Psalm 90:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed.

NIV: We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.

NASB: For we have been consumed by Your anger, And we have been terrified by Your wrath.

CSB: For we are consumed by your anger; we are terrified by your wrath.

NLT: We wither beneath your anger; we are overwhelmed by your fury.

KJV: For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

NKJV: For we have been consumed by Your anger, And by Your wrath we are terrified.

At Kadesh Barnea the people of Israel refused God's command, and the advice of Joshua and Caleb, to enter Canaan, the land God had promised to them. As a result of their disobedience, they were sentenced to wander for forty years in the wilderness until the older generation died (Numbers 14:33–35). The sentence was imposed because God was angry with their decision. Exodus 34:6 describes God as merciful and slow to anger. However, Israel's frequent disobedience and unbelief provoked Him.

Numbers 11 reports the typical rebellious attitude the people showed toward the Lord. They "complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes" (Numbers 11:1) and wept and said, "Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at" (Numbers 11:4–6). Rather than thanking God for freeing them from oppressive slavery in Egypt and keeping them from starvation as they journeyed toward the Promised Land, they complained that the food was not good enough.

Psalm 90:3–10 reflects on life's brevity and God's wrath. Psalm 8:4 raises the question of man's status, and James 4:14 describes life as finite and fleeting. Numbers 14:33–35 spells out God's judgment on the Israelites for refusing His call to enter Canaan.

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.