Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 90:1-12
1. The transitory nature of human life 90:1-12 read more
Psalm 90
Thomas Constable
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 90:1-17
IV. BOOK 4: CHS. 90-106Moses composed one of the psalms in this section of the Psalter (Psalms 90), and David wrote two of them (Psalms 101, 103). The remaining 14 are anonymous. Book 4 opens with a psalm attributed to Moses, and it closes with one in which Moses is the dominant figure. Prominent themes in this book include the brevity of life, Yahweh’s future reign on the earth and proper human response to that hope, and Yahweh’s creative and sustaining power. So one might think of Book 4 as... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 90:7-12
Humans only live a short time because God judges the sin in their lives (cf. Romans 6:23). God knows even our secret sins. They do not escape Him, and He judges us with physical death for our sins.Assuming Moses did write this psalm, it is interesting that he said the normal human life span was 70 years. He lived to be 120, Aaron was 123 when he died, and Joshua died at 110. Their long lives testify to God’s faithfulness in providing long lives to the godly, as He promised under the Mosaic... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 90:13-15
The psalmist asked God to have compassion on His sinful people. He wanted Him to balance judgment for sin with the loyal love He had promised them. Then they could live their brief lives with joy and gladness."In spite of the ’black border’ around this psalm, the emphasis is on life and not death." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 256.] read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 90:13-17
2. The compassionate nature of divine love 90:13-17 read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 90:16-17
Moses also wanted God to display His majesty or splendor to His servants. He may have meant the splendor that God would demonstrate by extending mercy to them. When the Israelites saw God’s work of showing mercy they could proceed with their work knowing that God would bless it. Even though their lives would be brief, they could derive some pleasure from their work knowing that God would give it some relative permanence.We might title this psalm, "Reflections on the Brevity of Life." Life is... read more
John Dummelow
John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 90:1-17
The title of this Ps. (A Prayer of Moses the man of God) ascribes it to Moses, but several considerations have been pointed out which suggest a later date for its composition. The average length of life in the time of Moses is supposed to have been greater than that mentioned in Psalms 90:10 (Deuteronomy 34:7; Joshua 24:29). Israel’s national life seems not to be just beginning, but to have lasted already for many generations (Psalms 90:1). The recent past has been a time of calamity rather... read more
John Dummelow
John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 90:1-48
Book 4The Pss. in this book, as in that which follows, are mostly of comparatively late date, and suitable for use in the worship of the sanctuary.The two books seem to have been conjoined at one time, and to have formed the third great division of the Psalter. In the 17 Pss. of Book 4 several smaller groups or collections are to be distinguished. Psalms 93, 95-100 are called the ’theocratic’ Pss., because they celebrate God as King, finding in the restoration of Israel from Babylon the... read more
Charles John Ellicott
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 90
Book IV.XC.Notwithstanding the unanimous rejection of the Mosaic title of this psalm by the ancient and mediaeval Christian commentators, it has found supporters among modern critics. It is urged that the transitoriness of human life was a theme peculiarly suited to the leader of a race doomed to wander in the wilderness till the sinful generation had died out, and that the general train of thought and feeling is worthy of Moses standing on the threshold of hopes he was not to be allowed to... read more
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Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 90:1-6
Moses began by attributing eternality to Yahweh. All generations of believers have found Him to be a protective shelter from the storms of life. God existed before He created anything, even the "world" (Heb. tebel, lit. the productive earth). This Hebrew word is a poetic synonym for "earth" (Heb. ’eres, i.e., the planet).God outlasts man. He creates him and then sees him return to "dust" (Heb. dakka, lit. pulverized material). From God’s eternal perspective 1,000 years are as a day is to us (2... read more