Psalms 90:3-12 KJV
Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. (4) For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. (5) Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. (6) In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. (7) For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. (8) Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. (9) For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. (10) The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (11) Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. (12) So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
1. GOD TURNS US TO DESTRUCTION
Psalms 90:3 KJV
Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
The ‘destruction’ and ‘return’ referred to in this verse have both a temporal (earthly life) and eternal context. The eternal context of ‘destruction’ is suffering the infinite wrath of GOD in hell. The very thought of which should make us tremble in terror and call out to GOD for mercy. This is the meaning of ‘return’. It is GOD’s will that men repent, and return to HIM (1). It is because of GOD’s mercy that HE has warned us, and called to us, ‘Repent!’ (2).
2 Chronicles 36:15-16 KJV 15
And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
GOD has sent HIS prophets to us, and given us HIS word, but we would not hear. We would not listen to the instruction. So GOD, in even more mercy, has put into our lives physical warnings that we cannot avoid. In this life we see misery, struggle and sickness. Our bodies age, and decay, and suffer disease. The inevitable end of which is our physical death; when the body returns to dust, and the soul returns to GOD. It is by these afflictions during life, and by the inevitability of death at the end of life, that GOD is calling to us. HE has set these trials in our life to remind us that we are fallen. HE has set the absolute boundary of death at the end of every life so that no man will be unaware. Every one must face this reality.
Through the destruction of this life, GOD calls us to live a new life. It is consistently through our affliction that GOD humbles us, breaks our pride and hope in ourselves, and restores us to HIM. HE turns us to that destruction, to say, “Return to me”!
2. BREVITY
Psalms 90:4 KJV
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
This life is very short. Even if it were 1000 years, it would still be short. Yesterday, when it is passed, is nothing. It is impossible to compare the temporal with the eternal. This is a clear reminder to us not to trust in man, this life, or the things of the world. They are passing away.
We are too often deceived into hoping in our earthly future. We look forward to so many things and we think we still “have so much to live for”. We think death is still far away. But this only takes our focus off of the eternal reality. When the end of our life comes those things will have passed away and they will be nothing.
It is GOD’s mercy that HE does not allow us to be deceived by this lie. HIS word, the afflictions in our life, and the inevitability of death all remind us that this life is passing away.
3. FRAILTY AND FUTILITY
Psalms 90:5-6 KJV
Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. 6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
The purpose of this statement is to remind us that we have no hope in man or ourselves. We are carried away, we are cut down, we wither.
As with the moving water of a flood, we are always moving closer to death; it cannot be slowed down or stopped. But it can be sped up. Floods can also become violent and quickly sweep away everything in their path. Even so, we can be swept away by death in an instant.
In the same way that a dream of last night vanishes when you try to remember it, man’s life vanishes. We are sleeping and dreaming and imagining great things. We imagine that we always have more time, until we awaken to the reality. Then our life is gone like a dream of last night.
No one remembers the grass that was cut down yesterday. It withered, and blew away and it is gone. Even the most beautiful flower only lasts for a day. No matter what you achieve in this life, it does not last. There is no hope in man, or the things of this life, or this world.
4. WRATH
Psalms 90:7-11 KJV
For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. 8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. 9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. 10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. 11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
It must be understood that our misery in this life and our physical death are not just natural occurrences. They are supernatural acts of GOD. They are debts owed to GOD’s justice.
HE has brought all our iniquities before HIS judgment seat. HE has exposed our sin, and judged it. HIS just response to our sin is anger. HIS judgment on all men is misery in this life, physical death, and eternal death in hell.
Yet, through what CHRIST has done, GOD shows mercy and forgives. All who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus will be saved from the eternal wrath of GOD.
5. GOD SAYS RETURN!
Psalms 90:12 KJV
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
If we would ‘number our days’, we would be convinced that there are very few of them, and that they are quickly passing away. We need to be aware that our life is short and fleeting. This would lead us to apply our hearts to wisdom. It is absolutely insane to hope in something that we know is passing away. Trusting in this life is foolishness, it is not wise. If we have any hope in this life it is a sure sign that we have not applied our heart to wisdom.
Everything that has been said in this text so far should make this point clear. Because of our sin we are under the just judgment of the HOLY GOD. There is no hope in man, there is no hope in this life. The brevity, frailty, and futility of this life are merciful reminders from GOD of our condition. HE has turned us to destruction to call us to repent.
REFERENCES
1. 2 Peter 3:9
2. Jeremiah 7:13,25; 11:7; 25:3,4; 26:5; 29:19; 32:33; 35:14,15; 44:4;