Moses must have written this psalm toward the end of his life in the wilderness. For thirty-eight years, after Israel turned back at Kadesh-Barnea instead of entering the promised land, he had watched almost a whole generation be buried in the desert sand, just like grass that was green for a short time and then died. He looked back over the past generations and the long history of Israel, clear to Abraham, the father of the Jews. Then, he goes beyond that to eternity in which God has always existed. The view of man’s frailty and the shortness of human life compared to God makes Moses, the greatest of the prophets, plead for restoration and fellowship with God for His people.
The emphasis of this series of books on the Psalms is on worship and genuine praise. True thanksgiving and praise in worshipping the Lord have far greater value than we can imagine. The covenant-keeping God and His name, referred to in this way, are named in all but two Psalms, from Psalm 90 through Psalm 150. In these early verses, the immortal Lord is spoken of in contrast to mortal man. The eternity of the Lord is in comparison to the time-conscious man. The Lord, who is “from everlasting to everlasting,” is in contrast to a man whose life is like short-lived grass. God is limitless in every way. Man is dependent upon God.
The experiences of Israel in the wilderness because of their unbelief are a lesson to us as to the consequences of sin that brings death. The happenings in the wilderness were a visitation from God and an example to us as a warning lest we, too, step backward from the revealed will of God and a full and vital faith in our Lord. The power of God should motivate us to be obedient to Him and value every day as an opportunity to bring glory to God. It is a warning psalm that is often read at funerals but not a comforting one. In the long times of darkness and melancholy because of our human condition, may we learn wisdom to respond appropriately to unforeseen situations. May we know true grace so that others may find some joy from our experiences that they can apply to themselves. May we learn the value of compassion to come alongside others and meet some needs.
As the years passed and Moses grew older, he realized that he had been given years of extended life for a reason. He is the one who said man’s years are seventy, and if he has extraordinary strength, he could live to eighty, and yet at one hundred and twenty years, he is looking at life as “a tale that is told.” He taught the law to Israel, but he also preached against sin. He clarified that there is death for sin and condemnation because of sin. Those who seemed to think they were secure in their sins had to be warned of what was ahead as the consequences of sin. God’s perfect light exposes man’s iniquities and even secret sins.
As far back as we can think to where there is a vanishing point, and as far as we can think and imagine into the future to a vanishing point – God is, was, and always will be there. He is eternal in His essential being. Mankind, on the other hand, even though God created man and placed them in a special class by itself, apart from all other creatures, lives a very brief life upon earth compared to the infiniteness of eternity. Even though a thousand years seems like a long, long time, it is just like a brief memory of yesterday’s events. Our seventy or eighty years are a very short comparison to the eternal life of God. The psalmist wrote that life is like a flash flood, a night’s sleep, and grass that is fresh in the morning but is mowed down by evening.
God’s dwelling place is a safe place for us to live, and even at that, we live under the sentence of death. Often, man’s life is filled with sorrow and suffering. God’s holy light leaves no place in our lives hidden from Him. He has no time restrictions. He is eternal in every way and can always be counted on forever. Rather than trying to cover our sins, we need to be willing to confess and forsake our sins openly. It is then that reality in life can be enjoyed and become noticeable. It is then forgiveness that becomes real to us. Each day then allows us to take a small step forward to fulfill our life’s purpose.
Moses called for teaching and wisdom to keep us from being pessimistic and discerning life's meaning and purpose. He desired that the happiness in life be in proportion to the suffering. “Make us glad.” In essence, he says, let God’s grace and love be on us daily and make our work meaningful and profitable. When conscious of “how short my time is,” we want our work to be useful and effective. When we apply ourselves to serving God and loving Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, we will find satisfaction now and in eternity.
The seed of our body is planted in the earth, but in the resurrection, believers will not only “see God” as Job said, but those who have died in the Lord are blessed forever. Our hope for eternity and our purpose in life is to glorify God and see His work established. Our uphill life gets physically more difficult as we age, but by carefully considering all we have experienced, Christ is made unto us “wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.” In this wilderness scene, we get a sensible and potentially beautiful perspective on life that is practical for daily living now and assured, given the future.