Psalm 90:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?

NIV: If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.

NASB: Who understands the power of Your anger And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?

CSB: Who understands the power of your anger? Your wrath matches the fear that is due you.

NLT: Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.

KJV: Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

NKJV: Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.

Moses had extensive experience with those who did not fear God as much as they should. That was the case both in His role in Israel's rescue from Egypt (Exodus 6:6) as well as their wandering in the desert (Deuteronomy 9:6–8). Here Moses wonders, rhetorically, who can know the power of God's anger and wrath, as a true fear of God demands?

Sin invites God's anger, and in wrath He executes judgment. Knowledge of this fact should cause individuals to refrain from violating God's commands. The generation of Israelites that fell in the wilderness experienced God's anger and wrath. Would those Israelites have made the right decision and entered Canaan if they had correctly assessed the power of God's anger and wrath?

While Scripture communicates God's love and mercy, it also communicates His righteous anger and wrath. Sinning against a perfectly holy Creator necessarily incurs His judgment. And yet, because God loves sinners, He provides forgiveness for those who turn from sin and receive Jesus as their Savior. Romans 8:1 assures us there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. However, those who spurn God's love and forgiveness revealed in Jesus must bear the eternal wrath of God (John 3:36; Revelation 20:10–15).

Psalm 90:11–17 calls on the Lord to teach His people to number their days and gain wisdom. Moses, the author, prays for mercy and joy. Also, he asks the Lord to prosper His servants' work. Other Scriptures emphasize God's compassion, the joy He gives, and the blessing He pours out on those who serve Him (Psalm 100:5; Proverbs 22:4). The books of Ezra and Nehemiah demonstrate the truth that God grants these gifts to those who honor Him, even if those gifts aren't always in the form of an easy, prosperous life.

Psalm 90, likely the oldest psalm, opens with Moses addressing God as eternal and Israel's dwelling place, but quickly shifts to an acknowledgement of man's brief life on earth. Our iniquity is the reason God directs His wrath at us. In most cases, a person can expect to live somewhere around 70 or 80 years, barring disease or misfortune. Short or long, life is full of toil and trouble. In view of life's brevity, Moses asks the Lord to fill His people with wisdom. He also asks the Lord to reveal His work, demonstrate His power, grant His favor, and make Israel's labor successful.

Psalm 90, written by Moses, is most likely the oldest psalm, presuming it was written during Israel's wandering in the desert. This begins the fourth division of Psalms (90—106) and likely was written after Israel refused to heed the Lord's command to enter and occupy Canaan (Numbers 13—14). The background for Psalm 90 is Israel's wanderings for forty years in the desert and the perishing of a generation as a result of its disobedience. The psalm focuses on God's eternal nature and man's finite nature. It stresses God's anger against sin and appeals to His compassion to restore and bless His people.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.