Psa 90:13 | KingComments | STEP | Moses is the voice of the remnant who learned the lesson of life. Moses learned the lesson during the forty-year wilderness journey and became wise. The faithful remnant of Israel will learn that lesson during the great tribulation by the antichrist and the disciplining of God through the prophetic Assyrian that follows. Moses has become wise and so he boldly prays to the “LORD” and asks Him: “Do return” ( ). It is the call to the LORD for mercy. This is the opposite of what God said to the children of men in . True wisdom appeals to God to return in grace from His death judgment and to return in grace to His people. It is precisely the mortality of the people that makes it necessary for God to commit Himself to them. Otherwise there is no hope. The remnant has repented, they have returned to God. Therefore, they can ask God if He will return to them now. This is consistent with the promise God gives in Zechariah 1: “The LORD was very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the LORD of hosts”” ( ). This hope of return is echoed in the question “how long [will it be]?” It has been so long that God has – rightly – withdrawn from His people. Moses, in great humility and at the same time with great urgency, asks if God will be sorry for the judgment He had to bring upon His servants. To be sorry here means that God will repent in regard to or will go back on His decision to exterminate the people ( ). The pleading ground is what the LORD Himself said ( ; cf. ). They are “Your servants”, aren’t they? That indicates how much they are dependent on Him and also that they have become willing to serve Him. Next, Moses asks if the LORD will allow a new day in their history to dawn for the people ( ). That day is to begin with the “lovingkindness” of the LORD. Lovingkindness, Adonai, refers to the LORD’s faithfulness to His covenant, the blessings He gives by virtue of that covenant. He cannot give them on the basis of the old covenant, that is, on the basis of works of the law. He can only give them on the basis of the new covenant, that is, on the basis of the shed blood of Christ, the blood of the new covenant. That blood is so rich that its blessings flow not only to Israel but also to New Testament believers, the church of the living God ( ). When the remnant is satisfied by Him with the blessings of the new covenant “in the morning” – that is, when a new day has dawned, the day of the realm of peace – it will remain so throughout the day or throughout all the time of the realm of peace. It will be like the manna that the people also received every morning in the wilderness as food for the whole day and of which they were allowed to eat to satiety ( ). As a result, they will “sing for joy and be glad” during “all our days”. This is contrasted with “all our days” declining because of the fury of God ( ). Every day of life will then be filled with rejoicing and gladness over all of God’s favors. As in , there is talk of “days” and “years” here. Days speak of quantity and years speak of quality. Moses asks God to make them glad according to the days He has afflicted them ( ). The affliction under which they have groaned has been brought upon them by God. Moses knows and acknowledges that. God alone can change that. Therefore, he asks if God will offset the years of evil He has brought upon them with years of joy. The days and years of joy must come from God just as much as the days of tribulation have come from Him. Moses here asks in humility. What God gives far exceeds what He asks. What He gives, let the days of tribulation and the years of evil be forgotten, no more will be thought of them ( ). We see in Job, for example, that after his suffering he receives back double what he lost ( ; cf. ; ). For us, everything is even richer. We may know that the “momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” ( ; ). Moses’ final questions to God are about God’s work, “Your work”, and their work, “the work of our hands”. He begins with God’s work on His servants ( ). God is constantly forming His servants. His goal is that He recognizes Himself in them. Where God’s work is seen, His glory is seen. Moses asks if the “majesty” of the LORD will also be seen over “their children”, that is, the next generation. For that to happen, everything must be removed from the lives of the servants and their children that prevents Him from being visible in their lives. He will confirm that work. The result will be visible to all when He sends the Lord Jesus and all His own with Him to the earth ( ). In asking that “the favor of the Lord our God” will be upon them, Moses is asking about the coming of the Messiah ( ). At His coming, not only does God’s work become visible, but “the favor of the Lord” comes upon His people. God’s favor is not only something to rejoice in, but is also a powerful motive to work for Him. God’s response is found in Psalm 91. When we consider all that He has done for us, we will do everything He asks of us and involve Him in everything we do. We will ask Him for His blessing on our work as confirmation of His approval of it. At the same time, this involves the realization that what we do is good only if God confirms the work of our hands ( ). We will also realize that the works we may do are works He has “prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” ( ). This awareness and desire for His confirmation is so great that the request for confirmation is repeated, the repetition being preceded by an emphatic “yes”.

‏ Psalms 90:13

Confirm the Work of Our Hands

Moses is the voice of the remnant who learned the lesson of life. Moses learned the lesson during the forty-year wilderness journey and became wise. The faithful remnant of Israel will learn that lesson during the great tribulation by the antichrist and the disciplining of God through the prophetic Assyrian that follows.

Moses has become wise and so he boldly prays to the “LORD” and asks Him: “Do return” (Psa 90:13). It is the call to the LORD for mercy. This is the opposite of what God said to the children of men in Psa 90:3. True wisdom appeals to God to return in grace from His death judgment and to return in grace to His people. It is precisely the mortality of the people that makes it necessary for God to commit Himself to them. Otherwise there is no hope.

The remnant has repented, they have returned to God. Therefore, they can ask God if He will return to them now. This is consistent with the promise God gives in Zechariah 1: “The LORD was very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the LORD of hosts”” (Zec 1:2-3).

This hope of return is echoed in the question “how long [will it be]?” It has been so long that God has – rightly – withdrawn from His people. Moses, in great humility and at the same time with great urgency, asks if God will be sorry for the judgment He had to bring upon His servants. To be sorry here means that God will repent in regard to or will go back on His decision to exterminate the people (Exo 32:10). The pleading ground is what the LORD Himself said (Deu 32:36; cf. Psa 135:14). They are “Your servants”, aren’t they? That indicates how much they are dependent on Him and also that they have become willing to serve Him.

Next, Moses asks if the LORD will allow a new day in their history to dawn for the people (Psa 90:14). That day is to begin with the “lovingkindness” of the LORD. Lovingkindness, Adonai, refers to the LORD’s faithfulness to His covenant, the blessings He gives by virtue of that covenant. He cannot give them on the basis of the old covenant, that is, on the basis of works of the law. He can only give them on the basis of the new covenant, that is, on the basis of the shed blood of Christ, the blood of the new covenant. That blood is so rich that its blessings flow not only to Israel but also to New Testament believers, the church of the living God (2Cor 3:6-18).

When the remnant is satisfied by Him with the blessings of the new covenant “in the morning” – that is, when a new day has dawned, the day of the realm of peace – it will remain so throughout the day or throughout all the time of the realm of peace. It will be like the manna that the people also received every morning in the wilderness as food for the whole day and of which they were allowed to eat to satiety (Exo 16:21a).

As a result, they will “sing for joy and be glad” during “all our days”. This is contrasted with “all our days” declining because of the fury of God (Psa 90:9). Every day of life will then be filled with rejoicing and gladness over all of God’s favors. As in Psa 90:9-10, there is talk of “days” and “years” here. Days speak of quantity and years speak of quality.

Moses asks God to make them glad according to the days He has afflicted them (Psa 90:15). The affliction under which they have groaned has been brought upon them by God. Moses knows and acknowledges that. God alone can change that. Therefore, he asks if God will offset the years of evil He has brought upon them with years of joy. The days and years of joy must come from God just as much as the days of tribulation have come from Him.

Moses here asks in humility. What God gives far exceeds what He asks. What He gives, let the days of tribulation and the years of evil be forgotten, no more will be thought of them (Isa 65:17). We see in Job, for example, that after his suffering he receives back double what he lost (Job 42:10 ; 12 ; Job 1:3; cf. Isa 61:7; Zec 9:12). For us, everything is even richer. We may know that the “momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2Cor 4:17; Rom 8:18).

Moses’ final questions to God are about God’s work, “Your work”, and their work, “the work of our hands”. He begins with God’s work on His servants (Psa 90:16). God is constantly forming His servants. His goal is that He recognizes Himself in them. Where God’s work is seen, His glory is seen. Moses asks if the “majesty” of the LORD will also be seen over “their children”, that is, the next generation.

For that to happen, everything must be removed from the lives of the servants and their children that prevents Him from being visible in their lives. He will confirm that work. The result will be visible to all when He sends the Lord Jesus and all His own with Him to the earth (Phil 1:6 ; 10-11).

In asking that “the favor of the Lord our God” will be upon them, Moses is asking about the coming of the Messiah (Psa 90:17). At His coming, not only does God’s work become visible, but “the favor of the Lord” comes upon His people. God’s favor is not only something to rejoice in, but is also a powerful motive to work for Him. God’s response is found in Psalm 91.

When we consider all that He has done for us, we will do everything He asks of us and involve Him in everything we do. We will ask Him for His blessing on our work as confirmation of His approval of it. At the same time, this involves the realization that what we do is good only if God confirms the work of our hands (Psa 127:1).

We will also realize that the works we may do are works He has “prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph 2:10). This awareness and desire for His confirmation is so great that the request for confirmation is repeated, the repetition being preceded by an emphatic “yes”.