Christ Jesus is the refuge and dwelling-place to which we may repair. “Lord, if we must die in this desert, if this whole generation (except Caleb and Joshua) must pass away in the wilderness, then, at any rate, give us the fullness of Thy favor now, that we may spend all our remaining days, whether they be too few or many, in gladness and rejoicing.” (Spurgeon), iv. “To number our days; to consider the shortness and miseries of this life, and the certainty and speediness of death, and the causes and consequences thereof.” (Poole), ii. Copy Options. In verse 3 God spoke to mankind in judgment, telling him to return to destruction (or, to dust). The beauty of the LORD: “His favourable countenance, and gracious influence, and glorious presence.” (Poole), iii. a. He added this picture: a thousand years is like grass which grows up in the morning and in the evening it is cut down and withers. “This is the highest description of the eternity of God to which human language can reach.” (Clarke), ii. (12-17). Yes, establish the work of our hands. The angels that sinned know the power of God's anger; sinners in hell know it; but which of us can fully describe it? This is the only song of Moses in the psalms, but there are two other songs in the Pentateuch (Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32), as well as the blessing of the tribes of Israel in Deuteronomy 33. d. Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us: Many were the days of their affliction; Moses asked that the days of their gladness would also be many. Return, O LORD: This psalm of Moses carefully considered the judgment of God, and yet his prayerful response to that consideration was a plea to God for His presence, for His compassion, and for His mercy – the hesed of Yahweh, His loyal covenant love. b. Psalm 93 – The LORD Reigns. 3 Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God, For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance. For we have been consumed by Your anger, It isn’t automatic. i. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. “This was specially the case in reference to the people in the wilderness, whose lives were cut short by justice on account of their waywardness; they failed, not by a natural decline, but through the blast of the well-deserved judgments of God.” (Spurgeon), iii. “It was toward the close of the desert wanderings that Moses wrote this sublime psalm, all the imagery of which is borrowed from the wilderness. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. As Peter has said, the converse must also be true, and ‘one day be with the Lord as a thousand years.’” (Maclaren). i. You often hear it at funeral services. the earth and the world brought forth, from eternity to eternity you are God. He prayed that the gracious God would exchange that misery for His own beauty. If we connect it with any particular time in the life of Moses, the best suggestion is the time described in Numbers 20. (7-11) Prayer for mercy and grace. 1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place. Before the mountains were brought forth, Let it be done reverently.” “Psalm 93 describes a theocracy, as do the seven psalms that follow it. iv. You can read through all of Psalms 90 below. His favour would be a full fountain of future joys. Psalm 30:5; 49:14; 143:8; Lam 3:23), as the light of day is contrastive with the darkness (gloom) of the night. The Psalm is called a prayer, for the closing petitions enter into its essence, and the preceding verses are a meditation preparatory to the supplication. Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, The emphasis is on the futility of life; even if one should live past the norm of seventy years and live eighty years, the end of it all is only labor and sorrow. 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