Day 171. Psalms 90-95

Psalm 90
This psalm--#90—is a teaching psalm; its voice is that of an instructor contrasting the eternality of God with human mortality for the benefit of his students. "LORD, you have been our dwelling place in all generations," the psalmist begins (90:1), comparing God to the house in which the people of Israel live. God is has always been their refuge in the past. But there is no escaping the truth, that human life is pitifully short. In the end we "like grass" are "consumed by [the LORD's] anger," victims of our own sinfulness (7). So since human life lasts a mere seventy or eighty years, we need to be instructed by the LORD "to count our days, that we may gain a wise heart" (12). Wisdom will not greatly lengthen our lives, but it will help us not to squander those years we have been given. The wise are blessed if they are "glad [at least] as many days [as they are] afflicted" (15)—they express the modest hope that they may have at
least as many good years as bad, and that "the work of our hands" may prosper (17). This is the way that a good life is defined in Old Testament wisdom sayings like this psalm—a good life is not cut short by premature death, it is at least as happy as it is unhappy, and it affords the wise something meaningful to do, something in which they can find satisfaction and not frustration, because work is a blessing given to human beings by God to fill the brief years he has given us.
Psalm 91
This again is a teaching psalm in which the voice passes along traditional wisdom. The voice calls upon the younger generation to regard God is their "refuge" and their "fortress," the one who delivers them from whatever tight places they find themselves (91:2-3). God does not protect us from the consequences of our own foolishness, however, but he does uphold those who put their trust in him (91:9-10) and "love" him (14). He will not let them dash their "foot against a stone" (12). (The devil quotes verses 11-12 in his temptation of Jesus in the Gospels.) These verses are not an invitation for us to "test" God, but a call to faith and trust. And one of the chief blessings promised to those who live in faith and trust is a "long life" in which to experience again and again the "salvation" of the LORD.
Psalm 92
This psalm--#92—is intended to recommend to all a life of thankfulness and praise. "It is good to give thanks to the LORD," the voice of the psalm says (1), expressing praise within the context of temple worship in song and to the accompaniment of "the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre" (3). Notice how stupidity here is equated with wickedness (6-7), and wisdom is associated with righteousness. By acquiring wisdom we learn to be upright. In ancient Israel wisdom and knowledge always have a positive moral element to them. There is no knowledge for its own sake. Those who have wisdom—the insight into how to live a good life--are the righteous, and their lives "flourish like the palm tree" (12). "They are planted in the house of the LORD" (13)—in other words. they are faithful in temple worship. And their righteousness is rewarded by a vigorous and fruitful old age, in which "they are always green and full of sap" (14).
And an old age free of self-centeredness and brittleness is indeed a great blessing!
Psalm 93
This is a hymn of praise to the heavenly king that was sung at the enthronement of Israel's kings. The attributes of the divine king are given by extension to the earthly one. God is enthroned over the chaos of the "mighty waters," he establishes order over "the sea" as the king establishes order in his kingdom (3-4). The laws of God can be trusted—his "decrees are very sure--and from those divine laws flow the earthly laws of the good king. God's "throne is established from of old . . . from everlasting" (2), and he underpins the throne of the house of David. "Holiness befits [the LORD's] house" (5); he is enthroned in the temple, which is his earthly palace, and he blesses Jerusalem and its king by his presence there (5).
Psalm 94
The "God of vengeance" (94:1) to whom the psalm is addressed is the God of justice, his anger aroused by those who "kill the widow and the stranger" and "murder the orphan" (6). This psalm, which calls upon the LORD "to give the proud what they deserve" (2), also seeks to teach "the dullest of people" (8) that God is not distant or indifferent or gullible—he knows what is going on. He isn't fooled. His will punish those who break his laws. "He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to human kind, does he not chastise?" (10), the voice of the psalm asks. But discipline is not a bad thing. Discipline is, in fact, a form of love, the way in which God takes an interest in his children and prepares them to live a life of righteousness. He disciplines the ones he has chosen to be righteous, and those righteous ones are preserved and protected. God will not abandon them "in the land of silence" (17). The voice of
the psalm has experienced the LORD's salvation. When he thought his foot was slipping, the "steadfast love" of the LORD held him up (18). So the wicked are repaid "for their iniquity" (23), but the LORD is a "rock of . . . refuge" (22) for those who put their trust in him.
Psalm 95
This psalm --#95—is a liturgy sung at one of the great feasts in the temple. It is a pattern of statement and response, in which as many as three voices speak in turn. The first voice invites the congregation to "sing to the LORD" (1) and "to come into his presence with thanksgiving" (2). This voice celebrates the LORD for his power in his work of creation, for making and maintaining the depths of the earth and the heights of the mountains, the sea and the dry land (5). The second voice repeats the call to worship, celebrating God's role as the "Shepherd of Israel" who protects cares for the "sheep of his hand" (7), his chosen people. The third voice cautions the congregation not to "harden" their hearts, as their ancestors did in the wilderness (8) or to put the LORD "to the proof" (9)—to test him to see if he is really God. Such behavior has terrible consequences. "That generation" suffered for their stubbornness and
insolence, but God remained faithful to his people Israel. So the God the Creator, who chose Israel as the "sheep of his hand," is celebrated because he punishes his people, all the while remaining faithful to them, even when he loathes their willful and rebellious behavior (10).