequacy, He still grants us His blessing and favour. And He does so by giving us satisfaction, joy and meaning to our work as we submit to His will and obey Him daily.
Truly, we do not know how many days we have been given in this life. Yet knowing the Lord teaches us to be grateful for each day and instructs us to live every moment with wisdom.
