Psalms 90:1-17 - Homilies By S. Conway

The Lord our Dwelling place.

There is no need to doubt the assigned authorship of this psalm. It is in entire harmony with the facts and surroundings of Moses' and Israel's life in the wilderness. Observe—

I. THE BLESSED FACT . The Lord our Dwelling place, which this psalm tells of at its beginning. Weary wanderers as the Israelites were, with no settled resting place, here today, gone tomorrow, how blessed for them that there was refuge, a dwelling place, a home, in God! And this, Moses and such as he had realized and may realize still.

1 . Here there may be, there is, perpetual change; but in God a settled abode.

2 . Here, weariness and turmoil; in God, rest and peace.

3 . Here, continual disappointment; in God, the soul ' s satisfaction. (Cf. Psalms 63:5 .)

4 . Here, perpetual peril; in God, perfect security.

5 . Here, the coldness and enmity of men; in God, unfailing sympathy and love. Yes, God is the Home of the believing soul.

II. THE SUSTAINING POWER OF THIS FACT . It enables us to meet with calmness the heart breaking events of life. The psalmist enumerates a number of them.

1 . The brevity of our life. ( Psalms 90:3-6 .)

2 . The real cause of human misery. ( Psalms 90:7 .) It is our sin, and God's displeasure thereat. Hence is it ( Psalms 90:9 ) that the sense of that displeasure overwhelms us as with lightning flash, and our lives are as a breath. And so all life is sad, even at the best ( Psalms 90:10 ).

3 . The fearfulness of the Divine anger. ( Psalms 90:11 .) "Who knoweth the might of thine anger and thy wrath, according to the fear that is due unto thee?" (Perowne). None can even rightly estimate it, much less overestimate it.

III. THE RELIEVING PRAYER TO WHICH IT LEADS .

1 . That we may not miss the instruction which these sad facts should impart. The "wisdom" craved is that we may make the Lord our Dwelling place.

2 . For brighter days. ( Psalms 90:13-15 .)

3 . For the promised salvation— the work and the glory of God ( Psalms 90:16 ).

4 . For the beauty of holiness. There had been none of this in Israel in all these many years.

5 . That life may be worth living. Not a perpetual disappointment, such as it had been hitherto, but that the work of their hands might be established ( Psalms 90:17 ). Such are some of the prayers which the soul whose home is in God will be led to offer in view of the brevity, the frailty, and the sinfulness of life. Let the Lord be our Dwelling place, and all is well. "Our life is hid with Christ in God."—S.C.