Monday Devo
Scripture:
Psalm 90
1 Lord, through all the generations
you have been our home!
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from beginning to end, you are God.
3 You turn people back to dust, saying,
“Return to dust, you mortals!”
4 For you, a thousand years are as a passing day,
as brief as a few night hours.
5 You sweep people away like dreams that disappear.
They are like grass that springs up in the morning.
6 In the morning it blooms and flourishes,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
1 Lord, through all the generations
you have been our home!
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from beginning to end, you are God.
3 You turn people back to dust, saying,
“Return to dust, you mortals!”
4 For you, a thousand years are as a passing day,
as brief as a few night hours.
5 You sweep people away like dreams that disappear.
They are like grass that springs up in the morning.
6 In the morning it blooms and flourishes,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
Commentary:
90:1–2 The Lord Is Eternal. The Lord is the dwelling place, i.e., the home and refuge, for his people in all generations because he himself is eternal. He has been God since before the creation. That God is the Creator is assumed, and that the Lord has always been God indicates that he always will be, i.e., that he will not change.
90:3–6 But Man’s Life Is Fleeting. In contrast to God’s eternity, human life—even the longest imaginable (a thousand years, v. 4)—is insignificantly brief (as expressed in the images of a watch in the night, a flood, a dream, and grass). Cf. 103:15–18; Job 14:1–2; Isa. 40:6–8; James 1:11. The psalm evokes God’s sentence in Eden on the sin of Adam and Eve (Ps. 90:3), which means that the fleeting life span is due to the entry of sin into the world (i.e., it is not an inherent part of being human).
90:3 return man to dust. Even though the word “dust” here (Hb. dakka’) is not the same as that in Gen. 3:19 (Hb. ‘apar, the ordinary word), the coupling of “return” with a word for loose soil makes the reference to Genesis clear.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1052–1053.
90:3–6 But Man’s Life Is Fleeting. In contrast to God’s eternity, human life—even the longest imaginable (a thousand years, v. 4)—is insignificantly brief (as expressed in the images of a watch in the night, a flood, a dream, and grass). Cf. 103:15–18; Job 14:1–2; Isa. 40:6–8; James 1:11. The psalm evokes God’s sentence in Eden on the sin of Adam and Eve (Ps. 90:3), which means that the fleeting life span is due to the entry of sin into the world (i.e., it is not an inherent part of being human).
90:3 return man to dust. Even though the word “dust” here (Hb. dakka’) is not the same as that in Gen. 3:19 (Hb. ‘apar, the ordinary word), the coupling of “return” with a word for loose soil makes the reference to Genesis clear.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1052–1053.
Questions:
- On Sunday, we talked about the ABC's of Christianity; how to follow Jesus. Psalm 90 is attributed to a prayer of Moses. This was most likely written at a very dark time for Moses, after the death of both his brother and sister, as well as God telling him he won't be able to enter the promised land. This is a prayer acknowledging God's discipline and begging for His mercy and presence. He starts by acknowledging God's eternal nature and sovereignty. If we are going to faithfully follow Him, we have to first acknowledge who He is... He is GOD. He is HUGE! He's powerful, mighty, glorious. He is infinitely holy, righteous and just. He is eternal and omniscient. How often do you marvel and the greatness of God? How might doing this more regularly affect your perspective on life?
- He is GOD, but you are NOT. Verses 3-6 speak of man's frailty and fragility in the light of God's eternal greatness. We are nothing compared to Him! Derek Kidner said, "The comparison is like that of Isaiah 40:15, where the nations are ‘like a drop from a bucket, and … as the dust on the scales’. It puts our world into its context, which is God, and our time-span into its huge setting of eternity. This is humbling to human pride." Is this thought humbling to you? How can you more regularly humble yourself before an almighty God?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would regularly worship God for His greatness.
- That you would daily humble yourself before Him.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
No Comments