August 26, 2015.

Daily Reading: Psalm 90-92.

Background: Psalm 87-89.

Concepts and Connections.

Chapter 90

Numbering our days: This psalm, a prayer of Moses, compares our finite nature with the infinite nature of God, juxtaposing our short time with the everlasting. God is eternal, enthroned in the heavens, and has been the dwelling place for His people throughout all their generations. We have but a limited time here on earth, the psalmist says 70, maybe 80 years if we are lucky, but the Lord continues forever, ever offering refuge to His people. A thousand years are but a day in the eyes of the Lord (see also II Peter 3:8), and His perception of time is very different than ours. Moses here asks the Lord to teach them to number their days, to get wisdom to use their time wisely and remember the big picture. When we serve a God who is infinite, much of the finite things we worry about simply don’t matter in the long run. We can be sure that His steadfast love will never run dry as we call on Him for satisfaction every morning. In the end, just as Moses does here, we should ask the Lord to show us His work and rely on His strength to establish the work of our hands.

Chapter 91

Refuge and Fortress: This psalm is a psalm of praise to the Lord for His protection and refuge. The psalmists puts his trust in the Lord, who is his God. Though the immediate context of this psalm is taking refuge and putting one’s trust in the Lord, it seems that it’s ultimate meaning lies in the Messiah, how He would put His trust in the Lord and the Lord would protect Him. We see this as the tempter tempts Jesus with these words, using the word of the Lord itself, to tell Him that if He jumped off the high place, no harm would come to Him (see Matthew 4:6, Luke 4:10-11). This psalm describes an intimate relationship between the Creator and the subject, the relationship between the Father and the Son. In a general sense, we can apply it (again, generally/spiritually) to the refuge and fortress that we find in our Lord.

Chapter 92

The works of the Lord: This psalm is a psalm of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, detailing His mighty works, steadfast love and faithfulness and His righteousness. The psalmists says that is is good to give God praise for His love and wonders in conjunction with the melody on the flute, harp and lyre. The Lord is pictured as above all else, and His enemies, the workers of wickedness, would ultimately perish before Him. The psalmist gives thanks for the favor and blessings that he had received from the Lord and notes that the righteous will flourish in the sight of the Lord. The Lord should indeed be our Rock, and we should praise Him for His righteousness.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Proverbs 17-18.

Learn to number your days.

-Walter