THE EVERLASTING GOD

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PSALM 90

The Everlasting God

2 words of the day: “everlasting” and “dwell”

Book Four

From Everlasting to Everlasting

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90 Lord, you have been our dwelling place[a]

in all generations.

2 Before the mountains were brought forth,

or ever you had formed the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3 You return man to dust

and say, “Return, O children of man!”[b]

4 For a thousand years in your sight

are but as yesterday when it is past,

or as a watch in the night.

5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,

like grass that is renewed in the morning:

6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;

in the evening it fades and withers.

7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;

by your wrath we are dismayed.

8 You have set our iniquities before you,

our secret sins in the light of your presence.

9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;

we bring our years to an end like a sigh.

10 The years of our life are seventy,

or even by reason of strength eighty;

yet their span[c] is but toil and trouble;

they are soon gone, and we fly away.

11 Who considers the power of your anger,

and your wrath according to the fear of you?

12 So teach us to number our days

that we may get a heart of wisdom.

13 Return, O Lord! How long?

Have pity on your servants!

14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,

that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

and for as many years as we have seen evil.

16 Let your work be shown to your servants,

and your glorious power to their children.

17 Let the favor[d] of the Lord our God be upon us,

and establish the work of our hands upon us;

yes, establish the work of our hands!

Context for Psalm 90

a. God only used Moses to write 1 of the 150 Psalms, Psalm 90. King David, 73; God used Moses write 1st 5 Books of Bible.

b. Psalms have been divided into 6 sub books: Hymns (praise), Thanksgiving, Kingship, Wisdom Laments (deep sorrow, mourning or regret - Griff Psalm 13 “how long Lord…”), Confidence/Trust (Pastor Daniel Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” then Noah last week, Psalm 16). Psalm 90 is Psalm of confidence or trust in God.

c. Moses lived 1400 B.C. - 400 years after Joseph and 400 years before David. Reminder from Exodus 3 of how Moses was used by God after growing up in Pharaoh’s family, killing a man, running, then God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Moses was used by God to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.

The Israelites were wondering through the desert under Moses’ leadership as directed by God. Moses wrote Psalm 90 sometime between 1446 B.C. (crossing of Red Sea) to his death 1406 B.C. (40 years).

d. Insert yourself into this story (3500 years ago) - Extremely hard living filled with hunger & thirst, suffering, death, lack of direction, obedience/disobedience. A population the size of San Antonio metro - nomads following God through the desert for a generation, 40 years. Moses trying to stay true to God.

4. Psalm 90 heading “From Everlasting to Everlasting” – God has always been and always will be

a. Impossible for our 3 lb brains to understand being outside of time. Did you know?

Exodus 3:13-15 “Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, and they ask, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?’, then God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am’.” Everlasting, no fluff, no grand adjectives, just “I am”; Everlasting to everlasting.

John 8:58 “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham, I am.”

vs 1 “A prayer of Moses, The Man of God. Lord you have been our dwelling place for all generations”

“The Man” …. “of God” what a title; not “the man” of the people (trustworthy, influential)

“dwelling place” - hang out with, be with, - dwelling place - home

c. “all generations - going back to God calling Abram (Abraham) 2100 years B.C. (700 years before Moses)

vs. 2: “Before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

a. Recognizing God existed before creation and is the creator

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”

b. God has always been and always will be

Not the case with us:

vs 3-4: “You return man to dust and say, ‘Return, O children of man!’ For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night”

a. Time is not an issue for God – remember He is outside of time; not so with us!

b. Our lives are like a night shift – our lives are over. We will ‘return to dust’ unless Jesus returns before we die.

vs 5-6: “You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.”

a. “Flood” – Israelites of the time would think of the flood of Noah. God was so fed up with peoples’ sin that he flooded the entire world and only saved Noah and his family as they were right with God.

God is everlasting and unchanging – but we’re more like our hibiscus plants in summer – fading as day goes and refreshed in the morning.

vs 7 “For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed.”

Even though God heard their prayers and rescued them from Egyptian slavery through mighty miracles – the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 2) the Israelites were afraid and disobeyed God, so God turned a month’s journey to the promise land, 250 miles from Egypt to Canaan, into 40 years so a generation would die off (refer to map). Caleb and Joshua said “let’s go” but fear won over.

Pray for God’s divine efficiency – God’s way 1 month; Man’s way 40 years! Like me putting something together without prayer and without reading the directions – much wasted time.

vs 8 “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.”

a. Iniquities – ungodly thoughts, words, actions – also called “sins”

b. Picture our wrongs being set before God – all spread out – without Jesus, this is as He sees them

c. We may have “secret sins” but there are no secrets in the light of God’s presence. The good news is, He sees you…….. apart from Jesus Christ, the bad news is, He sees you.

vs 9, “For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end with a sigh.”

a. God was angry at the Israelites for their sin

b. “We bring our years to an end” reminder that man was created to live forever, but sin (Genesis 3)

vs 10, “The years of our life are 70 or even by reason of strength 80; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”

a. Prior to sin, Adam and Eve had no life span. Death was a result of sin. Until Noah’s time, people are recorded dying at over 900 years old. Noah’s grandfather, Methuselah 969; Noah 950. Genesis 6:3 “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”

b. The point God is making through Moses to the Israelites and to us - the physical life is short and difficult – desert context.

vs. 11, “Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?”

a. The Israelites have seen the power of God’s anger: the plagues in Egypt, the Red Sea engulfing the Egyptian army,

b. As a perfect father, God requires obedience

vs. 12-17 Moses has a series of requests, or supplication

vs. 12, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom”

a. As good or difficult each day may be, it is a gift from God. Make the most of it.

b. Gain wisdom – ask God for it

vs. 13, “Return O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants”

a. Help! Lament – “how long?”

b. “Servants” – Moses knew he and the Israelites were totally dependent on God

vs. 14, “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days”

a. Interesting – “fear” in vs 11 coupled with love here

b. Rejoice – “to feel or show great joy and delight”

vs. 15, “Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.”

a. Joy that is independent of circumstances only comes from God

vs. 16, “Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.”

a. God reveal yourself, your work and power

b. In this desert context, God must act for people to be saved - daily food - quail and manna, water. Daily guidance – pillar of cloud by day, fire by night (Exodus 13)

c. “Children” - Moses looking ahead to the generation who will enter the promise land.

vs. 17, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, yes, establish the work of our hands!”

a. Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God has things for us to do

So what else? What does this story from 3,500 years ago have to do with us today?

a. Psalm 90 speaks to the everlasting nature of God and our need for a savior. We can live in eternity with God, but not by our own efforts.

b. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Over a 6-day period God spoke and created everything that exists.

c. The Bible says God is everlasting, unchanging, so where was Jesus at time of creation? In Genesis 1, we have “God” the Father, we have the “Spirit of God”.

d. Your word is part of you. Deny it or not, when you say something, you own it. “And God said” (8 times in Gen 1 “God said”

e. John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made”

John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

f. The Son of God, did not get the name Jesus until he came in the form of a baby 2000 years ago, but He has always been the everlasting God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity.

g. Colossians 1:15 “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created…”

h. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

i. God still hates sin, but instead of wiping us out, He sent his son Jesus to wipe out all our sin through his death and resurrection.

Application – no time to waste – sense of urgency to follow Jesus daily and on into heaven

1. Talk to Jesus - put your trust in him for the first time or renew it.

2. Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior or reconfirm that that’s who He is to you

3. Dwell with Him daily – spend time with Jesus in prayer, reading the Bible, and in relationship

God (Jesus) is everlasting, we are not. He loves you and desires a wonderful, fulfilling relationship with you. Come home to Him; dwell with Him. That’s what He desires from you.