“Some Words From Moses”

The Appomattox Court House Presbyterian Church Pulpit
Rev. Cameron S. Smith
The Lord's Day, September 11, 2005
Psalm 90

Our Psalm this morning is ascribed to Moses. It is the only Psalm so designated. This fact alone makes the words recorded here just a little more special. Now, even though we have little to no background information on the composition of this Psalm, I like to picture in my mind an aged Moses, the "man of God," (Deut. 33:1; Josh. 14:6) sitting on a hill overlooking the camp of Israel, penning this passionate prayer to God. Israel is encamped on the plains of Moab, postured to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land.

As Moses observes the people mill about below, going about their daily business; he reflects on their many years in the wilderness. Thinking back to how God had wrought miraculous signs before mighty Pharaoh in Egypt and bringing those powerful people to the terrifying response of, "Lets get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt." [Ex 14:25b] God opened the sea so that the people of God could go through on dry land, unharmed. All the while, God was protecting them by His presence in the pillar of smoke by day, and fire by night. By this same pillar presence, He led them through the wilderness. When the water supply was bitter, He sweetened the water for them. When there was no food to be found in the "vast and dreadful desert," [Deut 8:16] He gave them manna in the morning, and filled them to the full with quail in the evening. When there was nothing to drink, He brought forth rivers of water from the rocks.

Moses could look back and marvel at how God had protected and provided for His special people. In Deuteronomy 32 [Deut 32:10-11] "the man of God" observed that God had shielded and cared for His people as the "apple of his eye." That He had like an eagle, stirred up His nest so that His people might truly fly under His vigilant and protective wing.

But, in the face of this providential goodness, Moses could also see the ungrateful response of God's people. Instead of basking in the goodness of God, the people still walked on the edge of extinction by their lack of faith and trust. The realization of who God is, who we are and how we actually live before that holy God drives Moses to petition God for "a heart of wisdom" [v.12] for His people along with generous portions of mercy and compassion. Moses ends his prayer by affirming God's sovereignty, as he did at the beginning and asking that God make His people pure, strong and true as they wait upon His final, consuming salvation.

Do you ever read the Old Testament stories and think to yourself, "Man, those Israelites were a bunch of ingrates." How could they be so blind? How could they be so deaf? But really, are we any wiser than our spiritual ancestors?

Don't we get caught up in the busy-ness of our own lives? We have jobs. We have family responsibilities. There are bills to be paid. There is stress in our relationships within the family and among friends and colleagues. We are constantly living on the edge. Our jobs and callings consume us. When we aren't working, our leisure pursuits demand our time, and we are, if nothing else, people of leisure. Sunday rolls around and we do our perfunctory dance at church. We walk out the back doors after the service is over and its back into the "real world." When things are rolling along at their regular, frantic pace, we're stressed, but we think that this is the way it's supposed to be. Above all, we're content because we're making it and getting ahead in this dog-eat-dog world. We are models of success.

Then, in due course, disaster rears its ugly head. Serious illness strikes within the family. Death overtakes a friend in a seemingly senseless accident. Life is cut mercilessly short. Natural disaster destroys your town and home. You're suddenly in over your head in debt because of an unfortunate turn of circumstances. The One for whom you did the apathetic dances on Sunday now becomes the object of your anger, bitterness and scorn. "Why me, God?" "How could You do it?!" "Why did you let this happen?!" "What have I done to you?"

God's people today are every bit as fickle and faithless as the children of Israel in their wilderness wanderings. So much so that we need to hear anew this prayer of "the man of God."

I want to propose to you that Psalm 90 divides nicely into three progressive parts. Part one covers verses 1-6 and lays a foundation by reminding us who God is, and in contrast, man's position in relation to God. Part two, verses 7-11, graphically illustrates the consequences of failing to understand part one! Part three, verses 12-17, issues a corporate, heartfelt plea for mercy and transformation.

God is awesome! When Moses says, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations," he means that God is not only above time, which is to say eternal, but he also points to the fact that this great Sovereign is also our "dwelling place." Upon a cursory reading, you might be led to believe that "dwelling place" merely means the place where we live. But, there is much more to it. Psalm 91 [91:9 ff.] mentions "dwelling place" in the context of protection. I'm reminded of Martin Luther's great hymn of the faith, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God! The One who laid the foundations of the heavens and the earth is the One who protects and provides. If God is our "dwelling place" and "refuge," let the mighty winds of the world blow as hard as they wish!

But, somehow, we soon forget who God is, even in the midst of rich provision. In light of verses 1-2, the next four verses could easily be made to read, "God is great, therefore, fall down on the ground you slimy worm!" However, this surely isn't the point of the Psalmist. Men and women have been created in God's image. He describes Israel as "the apple of his eye." Psalm 8 declares [Ps 8:3-5] "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor." That certainly doesn't sound like a low view of man.

The point is surely that men and women too often forget who God is, and thus inflate themselves with self-import. We may be special to God, but when we start to live our lives as if God were of no consequence; then we're starting to run out of bounds. When we think this way, God becomes too casual. He becomes our house pet. He's there at our beck and call. He makes no demands on your life. For the most part, you and I seem to really believe the words of the Greek philosopher, Protagoras: "Man is the measure of all things."

This is a faithless existence that lives on the edge. It Keeps itself afloat on the good times, getting crushed when the winds change for the worse. It is to this mindset that God says, "No, it's not to be that way with you!"

When Adam and Eve desired to become "like God" through their disobedience, God said, "to dust you will return" [Gen 3:19]. All of our achievements and worldly possessions are as the flowers of the field that sprout in the morning, only to whither and dry up at day's end. You are not a worm in the sight of God, but you're response to God is first and foremost, humility, then service and finally trust.

Look at what this leads up to in verses 7-11. Because of a self-serving, defiant attitude, God's people find themselves up against His wrath. I remember sitting in an American Literature class many years ago, listening to my classmates rip up the Puritan writers because they wrote fondly of this mean, vengeful and capricious God.

Of course, my classmates had no firm frame of reference from which to evaluate Puritan writers. Perhaps this passage in Psalm 90 would evoke the same response? "We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation" [v.7]. Worse yet, God goes on to say that our iniquities are ever before Him, that not even the sins that we commit in private are out of His pervasive gaze [v.8].

But again, it needs to be pointed out that God is not merely trying to frighten His poor creation by threatening them like some cosmic bully. This is God's response to a state of unbelief in those who should know better. The days of the average human life span 70 years, 80 if one is fortunate. All the days of this life are harsh and full of trouble [vv.9-10]. Our propensity to get caught up in the busy-ness of life, succumbing to temptation, and forgetting God in spite of all that He has done for us. It's no wonder that we finish our years with a groan! God is telling us that we can't go through our lives paying mere lip service.

If we have acted faithlessly, God is thereby justified in judgment. But I want you to notice a significant turning point in this Psalm. It occurs at verse 12: "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." The plea here sets the tone for our final section. The comfort is that even though we are characterized by rebellion and forgetfulness, we can still approach the God that we so often offend, and petition for His forgiveness and intervention in our lives with the expectation that He will hear and act. The plea is that God's people would begin today to pursue wisdom so that we can walk in obedience to the One who loves us so dearly. We are to number our days, which means that we should be making the most of the time that God has given us. If we choose to neglect this wisdom, we may find ourselves at death's door with deep regret.

The Psalmist, with some sense of assurance, cries out, "Relent, O Lord! ... Have compassion on your servants" [v.13]. "Satisfy us ... with your unfailing, [loyal] love" [v.14]. "Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us" [v.15].

I once worked with a co-worker who caused me great distress. She really made my life miserable at work and she seemed to enjoy doing so. Instead of pursuing a course of wisdom and loving this woman in spite of the friction between us, I started fighting fire with fire. After some time of this contention and strife around the office, I finally broke down and called her into my office. You can't go on like that without taking a severe beating to your conscience. Jesus commands that we love our neighbor as ourselves, and there really is a price to pay for violating this great commandment. As she sat down across from me, I broke down and asked her for forgiveness, admitting that my response to her had been all wrong. She looked at me coldly and said, "You have treated me like dirt. I never forget anything. Anything." That response still sends a chill down my spine to this very day.

Contrast that response to the confident hope of the Psalmist! "O Lord, have compassion on us -- we know that you will!" "Lord, let me swim in your loyal love as I repent of my sins." "Lord, turn my life around and let me rejoice in your goodness." Far from being a petty, mean, hard to please God, He is longing to bless us. Longing to walk with us through life's difficulties. He is always patient towards us, even at our worst. What a comfort!

As the Psalmist draws to a close, he asks that God, in His graciousness, would inspire the ensuing generations to the same kind of understanding of His loving goodness. May our children begin from day one to "number their days aright!"

The final verse of this beautiful Psalm ends with an entreaty that God would "establish the work of our hands for us -- yes, establish the work of our hands." Whatever does that mean? How does this fit with what we have already observed in this Psalm? So far in this section, the Psalmist has been asking God that He would show His glorious favor on His repentant children. Now, he closes asking that his entire life be transformed to conform to God's holiness. In short, May you be our God and may the work of our hands glorify you!

One particular hymn that was based on Psalm 90:17, starts out, "God, who touchest earth with beauty, make my heart anew. With thy Spirit, recreate me, pure strong and true." The hymn implores that God would lift our thoughts above and turn our dreams to noble action. That we would be upright in all of our ways. Like the rocks of towering grandeur, make us strong and sure. Yes, establish the work of our hands indeed!