Psalm 90

Psalm 90 reads as follows from the Oxford Annotated bible as follows:

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations,

Before the mountains were brought forth,

Or ever you had formed the earth and the world,

From everlasting to everlasting you are God,

You turn us back to dust,

And say, " turn us back, you mortals,

For a thousand years in your sight,

Are like yesterday when it is past,

Or like a watch in the night,

You sweep them away, they are like a dream,

Like grass that is renewed in the morning,

In the morning it flourishes and is renewed,

In the evening it fades and withers,

For we are consumed by your anger:

You have set our iniquities before you,

Our secret sins in the light of your countenance,

For all our days pass away under your wrath;

Our years come to an end like a sigh,

The days of our life are seventy years,

Or perhaps eighty if we are strong,

Even then their span is only toil and trouble,

And they are soon gone, and we fly away,

So teach us to count our days,

That we may rejoice and be glad all of our days,

Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us,

And as many years as we have seen evil,

Let your work be manifest to your servants,

And your glorious power to their children,

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,

And prosper for us the work of our hands,

O prosper the work of our hands!

This psalm is rather haunting and seems to have a cosmic split to what it is saying. This psalm is attributed to Moses as the author. The initial verses of this psalm speak of a Genesis, the Lord is at the origin of our being, and knew the psalmist before the beginnings of the earth.

The Lord is the dwelling place, as he is the author of our being and is the ultimate and only source. Ultimately, there is no place else to call home. The light of the Lord's countenance sees all, including secret sins. Moses has seen, felt and experienced the anger of the Lord, and there remains a deep fear of the Lord and the loss of his favor. There is beauty and renewal but sin can quickly encroach on that and wither the experience away.

Verse 11 says, "Who considers the power of your anger, your wrath is as great as the fear that is due year." There is in Moses view a righteous fear of the Lord. This great power of the Lord as it is recognized by Moses is to be looked upon with reverent fear.

The Lord has a different perspective, even on time as a thousand years in his sight are like yesterday gone by. The primary gain that Moses asks for is a wise heart with leanings towards perspective and how the Lord sees or what the Lord's sight is. He asks that the Lord teach them even what the true perspectives of these days are. Then he proceeds into linked intercessions, where he asks the Lord to turn, seemingly to turn away from his wrath and have compassion. Verse 14 says, "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." The "morning of your steadfast love" is something that cannot be earned and because it comes before anything is achieved or accomplished. This represents the intrinsic love of the Lord that preexists anything that person might have done. "The morning of your steadfast love" is all from the initiative of God, part of his call that comes first and is manifest only from love which is a Genesis type of love of the Lord for an individual's soul. It is a steadfast love that continues potentially from everlasting to everlasting with salvation. Moses sees it as a consoling love, as first 15 says, "Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, as many years as we have seen evil."

Here, Moses and those with him have been survivors. They have not been swept away, as others had.. Perhaps he is referring to the Egyptians when he speaks in verse 5 of those whom were swept away.

The Lords sight includes the watch at night and a thousand years are like one night of watching so you can trust that the Lord can keep you under his watch

In the final verses of this psalm, he approaches the Lord strongly in what he is asking. Verses 16 thru 17 says, "Let your work be manifest to your servants,

And your glorious power to their children,

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and

Prosper for us the work of our hands-

O prosper the work of our hands."

Moses here is very forceful in what he is asking. He is asking for manifestation of power that extends to the next generation and is also present now in its glory. There is to be no withering here, as opposed to what happened to those who were swept way. Moses had seen the hand of the Lord and had quite strongly witnessed the works of his wrath against the Egyptians early on.

Here though it is interesting that someone who obviously had great favor from the Lord, does ask for that continued favor and asks for prosperity upon the works of our hands. If Moses needed to ask for blessings and favor upon his projects, and that the Lord and manifestation of the Lord's glorious power be upon them, then anyone else in the subsequent history of man will need to do this as well if they want this given Moses truly exalted status in the eyes of the Lord. He asks that the Lord "prosper for us". This is saying a whole lot in that the Lord could change millions of things for someone just to help and prosper them. He can change landscapes, markets, lands, nations just as a favor to those whom he is doing this for. This is the type of prayer Moses is bringing to the Lord. While the Lord can turn, he also turns as well and meets him not only in holy fear but in the glorious splendor. In verse 13 it says, "Turn, Lord! How long! Have compassion on your servants." Here Moses as throughout is not just praying for himself but is the great intercessor in asking the Lord to turn in compassion for his servants. As he perceives the turn, he himself turns and continues into prayer for great favor, prosperity and that the Lord be upon us. He had seen and experienced a whole lot and did know that the Lord can be upon us and had seen great works in Egypt and beyond.

Another key to Moses pleas is that he is now identifying those who have remained as servants of the Lord. They are not asking as strangers, but as servants who know, serve, and seek the Lord in knowledge of who he is.