Psalm 90:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.

NIV: A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.

NASB: Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

CSB: Lord, you have been our refuge in every generation.

NLT: Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!

KJV: {A Prayer of Moses the man of God.} Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

NKJV: {A Prayer of Moses the man of God.} Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

In Deuteronomy 33:27 Moses described God as Israel's "dwelling place." Here, in Psalm 90:1, he repeats the fact. The thought is that the Lord shelters and protects His people, and He is also their home.

Moses spent forty years in the wilderness as Israel's leader, but neither he nor the people he led found a place in the wilderness they could call home. That wandering was the result of their own sin, as described in Numbers chapter 14. Numbers 33 lists forty-two locations where Israel set up camp, but none of those places were home. Only the Lord is truly home to His people.

Today, the evil world system opposes the righteous. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). Christians are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20) and sojourners and exiles on the earth (1 Peter 2:11). As we travel through this life, we can feel at home in Christ. He encouraged us to find Him as our home. "Abide in me," He said, and "abide in my love" (John 15:4, 9).

Psalm 90:1–2 cites God as eternally existent and Israel's dwelling place, meaning their refuge. He also describes God as the Creator. God is not part of the creation; He existed before He created the mountains, the earth, and the world. He has always existed and always will exist. Genesis 1 and 2 describe God's creative process, and Hebrews 11:3 points out that God created the universe by His spoken word.

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 12:31:07 AM