Psalm 90 is a psalm for a new year. It was written by Moses, presumably during the time the people of Israel were on their long 40-year march from Egypt to the Promised Land. It offers a perspective on the passage of time, the sweep of history from one generation to another. It says that God has been our help in the past and he will be our help in the future.
The English hymnwriter Isaac Watts wrote one of his finest hymns, “O God Our Help” as a paraphrase of this psalm. When Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt met during the second world war to establish the Atlantic Charter, they sang this hymn in a worship service. It was also sung at Churchill’s funeral.
Reading the psalm as a new year begins is a reminder that we are time-bound, but God is eternal. The psalm reminds us that God is holy and he must punish sin. It concludes with an affirmation of God’s unfailing love and the possibility of forgiveness.
The psalm speaks to us of time and eternity. It tells us to take a long view, to find our ultimate security, not in military or economic power, not in politicians, or the stock market, but in God himself. It reminds us of our weakness, and that the Lord is our strong shelter.
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place through all generations. . . . From everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn men back to dust, saying, ‘Return to dust, O sons of men.’ For a thousand years in your sight is like a day that has just gone by” (Psalm 90:1-4).
The longest life on earth is but a “watch in the night,” or like the brief flourishing of grass which withers. The highly accomplished musician and actress Barbra Streisand was quoted as saying, “Life here is so tentative and short, that I want to leave something behind as proof that I existed.”
Psalm 90 goes on to give the reason for the universality of death. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The psalm employs an intense vocabulary of judgment. Moses is acutely aware that all people are sinners and God knows all about it. The people of Israel are dying in the wilderness every day because of their willful disobedience against God (Numbers 14:23-35). Sin has terrible consequences.
“We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence” (vv. 7-8). The Lord shines his spotlight into the dark corners of our lives. There are no secrets. He sees. He knows.
Thankfully, the psalm does not end with God’s furious anger against sin. There is hope for a new beginning. Moses prays, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (v. 12). Moses is not saying we should count the days until we die, but that we should make our days count for eternity. This is a prayer for wisdom.
This is a prayer that God will be compassionate and forgiving. “Relent, O Lord! . . . Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (vv. 13-14).
As we turn away from sin in humble repentance, God turns to us in mercy. The Psalm is a preview of the gospel. As we trust in Jesus and his sacrifice for sin, God gives his gifts of forgiveness and favor. After the dark night of Good Friday, joy comes on Resurrection morning. When we put our faith in the Son of God, he becomes our place of safety.
“O God, our help in ages past, / our hope for years to come, / our shelter from the stormy blast, / and our eternal home.
“Time, like an ever-rolling stream / bears all its sons away; / they fly forgotten as a dream / dies at the opening day.
“Under the shadow of thy throne / still may we dwell secure; / sufficient is thine arm alone, / and our defense is sure” (Isaac Watts, 1708).
Pastor Randy Faulkner