Psalms 90
PATTo the chtif Musician upon Neginah. A Psalm of David. ARGUMENT*. All agree that, in the beginning of this Psalm, David relates what his thoughts were, when he fled either from Saul or from his son Absalom; who drove him over Jordan, as far as Mahanaim, the very extremity of Judea. Of this latter, it is most probable, he complains here; (ver. 2.) because afterward he calls himself king,(ver. 6.) which he would not have done during the lifo of Saul, though he was anointed, and designed by God to thathigh dignity; because nothing could have justified Saul’s persecution of him so much as his talcing upon him that title. It may be said, indeed, that he kept this Psalm private till he was possessed of the kingdom, and then delivered it to the chief musieian,/to be sung as Psalm iv. But that will not seem so likely, when we consider that his danger was over before he had finished this Psalm, and called himself a king, as appears from the latter part of it, beginning ver. 5.: where, after a pause, he begins to acknowledge how God had granted the desires he made when he was in distress; and thankfully commemorates his mercy in bringing him back again to his tabernacle: hoping he would prolong his life in the throne, (ver. G.) to which ho was newly cither advanced, ot restored by God’s goodness. I.shall suppose the latter in my Paraphrase. A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God. Here begins the fourth book of Psalms; in this differing from the rest— that as those of tho first book are most of them ascribed to David, and those of the second in great part to the sons of Korah, and those of the third to « Asaph;. so there are few of these whose author is certainly known: and therefore, I suppose, were all put together, in one and the same collection. The first of them, indeed, being made by Moses, the Hebrews have entertained a conceit (which St. Jerome and St. Hilary also follow), that he was the author also of the ten next immediately ensuing. But, as there is no reason for that (it will appear in due place), so I can see no cause why we should fancy David, or some of the children of Moses in his time, or a singer of that name (as Aben Ezra conjectures), to have composed this present Psalm; when not only the title expressly gives it to that Moses who was the man of God, (as their lawgiver is called, Deut. xxxiii. 1.) or that famous prophet by whom God - spake to them; but the Chaldee Paraphrase and the very matter of this Psalm, sufficiently shew that it was a meditation of his, when the people offended.so highly against God in the wilderness, (especially by murmuring at the relation the spies brought them of the good land, Numb. Xiv.) that he shortened their lives to seventy or eighty years at the most, and suffered them not to arrive at the age of their ancestors, or of Moses, Caleb, and Joshua, whose lives he prolonged to a hundred and twenty years. Which grievous punishment Moses prays God they may lay to heart seriously, and so recover his favour, (ver. 12, &c.) who is the eternal God, as he tells them (in the beginning of the Psalm), and had been, in a particular - manner, kind to their progenitors in former generations. This is tho substance of the Psalm: which the collector of this book thought fit to place in the very beginning of it; because of the great antiquity of this Psalm, and the dignity of its author. much sorrow and vexation; fo sec the strongest among us cut down like grass in a moment, or at least making great haste unto their graves.
Psalms 90:1
JljLeAR my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. God, the supreme governor and judge of all the world, graciously vouchsafe to admit and answer the petitions of a poor supplicant, who, in a most lamentable condition, cries unto thee most earnestly for relief. JLfORD, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations.) O Lord, who sustainest and governest the whole world, thou hast been the constant protector of our nation for mauy ages; having afforded all things necessary for the defence and security of our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when they had no certain dwellingplace, but were strangers in the land whither we are going, and supported us in the land of Egypt; where, in a time of dearth, thou madest an ample provision for us; as thou hast also done hitherto in this barren desert.
Psalms 90:2
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. Of which I will not despair, though I am.upon.the brink of being thrust out of my kingdom, (2 Sam. xvii. 22. 24.) and in such anxiety of mind, that I am even overwhelmed with fear, and grief, and care; still I cry unto thee, saying, Secure me, I beseech thee, and bring mo into a placo of safety; which as without thee I am not able to reach, so there my enemies may not be able to approach rac. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.] Where, though we have no towns nor houses, wo ought to think ourselves safe; and to trust in thee, who art the same mighty God. Thou over wast (not only before we and our’ forefathers were made, but before the mountains arose out of the waters, and thou commandedst the rest of the earth, and this beautiful world, to appear), and ever wilt be, whatever changes there be here, without any alteration.
Psalms 90:3
For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. For in all my distresses hitherto, thou hast been pleased wonderfully to preserve me: I fled. to thee, and was protected, as in an impregnable fortress, when Saul sought to destroy me. Thon turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.’) We have highly offended thee, indeed, and so did our first parents; who became thereby most wretched and miserable creatures, and were doomed by thee to return to the dust, out of which they were formed; as all their posterity must do, whensoever thou summonest them to obey that sentence, thou hast passed upon them.
Psalms 90:4
I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever; I will, trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. Which makes me hope thou wilt restore me again to the place where thou dwellcst; and that I shall never bo thus banished from it any more, but remain in safety under thy almighty protection, in which I will put my entire confidence. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.’] And should we have a reprieve for a longer time than our first father Adam, and some of his successors had, who lived near to a thousand years, we should be wretched still: especially when we compared. ourselves with thee; in whose account the longest life is as inconsiderable as one day, and that when it is spent and gone; nay, as three, or four hours, which pass away in sleep.
Psalms 90:5
For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thouhast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. And since thou, O God, hast heard tho prayers, which with these vows I made unto thee; and hast given me again the possession of that country, which is the inheritance of thy faithful people:’ Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which* groweth up.) But, alas! in these ages thou carriest men away suddenly; as a violent torrent doth those things it meets withal in its passage: they vanish like a dream when we awake; and are as grass, which in the morning is grown higher and stronger than it was:
Psalms 90:6
Thou wilt prolong the king*s life; and his years as many generations. I doubt not but thou wilt grant their king a long and prosperous reign over them, and add so many years to those which his enemies would have cut off: as if thou hadst given him a new life, and added another age unto the former. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.] But how flourishing and fresh soever it then appear, is cut down before night, and loses all its beauty; such is the frailty of man; who is now in vigorous health, and anon languishes, and falls to the earth.
Psalms 90:7
He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him. He shall sit upon his throne, and ever govern in thefear of God: O that thy goodness and faithfulness, which are a stronger guard than all his military forces, may be ever ready at hand to defend him! For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.] This, I am sure, is our condition; who have so provoked thee to anger by our sins, that we perish in an instant, (Numb. xvi. 35. 46.) and are perpetually disturbed with dreadful apprehensions of thy heaviest displeasure, (xvii. 12, 13.)
Psalms 90:8
So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that 1 may daily perform my voivs. So will I perpetually sing psalms in praise of them; and learn thereby to be faithful to my promises: and day by day perform the vows which I made unto thee when I was in trouble. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.] After many threatenings, thou hast proceeded, as a righteous judge, to call us to a severe account for all our foul crimes, though never so secretly committed; and makest it appear, by our punishments, to all the world, (Numb. xiv. 20, &c.) that we are a perverse generation, though we pretend to thy service.
Psalms 90:9
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath; we spend our years as a tale that is told. For we constantly feel some effects or other of thine anger; whereby our lives decline exceeding fast, and many times before we can say what is this, are at an end.
Psalms 90:10
TJie days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow: for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.] We fall short of the days of our forefathers; being now all doomed to perish in the wilderness, and not to exceed, commonly, the age of seventy, or (if men be of a vigorous constitution) at most of eighty years: the best part of which also is spent in toilsome travels, (Numb. xx. 14. xxi, 4. xxxi. 11. Deut. ii. 1. 3, &c.) and
Psalms 90:11
Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. And yet, alas! who is there that seriously considers, and lays to heart, the dreadful effects of thy displeasure, which irresistibly falls upon us? (Numb. xxv. 1 — 3, &c.) or, with such a pious fear as it ought to excite, takes any care to prevent more terrible punishments than those we have felt already?
Psalms 90:12
So teach us to number our days, that ive may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Lord, do thou touch us with a sense of thy judgments; that we may not presume thus foolishly to offend thee, as our fathers have done: but, making a just account of the shortness and uncertainty of our lives, may wisely apply ourselves to make the best use we can of them, in repenting of our sins.
Psalms 90:13
Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.* And then be pleased to turn thy severity into kindness towards us: let it suffice, good Lord, that we have endured so many and long punishments; and now at last revoke or, mitigate the sentence thou hast passed upon us, who, though very disobedient, are thy servants.
Psalms 90:14
O satisfy us early with thy mercy’; that wv may rejoice and be glad all our days. O let us see some appearance of thy love to us; which may satisfy and cheer our languishing souls, like the morning light after a tedious night: and, instead of sighs and groans, fill us with shouts of joy all the remainder of our days.
Psalms 90:15
Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Compensate our past troubles with future comforts; and make our happiness to equal, if not exceed, the misery we have suffered. Ver. 1G. Let thy icork appear nnto thy servants, and thy glory nnto their children.] Declare to all the world that thou hast not quite forsaken us thy servants: but wilt still work wonders for us, and do more glorious and magnificent things for our children, though wchave sinned against thee, (Numb. xx. 17, 18, &c. xxxi. 2. Deut. ii. 25. iii. 24.)
Psalms 90:17
And let tlte beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of onr hands establish thou it. Let them inherit, by the special favour of the Lord our God, that lovely and pleasant land, (Gen. xlix. 15. Deut. viii. 7, 8, &c.) which he hath promised to give us: and, for that end, direct and prosper our arms; that what we shall attempt in vain, if we be left to ourselves, may successfully be achieved by thy assistance, (Deut. viii. 17, 18, &c. xxxi. 6—8.) O prosper thou our undertaking, and make our arms victorious,