Refine Women’s Ministry Psalm 90 & 91: God Our Dwelling Place January 20, 2021 by Kim Peelen

“We can reply to our transiency, fragility and indeed sinfulness by making the eternal God our home and by looking to him to give lasting effect to our sojourn and work on earth.” Alec Motyer

We who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope [Christ] set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, Hebrew 6: 18b- 19a

Our theme verse for the year is Christ…the anchor of the soul, a truth that gives hope to the believer who rejects his self rule and instead delights in God’s salvation and His Word. Our study of the this semester will emphasize the hope available to the follower of Christ. Today continues our brief overview and examination of selected prayers from this ancient Jewish book of poems and hymns. The collection of the 150 prayers includes numerous authors who wrote over span of 1000 years, but its organization exquisitely unfolds God’s Story of creation and history [ and MESSIAH]; of His people’s pain and joy [LAMENT and PRAISE]; of man’s sin and Messiah’s salvation [ and HOPE].

As the introduction to the Book of Psalms, the first two poems, describe these main themes that continue throughout the collection: Two Paths/Two People - the Blessed and the Wicked; and The Invincible Kingdom of Messiah. Psalm 1 opens with Blessed is the man and Psalm 2 ends with Blessed are all who seek refuge in him guiding the reader to see the complementary themes of the two different psalms. The blessed individual lives a distinctly different life because he is transplanted from a desert of sin to the living waters of God’s Word that he continually meditates on as his delight. The King of Kings is the theme of Psalm 2, in which the blessed person must have a special relationship, personal devotion, and trustful reliance. At the heart of a fruitful, spiritual life is our devotion and constant seeking refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ and delighting and pondering His Word. This way of living will securely attach the believer to the Anchor of Christ and His Hope.

The oldest poem in the Psalms is Psalm 90, penned about 1400 BC by , the man God hand-picked to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt and through 40 years of wilderness wanderings. Some scholars also attribute Psalm 91 to Moses. The many illustrations used in these poems recall many catastrophic encounters with the Holy Sovereign God and are similar to those described in the book of Numbers. Interestingly, Psalm 90 opens the fourth division of Psalms, Book 4, which scholars align with the fourth book of the Torah, Numbers. Thus, it is most fitting that the leader at the center of the action shares his thoughts of Israel’s Wilderness experience as an opening to this section of poems. [Watch videos by BibleProject: How to Read the : Ancient Jewish Meditation Literature, and The Art of .]

Hebrew Poetry Parallelism does not use rhyme or meter, but rather couplets or short phrases that SLOW down the reader to PONDER, LINGER over the truths. There are 3 types:

Hebrew Poetry Couplets – first phrase introduces, then the following phrase expands on it Complete –finishes the thought Deepen –restates the thought in a new way Contrast –gives an opposite example of the thought

1 As you discuss, ponder the life of Moses as the firsthand witness and leader of the during their enslavement in Egypt, their miraculous rescue, and their encounters with the Holy Sovereign LORD in the desert. The questions are dispersed in the psalm in order to streamline discussion. Please reread the songs on your own to get the full poetic impact.

GROUP DISCUSSION: Read and reflect on Psalm 90 and 91 (emphasis added).

BOOK 4 Psalm 90 A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. (Headings by Steven Lawson)

GOD’S ETERNALITY 1. Lord, you have been our dwelling place 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.

Question 1. Moses highlights what characteristic of God in verses 1 & 2? Where have Moses and Israelites been dwelling for the last 400 years?

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY 3. You return man to dust and say, "Return, O children of man [Adam]!"

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.

Question 2. Moses highlights what characteristic of man in contrast to God in verses 3-6? How does he describe man’s lifespan? Discuss examples of God ‘sweeping away men as a flood’ during Moses’ life.

GOD’S SEVERITY 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 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?

2 Question 3. What is the cause of God’s anger in verses 7-11? Discuss examples of God’s wrath during Israel’s desert wandering.

THE PROPER RESONSE OF MAN 12. So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Question 4. This verse is theme of the song. Given man’s desperate situation, what is he commanded to do? How is he to get a heart of wisdom?

GOD’S MERCY 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 of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Question 5. In closing, Moses prays for what specifically from God? Connect verses 1 and 2 with how man can enjoy these benefits from God.

Psalm 91 [Some Scholars attribute this psalm to Moses] Headings by Steven Lawson

FAITH IN A POWERFUL GOD

1. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

2. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Question 6. This is a statement of faith: In what is the psalmist placing his faith? Underline the different words for God’s protection.

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FAVOR FROM A PROTECTING GOD

3. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

4. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

5. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6. nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

8. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.

9. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge—

10. no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. 11. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 13. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the you will trample underfoot.

Question 8. Underline words of life’s threats. Circle words describing how God protects us.

Question 9. What must man do to find God’s protection (verse 9 is the theme of the psalm)?

FELLOWSHIP WITH A PERSONAL GOD [God speaks]

14. "Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.

15. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

16. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Question 10. God affirms His salvation to man when he does what three things? What are the ways God cares for this person?

4 CONCLUSION: As we examine Psalms 90 and 91, Moses’ authorship adds a profound dignity and gravity to the words. As Alec Motyer explains, ”Who better than Moses could marvel at finding a home in God throughout generation of homelessness – i.e. the centuries of sojourn in Egypt plus the desert years – during which he watched a whole generation die out without fulfillment? The air of wistfulness in the psalm matches Moses’ own sense of loss at being denied entrance to the ” Can you feel the intense emotion as he describes God being a dwelling place in the 40 years wandering in the desert and the numerous examples of God destroying rebellious people for their complaining, idolatry, and outright rejection of Him?

Psalm 90 explores man’s lament over his mortality as well as disappointment when bright expectations fail. The psalm opens with a declaration of faith in the Sovereign One: Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations, then describes the difficulties of keeping such faith: You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence, then closes with the basis on which that faith rests: Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! Throughout the psalm Moses balances the failings of man to the perfection of God: divine love declared in verses 13, 14 replaces divine wrath of verses 7-10; days and years of gladness for man’s days of disappointment and decline (v. 15 or v. 3,4); and ultimately the establishment of the lasting dwelling place (verse 1 compared to 16, 17).

How is man to enjoy God’s divine love, days of gladness, and fruitful work of his hands? Verse 12 is the answer: So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Due to our pride and selfishness, we have a distorted view of our time and our importance in history; in reality we are like a blade of grass that is alive at daybreak and withered and dead by sunset. Because God numbers our days, we must do the same, understanding that our time is brief and not to be wasted. The one who commits to knowing the LORD and living for what God values, his efforts will endure (or be established). This is like the blessed one of Psalm 1, who delights in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night, so to remain on God’s path.

Psalm 91 has similar themes, opening with the psalmist declaring his commitment to make the Most High his refuge and object of his trust. Continuing in verses 3-8, he spells out God’s protection: from traps of the hunter, from unseen viruses and bacterial plagues, from attacks of fear during the night or enemy arrows by day. Even if thousands fall dead because of their wickedness, God will sort out His faithful ones and preserve them. How many times Moses witnessed this precise protection of the faithful ones in the years in the desert! Why can the psalmist (and we) enjoy God’s protection - Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge verse 9 declares! This care includes God using His angels to guard the faithful from any variety or degree of danger (expressed by the variety of animals) – including the evil and plagues that prevail in the world.

To conclude Psalm 91, God is responding to three things in His followers: love, because he holds fast to me in love; knowledge, because he knows my name, and prayer, when he calls to me. The care of the LORD includes deliverance, protection, an answer to his call, presence in his trouble, rescue, honor, satisfaction, and saving the best for last, to show him my salvation. Thus, the psalmist declares the absolute security of all who put their trust in God.

5 These two psalms beautifully illustrate the faith and hope one enjoys when an individual seeks refuge in Yaweh, the Sovereign LORD. Moses explicitly describes the many perils man faces because his iniquities rightly incur God’s fury and his refusal to give God supremacy in all things also arouses the anger of the LORD. These realities could easily overwhelm the strongest follower of God, but Moses declares God’s open invitation to seek refuge in Him alone and enjoy His protection. These truths are for us today: acknowledge your sin that God will judge with His wrath, learn to maximize the few days on earth you have to serve God with your heart, soul, and mind, and make God your refuge and dwelling place. Keep three things constantly before you: trust God’s protection that is complete and infallible, trust God’s power that has endured for eternity, and finally trust God’s peace, “the supernatural calm in the midst of our trouble in which God steadies and satisfies our hearts with himself” (Steven J. Lawson p. 92 vol 2). The one who commits to this way of living will join Moses in celebrating the LORD’S ultimate victory. "You will bring them [Your people] and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established. "The LORD shall reign forever and ever." Exodus 15:17, 18

HOMEWORK Watch BibleProject: How to Read the Bible: Ancient Jewish Meditation Literature; and Art of Biblical Poetry Read Psalm 20 for next week Practice praying the Psalms: using Psalm 1, 2, 90, and 91.

RESOURCES BibleProject.com –Book Overview: Psalms [videos, study guides, and blogs] The Psalms by the Day: A New Devotional Translation, by Alec Motyer, 2016 Preaching the Psalms: Unlocking the Unsearchable Riches of David’s Treasury, by Steven J. Lawson, 2012 The Daily Bible: 30 Days Through the Bible by F. LaGard Smith, 2004, NIV Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney, 2015 Holman Commentary: Psalms 1-75 and 76-150, by Steven J. Lawson Matthew Henry’s concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, by Matthew Henry, 1997

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