From Everyday To Eternity

FROM EVERYDAY TO ETERNITY (PSALM 90)

Mickey’s wife bought a new line of expensive cosmetics guaranteed to make her look years younger. After a lengthy sitting before the mirror applying the “miracle” products, she asked, “Darling, honestly, what age would you say I am?”

Looking over her carefully, Mickey replied, “Judging from your skin, twenty; your hair, eighteen; and your figure, twenty five.”

“Oh, you flatterer!” she gushed.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Mickey interrupted. “I haven’t added them up yet.”

The last year 2015 was characterized by the 4Ts – terror (ISIL), trouble (protests) and tragedy (New Year stampede, a capsized ship, coal-mine explosions and fires, and a toppled building).

Psalms 90 is unique in three ways: (1) It is the oldest psalm written by the oldest man in the post-Genesis era. It is traditionally ascribed to Moses. (2) The timeline is from eternity (vv 1-2), future (vv 3-11) and then present (vv 12-end). (3) It is a favorite psalm for funerals, as attested by Spurgeon.

How do you characterize your life? What meaning does your life have? What difference have you made? Psalm 90 has a perfect answer for viewing life past, present and future.

Seek His Permanent Dwelling

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

The Years of Peak performance

Hard work is the trait all top stars have in common, but age is the wild card:

Track and field world record breakers – 25 (at age of peak performance)

Major league baseball MVPs – 27

Chemists – 35

Economists (theoretical) -36

Great inventors – 39

Economists (data-driven) -56

Philosopher – 64

Source: David W. Galenson, Benjamin F Jones, Harvey C Lehman, Fortune “What It Takes to BE Great” 10/30/06

Let me ask you a question: Out of 150 psalms how many prayers are titled as “A prayer of” so and so? The answer is only five– three are from David (Ps 17:1. 86:1, 142:1), one is from Moses (Ps 90:1) and one “a prayer of the afflicted” (Ps 102:1), so this is a prayer, a psalm and a poem – in that order. How often does this noun “prayer” appear in Moses’ story or account? The answer is none until Psalm 90! The verb form of “prayer” occurs in Moses’ account as many as four times – three times to pray for the people (Num 11:2, 21:7, Deut 9:26). Rabbinic tradition assigns the ten following Psalms, Psalms 91-100 to Moses. Other Psalms written by Moses are also found in Exodus 15, and in Deuteronomy 32. Psalms 90-106 is Book IV of Psalms and Book IV begins with a powerful and praiseworthy prayer. Of all the 150 psalms in the Bible, only Psalm 90 begins with the respectful “Lord” (adonai) address. That itself makes it a direct, distinctive and distinguished prayer. “Adonai” means the Master and more than just the Maker, the Commander, chief and controller of your life and not just the Creator, chum or companion of your life and not just the Creator, Big Boss (bbf) first before Best friend (bff).

The noun “dwelling place” (v 1) is translated as habitation (Deut 26:15) and den (Jer 9:11). A dwelling place is a place to reside, to retreat, to reflect, to relax and to rest. A dwelling place is not a house or a habitat, but a home and a harbor. The phrase “all generations” (v 1) is an echo of God’s revelation in Exodus 3:15 that is dominated by the Psalms (Ps 33:11, 45:17, 49:11, 72:5, 79:13, 85:5, 89:4, 90:1, 100:5, 102:24, 106:31, 119:90, 135:13, 145:13), more than any book of the Bible. “All generations” in Hebrew is simply “generation, generation.” It is a continuous, consistent and close relationship, not a checkered, chilly or contentious relationship.

There are three words associated with time in verses 1 to 2: “all generations” (v 1), “before” (v 2) and “everlasting” twice (v 2). Another triplet (v 2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God) is mountain, earth and world. The Lord’s presence and promise are unstopping, unchanging and unerring. He wants to establish a firm and fixed relationship, not a fast and fleeting relationship. Verse 2 reveals that the Lord by nature is an everlasting, eternal and enduring God, so His relationship with us is not ephemeral, expiring or ended. It is a generational, growing and gradual, grounded and gridlock relationship. All life is characterized by decay, decline, death. Only the Lord is faithful, final and forever.

See Your Powerful Decline

3 You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” 4 A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. 5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death— they are like the new grass of the morning: 6 In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered. 7 We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. 8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. 9 All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. 10 Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. 11 If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.