Teach Us to Number Our Days
In case you are unaware, every person that lives today will die. Death is an unescapable fact of life for all of mankind. It has been this way since the the first humans, Adam and Eve, sinned against God. As a result of this sin, all people are born sinners and fall under God’s judgment, which is death. Moses sees this hopeless state of mankind in Psalm 90 and lifts up prayers to God.
Moses begins this great psalm by praising the eternality and majesty of God (90:1-2). God is everlasting and eternal, outside of man’s concept of time. Moses says God is both transcendent (Holy and utterly independent of His creation), and immanent (He is close by and is the believer’s place of security) (Ps 90:1-2).
Moses then transitions from God’s eternality to man’s mortality (90:3-12). Man’s destiny is to return to the dust from whence he came (90:3-4). Man is frail and temporary, like grass that lasts only a short while (90:5-6). His life is short because of God’s wrath over his sin (90:7-11). His final days are filled with declining strength and his life ends with a “sigh.”
Yet, even though man’s disobedience is evidence of a lack of reverence for God (90:11). There is still hope for those that fall down upon the mercy of God (90:12-17). Moses prays that God would teach believers to “number their days.” To evaluate their activities each and every day of their lives to see if they are living for themselves or to the glory of God number their days (90:12). Moses prays for mercy to God’s people and that they would be totally satisfied in His love (90:13-15). This new beginning will bring joy and gladness in every aspect of their lives (90:16-17).