My Dwelling Place – Psalm 90
Imagine… Picture yourself at 90 years old, lying at home in a bed. Your body is old and worn out, so much so that you really don’t move a whole lot. You’re just waiting for death to come. Yet, your mind is still strong and alert. Your memory is still alive and vibrant.
What goes through your mind? What do you think about? You think about your life. You reflect on the good you did in your life. You probably think about the sins you committed. You meditate on your children, each one. Memories flash through your mind – laughs, tears, highlights in their lives. You meditate the same way on your grandchildren. You spend a lot of time reflecting on your past. Then your mind focuses on the future. The future is much more hazy because we can’t see the future.
But you worry. You worry about the future. That is nothing new. Reflecting on our past is nothing new. Moses does it in Psalm 90.
He was healthy when he died. He had all of his mental abilities. But he was concerned about the next generation, just like grandparents and great-grandparents are concerned about this generation and the next.
Let us remember that Moses was able to look over into the land of Canaan but he, himself, was not able to enter this land because of his own sins. Now, he worries about the next generation.
How can we have any hope for the future of our children and grandchildren? Only in recognizing that God is the eternal dwelling place for all generations – Psalm 90.
GOD IS OUR DWELLING PLACE (vss 1-2):
First, Moses refers to God as “Lord.” Observe that this word is not all capital letters, which would be God’s special name, Jehovah. This word, rather, signifies His power, His dominion, His sovereignty over the affairs in the world and in the lives of His children. To say that God is our “dwelling place,” is to say that God is our home, our shelter, our refuge. That means that we are not “homeless.” We do not have to feel isolated; God is our home.
GOD OUTLASTS MAN (vss 3-6):
In verse 3, God turns man back into dust. God outlives man.
In verse 4, God is not controlled by time.
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GOD OUTLASTS HIS OWN ANGER (vss 7-10):
Why is God’s anger and wrath directed at man? Because of his “iniquities,” because of man’s “secret sins” (vs 8). It is because of His fury directed at man that man’s days have declined.
But God still continues to be the dwelling place.
MAN NEEDS TO TURN TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN (Stanza 2; Strophe 3; vss 11-12):
This verse, we might suggest, is the heart of the psalm – having a wise heart. In this context, in fact, in the biblical context, a “wise heart” is a heart that submits to Jehovah God and looks at the world from God’s perspective. Every decision must be made under that realization. That is a wise heart.
MOSES CALLS ON GOD (Stanza 3; Strophes 1-3; vss 13-17):
Because God is eternal and man is mortal, especially due to his sins, Moses calls on God in verses 13-17. In fact, there are eight commands in these verses, directed at God…
The reason for Moses’ satisfaction is found in verse 14: “that” we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Worship is always the natural response to reflecting on the nature of God. If you think about God, you worship. If you are not worshiping, it’s because you are not reflecting on God’s nature.
God does exist throughout all eternity, in contrast to our short lives. If the things we do are ever to have any lasting good, they need to be done with God’s blessings. Our lives are fleeting and transient. What is done in God’s name can last forever. Despite man’s (our own) sinfulness and the pain experienced in life, we can leave this world with a heart full of hope and joyous confidence because God is our dwelling place.
Apply your heart to learning and living God’s wisdom.
–Paul Holland
