This is the one Psalm of the 150 that was written by Moses.
Moses, the man of God.
So Psalm 90, I'm on page 599.
Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
You turn men back to dust, saying,
Return to dust, O sons of men.
For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
You sweep men away in the sleep of death.
They are like the new grass of the morning.
Though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.
We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
All our days pass away under your wrath.
We finish our years with a moan.
The length of our days is seventy years or eighty if we have the strength.
Yet their span is but trouble and sorrow.
For they quickly pass and we fly away.
Who knows the power of your anger?
For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due to you.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Relent, O Lord, how long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.
May the favour of the Lord our God rest upon us.
Establish the work of our hands for us.
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
So this evening, this is what we're thinking about,
that God is eternal.
We're thinking about the God of infinite days.
And as we begin, I think it's helpful for us
to take just a few minutes to think about
our own relationship with time.
Because in large measure, we are defined
in relation to time.
We have a new niece as of yesterday.
So she is defined, a nephew.
What am I talking about?
A nephew.
And straight away, I'm not going to buy any of the presents.
Straight away, they are defined,
little Flynn is defined in terms of
this is the day of his birth.
And we're all like that.
We have calendars that we are then connected to.
Tables of events.
Things that we need to do.
Sometimes we find ourselves slaves to our diaries.
We have all of these commitments in time.
We're moving from one thing to the next.
We are defined in relation to time in that way.
But also in the sense that we are products
of our generation.
We live, we occupy this space in time.
So we struggle to understand sort of bygone eras.
Even if we study history, we're always kind of
looking at a distance and trying to figure it out.
We have no idea what's coming in the future.
So our understanding is always limited by time.
We understand that time is a resource,
especially, I guess, in the West.
We're used to thinking about time as a really precious resource.
Of course, we can waste it.
We can procrastinate.
We can be distracted.
But we talk about our culture as being time poor.
That many of us live with endless pressures
and one deadline after another.
That sense of never having enough time in the day
to get everything done to meet all our responsibilities.
So time limits us.
It limits our opportunities.
If I go to this place, then obviously I cannot also go to this place.
It limits our ability to build and maintain relationships.
If you move from one city to another or one country to another,
there are people that you say goodbye to
and with the best will in the world,
you just don't have time to keep up with them.
We are limited by time in terms of our perspectives.
That we look at the world as people today in the 21st century.
So our view on life is very different to, for example,
the way that people of biblical times looked at the world.
And so one of the challenges for us of living well
is to then have a right attitude to time.
That was one of the things I found most helpful
about Jen Wilkins' chapter this week.
She was talking about not being sort of tied to your past,
always sort of feeling, sort of having the past being brought up
or always being anxious about the future,
anticipating what's still to come.
She talked about being fully present in the present.
And that's really hard for us to do sometimes,
especially if we feel pressure.
We're sitting down maybe at home and we're thinking,
I've got this to do, that to do.
Our mind can go elsewhere.
The challenge to be fully present in the present is a real one.
So having a right attitude to time is important
and having a right attitude to the God who sits outside of
and over time, a right attitude to the eternal God
is crucially important for us to live well.
So to help us to reflect on this topic,
we are hearing in Psalm 90 a mature reflection from Moses,
the man of God.
If there is anyone who is qualified to speak about the eternal God
and people's relationship to the eternal God,
then it's Moses.
Because he is somebody who God spoke to face to face
as a man talks with his friend.
We're told that in Exodus 33.
So here is Moses reflecting on us in time
and the God of eternity.
Now one question before we get into it,
what's the likely timing of the writing of Psalm 90?
So some commentators have got their suggestions.
The one that makes the most sense to me,
and it's just a suggestion,
is that it probably follows the events of Numbers 20.
When you read Numbers 20,
you discover that there Moses' sister dies,
the sister Miriam,
his brother Aaron dies.
And Numbers 20 is also that point
where he has forbidden entry into the promised land.
He was told to bring water from the rock
and instead of speaking,
he hits it with a stick.
And because of that, he's forbidden entry.
Why do I think this is the most likely time period for writing?
Because as you look at Psalm 90,
you see this theme of the brevity of life coming through.
You also see the connection between sin and death
being highlighted for us.
And the idea at verse 1 of God being a home,
God as home for the homeless,
is also present there.
So that being the case,
how does Moses guide us to think about the eternal God?
Well, the key, the most basic observation for us
is just that simple reminder that God is eternal.
So verse 1 and 2 again,
Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations
before the mountains were born,
while you brought forth the earth and the world
from everlasting to everlasting,
you are God.
So Moses picks the biggest,
most permanent,
most enduring part of our world,
the mountains.
And then he goes wider than that.
He says,
even before you brought the earth and the world,
you are God.
From everlasting to everlasting,
you are God.
Before there was anything that we can see,
it was God.
After there is everything,
there will be God.
Moses is teaching here
the same message of Genesis chapter 1.
In the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth.
So God is,
he exists before he creates.
So he creates a world that is marked by time.
There are days and there are seasons
and there are years,
but God is not within that.
God is timeless.
He is everlasting.
So he is outside of time.
And this is one of those things that is,
I would suggest,
it's almost impossible for us
to get our minds around.
It's one of those biblical mysteries.
We were talking about it in the car,
on the drive up.
How do you imagine,
how can you begin to imagine
a God who has always been?
Because we are so used to stuff
having a beginning and an ending.
We think in terms of time,
in terms of duration.
We cannot imagine that anything
will last forever.
And that's part of the mystery of God.
It's part of how he differs from us,
that he stands apart from us,
unique to us,
because he is eternal.
And because he is eternal,
he has a different perspective
on time than we do.
So in verse four,
for a thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
So because God stands above time,
he's able to see history
in a single moment.
He's not bound by our limited perspective.
You know, what do we know
about the past and the present?
Depending on how many books we've read
or how many conversations we've had,
we may have some grasp of the past,
and we've got some understanding
of our experience of the present,
but it's still tiny compared to
all that's going on around the world.
And it's important for us
to recognize that
and to see that our place
within God's story
is tiny as well.
That we are important,
we're valued by God,
but our place is small.
So if the whole of human history
is God's great musical concerto,
perhaps we're a single note.
Or if history is God's epic cinematic masterpiece,
then we are extras
with a small walk on part.
That to look on us
does not give a whole sense
of time and history,
but God can see the whole.
God sees the whole story.
He sees our place
within time and history
in ways that we can't.
The truth that God is eternal,
it is intended to do
at least two things within us.
First of all,
it's intended to give us
a proper sense of humility,
to understand that
we're not always going to grasp
what God is doing,
why He does it.
We're not always going to understand
what perfect timing means for God.
We have an idea
of what perfect timing should be.
When we pray,
we expect God to answer
at such and such a time.
God doesn't always do that.
So there is to be a humility
as a result of that,
but also a sense of hope
that we can trust this God
to work all things together for good,
even if that leaves
unresolved mystery for us.
Even if we cannot see
how God can possibly use
this or that difficult circumstance
or mess in our lives,
we can trust the eternal God
to bring good,
to redeem that.
We can trust the message
of Ecclesiastes,
that God makes everything beautiful
in His own time,
not always in our time.
that we're invited to have faith
that His story of salvation
comes together
as He intends it to.
And so we're invited
to this humble,
hopeful attitude
that says to God,
my times are in your hands
and that's not a message
that tends towards despair,
but it allows us to humbly trust
because we know our eternal God.
So that's one of the dominant pictures
of Psalm 90,
that God is eternal.
Another key observation
that Moses makes for us
at this very basic level
is that by contrast,
we are temporal
and we are time bound.
So in verse 3,
He says,
you turn men back to dust,
saying,
return to dust,
O sons of men.
So the Bible teaches
that God is sovereign
over all the days of our lives,
from our beginning,
and then He sustains
all the days of our lives
and He decides
the day of our death.
In verse 5,
you sweep men away
in the sleep of death.
They're like the new grass
of the morning,
though in the morning
it springs up new.
By evening,
it is dry and withered.
Compared to God,
our life is brief
and fragile,
like the desert grass
that springs up in the morning
and then by the evening
is scorched and gone.
We are here today
and gone tomorrow,
relatively speaking.
Now it's important
for us to recognize
that that was not
how things were,
in the beginning.
So in verse 3,
he uses that
return to dust language
and that, I think,
is deliberately picking up
the language
of Genesis chapter 3.
Moses was the writer
of Genesis.
And in Genesis 3,
we have the language
of dust to dust.
Following the sinful pride
and rebellion
of Adam and Eve,
Adam and then
all people subsequent
find themselves
under God's curse.
That Adam is told
quite clearly
that sin leads to death
and as a consequence
of their sin,
death comes
into the world.
Why do we suffer
in time
in our lives
and why do we die?
Because,
as the Bible says,
the wages of sin
is death.
That's the reason
why I think
in verses 7 to 10,
there is such
a strong connection
between the themes
of judgment
and death.
Moses is trying
to remind us
in very stark terms
that our short lives,
part of the brevity
of life,
reminds us
that God
is justly angry
against sin.
That death
came into the world
as a consequence
consequence
of sin
and we are all
implicated in that
which is why
the we and the our
language comes through
again and again
in verses 7 to 9.
So we are consumed
by your anger.
You have set
our iniquities
before you,
our secret sins
in the light
of your presence.
All of humanity
together
in our sin
leading to the death
leading to death
and the displeasure
of God.
So Moses is not
just pointing out
the great contrast
that is in terms
of God is eternal
and we are temporal.
Part of that contrast
is showing the great
crisis that as people
we all face.
How can we properly
relate to this
eternal God
if we stand as
sinners deserving
the judgment of God?
And so the question
that we want to turn
our attention to now
is,
is there any good news
for us here
does Moses
the man of faith
have anything
gospel to say to us?
Is there hope
for us
in this psalm?
And the answer is
yes,
there is
as we listen
to his words.
The first
lesson I think
that Moses
would have us
to learn
is that we should
ask God
to help us
live wisely
in time.
And we'll think
about what that
looks like.
but maybe we can
read together
in verses 11
and 12.
Verse 11,
Who knows
the power
of your anger?
For your wrath
is as great
as the fear
that is due
to you.
And then he says,
Teach us
to number
our days
aright
that we may
gain
a heart
of wisdom.
What would it
look like
for God
to teach us
to number
our days
right?
What is
wisdom
in how we
approach
time and
eternity?
Moses has
got a lot
of valuable
stuff
to teach
us.
So we just
read verse 11
and they are
part of the
wisdom
that he's
teaching us
is to
understand
that sin
is serious
and God
is holy.
Take time
to observe
and reflect
that reality.
Sometimes we're
so busy
with life
that we can
ignore
the great
crisis that
there is
between us
and God
and we can
ignore God's
solution to
that crisis
the sending
of his one
and only
son Jesus
to be our
savior
and rescuer.
And so this
psalm is pushing
us to understand
that sin is
serious
and that God
is holy
and to understand
that there is
a direct
connection
between sin
and death.
Again,
it is wisdom
to recognize
that so while
we have time
to discover
for ourselves
God's way
of forgiveness.
We don't like
to think about
life and death
and judgment
but it's wisdom
for us
when we reflect
on the fact
that death
comes to us all
and we need
to be ready
for that
and God
and Jesus
has given
us the way
to be ready
because he's
given us the way
where if we
trust in Jesus
then we know
that we'll be
accepted by God
and we'll enjoy
eternal life
from him.
I think in
verse 4
we're encouraged
to remember
and to understand
that God's
timetable
is different
to ours
and so we're
invited to be
trusting in God
in the days
that he gives
to us.
That we are to
understand that
life is
temporary
so we don't
invest all our
energy in now
we live for
eternity.
In Luke
chapter 12
Jesus taught
the parable
that we
maybe know
as the parable
of the rich
fool.
There was a
man who had
a great harvest
and so he's
got this question
well what should
I do
with my great
crop
and he decides
well I know
what I'll do
I'll tear down
my small barns
and I'll build
bigger ones
and then once
all the crop
is in
I'll eat
and I'll drink
and I'll be
merry
and in the
night God
comes to him
and says
you fool
tonight your
life will be
asked of you
and Jesus
is saying
it's foolish
to be rich
in human
terms now
and to be
poor in terms
of not having
a relationship
with the God
who made us
the God who
made us
so that we
might know
him
and so one
of the things
that Moses
is pushing us
to think about
is if there
is an eternal
God
then
and if God
has made us
for relationship
then we need
in order that
we might enjoy
the eternal
life promised
by Jesus
so the first
lesson that Moses
gives us in this
psalm is to ask
God to help us
to live wisely
and the second
thing
and Moses came
to learn this
in his own
experience
make your home
in God
picking up
that language
of verse
one
Lord you
have been
our dwelling
place
throughout
all
generations
so here is
personal testimony
from Moses
the man of
faith
this is Moses
also speaking
on behalf of
the generations
of faith
that came
before him
that God
is a home
God
is a refuge
God
is a safe
place
for his
people
perhaps we can
think about the
example of
Abraham
Abraham was
promised
by God
I will give
you the land
of Canaan
but that land
would only come
to Abraham's
descendants
430 years
later
so Abraham
spent a good
portion of
his life
wandering around
from place
to place
with no
home to
speak of
except that
his home
his place
of security
his place
of belonging
was in
God
and so
Moses too
understood
that as
the people
wandered in
the wilderness
for 40 years
again
without a
home
Moses
and the
faithful
in Israel
found their
home
found their
safe place
in God
when trouble
when challenges
came
was God
that Moses
turned to
home
is a place
of belonging
when John
Calvin
commentated
on this
psalm
he said
that this
dwelling place
language
is adoption
language
we have
a home
because God
is father
and we
are his
children
we are
children
of the
eternal
God
and so
it makes
sense
for us
to find
our rest
and our
security
and our
hope
with our
father
God
and so
again
there's this
contrast
so Moses
is saying
on the one
hand
you know
life is
full of
trial
and sorrow
and it's
short
but he's
also saying
with the
eternal
God
there is
a sense
of being
rooted
there is
a sense
of permanence
there
so that
while there
is this
trial
and while
there is
this sorrow
for the
people of
God
for example
in verse
14
we can say
satisfy us
in the morning
with your
unfailing
love
that we
may sing
for joy
and be
glad
all our
days
and again
we can
remember
Jesus'
words
in John
chapter
14
as Jesus
spoke to
his troubled
disciples
the night
before he
would go
to the
cross
Jesus
said this
to them
this is
beginning
of John
chapter
14
do not
let your
hearts
be troubled
trust in
God
trust also
in me
in my
father's
house
are many
rooms
if it
were not
so I
would have
told you
I am
going there
to prepare
a place
for you
and if
I go
and prepare
a place
for you
I will
come back
and take
you to
be with
me
that you
also
may be
where I
am
so here
is gospel
hope
connected to
this idea
of a
home
Jesus is
saying I
have come
to save
you
in order
that one
day I
will take
you to
be with
me
in
perfection
forever
and the
picture there
is of
God
having
plenty
of space
for all
those who
would trust
in Jesus
to enjoy
the joy
of heaven
the third
lesson
that I think
that we can
learn from
Moses about
how to
live
wisely
it comes
from verse
17
and the
idea of
investing
in
eternity
if we're
right in
thinking
this is
Moses
writing this
psalm towards
the end
of his
life
then when
he says
may the
favor of
the Lord
our God
rest upon
us
establish the
work of
our hands
for us
yes
establish the
work of
our hands
it's
natural to
hear this
as Moses
asking for
a legacy
of faith
let my
life mean
something
in spiritual
terms
let the
life of
the people
of Israel
mean something
in spiritual
terms
here is an
encouraging
principle
here is
Moses
a man
who is
bound by
time
speaking to
the eternal
God
and he's
acknowledging
that the
eternal
God can
establish
lasting
eternal
results
from our
small
efforts
in time
if God
establishes
our work
then they
will have
lasting
value
and significance
it's like
Jesus
in Matthew
chapter 6
when he
called us
to store
up for
ourselves
treasures
in heaven
to invest
our time
and our
energy
and our
resources
in those
things that
are
eternal
so a
reminder to
invest in
relationships
and people
ahead of
money and
stuff
to share
our resources
to care
for others
in Jesus
name
asking that
God's love
might be felt
in the
lives of
others
and they
may be
drawn to
trust in
Jesus
for
themselves
it
certainly
reminds us
of the
importance
of sharing
the gospel
of sharing
our faith
with others
in our
homes
in our
church
in the
groups
that we
belong
to
on our
streets
because
God can
take our
small
efforts
and he
can
establish
them
in such
a way
that it
has
eternal
significance
so Moses
here is
seeking to
act as
our guide
as we
think about
the eternal
God
and how
we relate
to him
in Jen
Wilkins
book
she asks
a helpful
question
when she
asks how
aware
are you
that your
days
are numbered
it's
wisdom
to see
that every
day of
our life
is a
gift
of God's
grace
it's
wisdom
to
acknowledge
that we
are
fragile
and that
the eternal
God is
our only
lasting
hope
and home
and it
is truly
wise
to trust
in Jesus
the eternal
son of
God
who have
love for
us
entered
into
time
entered
into
human
history
in order
to go
to the
cross
to save
us
in order
to promise
us
the eternal
life
that our
hearts
long for
not
have
you
have
no
help