Psalms 90:1-17

Psalm PSALM—NOTE ON Psalms 90:1. This community lament relates to some unspecified disaster (vv. Psalms 90:13, Psalms 90:15). It asks God to have pity on his people and bless them. The title credits the psalm to Moses. The psalm pictures Israel around the time of Deuteronomy 1:1, as they were about to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land. Their parents had followed Moses out of Egypt, through the parted Red Sea—and yet they rebelled, so God swore that they would not enter the land (Numbers 14:20). For the Israelites to accomplish their mission and for God to establish the work of their hands (Psalms 90:17), the people need to embrace the covenant and live in faith toward God. Those who sing this should see themselves as the heirs of that generation, seeking God’s blessing so that they can carry out their mission.