Psalm 90 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 90 Short Summary:

Psalm 90, which was written by Moses, reflects on the eternality of God and the short life of human beings. Moses’ prayer was that God would give his people the wisdom to “number their days.” He asked for God’s blessing on the people, that God would replace the hard days of their past with days of gladness.

Psalm 90 Summary

AUTHOR:

• Moses, the man of God (90:1).

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• 2 Peter 3:8

THEMES:

• The eternality of God compared to the short life of men.

• Moses’ prayer for God to bless the people of Israel with wisdom.

DEFINITIONS:

• Moses (90:1) – Moses was the man who God selected to lead the nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and guide them to the Promised Land (Canaan). You can read about Moses’ life in the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy.

OUTLINE:

• THE ETERNAL GOD AND THE SHORT LIFE OF MEN (90:1-11):

  • Moses began Psalm 90 with a meditation on the eternality of God.

  • God was around before the earth was formed and the mountains existed.

  • He is from “everlasting to everlasting” (90:2). To Him a thousand years is like one day.

  • The lives of men are nothing compared to His existence. Men are like grass or flowers in a field, their lives are short, and they are quickly replaced by others.

  • Like a swift flood quickly displaces all in its path, men and women living on the earth are quickly wiped away.

  • Sometimes it’s God’s wrath and anger that puts a swift end to men’s lives (90:7). No doubt, Moses was more aware of this than most because he witnessed God’s judgement on an entire generation of the Israelites in the wilderness.

  • A man’s sins are all known to God, even his secret sins are exposed by God’s light, and they are all subject to His judgement.

  • Moses wrote that a man was lucky to live to 80 years old, but even if he managed it, his years would be full of toil, trouble, and sighing.

• TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS (90:12-17):

  • The frailty and sins of humans weighed heavy on Moses, so he prayed to God for mercy and for wisdom for his people to know their true place under the sovereignty of the eternal God.

  • He wrote, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (90:12).

  • He asked God to have pity on them and show them love so they could rejoice through their days rather than sighing their way through them.

  • Moses’ people had experienced many days of God’s anger (which they deserved), but Moses asked God to show them grace and replace those days of anger with days of gladness.

APPLICATION:

• As I’ve reached certain ages in my life, it has caused me to think about how much time I have left.

• I remember turning 25 and thinking that if I only live to 75 my life is 1/3 over.

• Now I’m approaching middle age and thinking about how my life is half over (if by God’s grace He lets me live into my 70s or 80s).

• Those thoughts can be depressing. They can make us sad. They can lead us into a mid-life crisis.

• While those are often unpleasant thoughts to us, the truth is, those are very healthy thoughts.

• Our lives are short, and we need to begin thinking about meeting the eternal God sooner rather than later.

• Let those thoughts sober you, humble you, and be thankful God gives them to you.

• Its better to number your days when you still have days left, than to let death creep up on you and find you when you’re unprepared to meet God.