Psalm Reflection - Week 7

Psalm 90

"Teach us to number our days that we may gain wisdom of heart"

Midsummer might be the perfect time for us to turn to Psalm 90. Many of the images cast by the psalmist may harmonize with some of our own observations as we nostalgically note the shortening of the days with the waning of summer. It seems that the summer times of our life are important markers of the passage of time. Why this is so may be different for each of us. But it seems that having time to re-create ourselves, to be surrounded by the beauty of creation and having the leisure time to enjoy the gift of life and love with family and friends may account for this.

Psalm 90 is the first psalm in the 4th book of the Psalter. As has been suggested before in these reflections, it is interesting to note the placement of a psalm. It so happens that Ps 89, the psalm that precedes Psalm 90, is a psalm that begins recalling and indeed celebrating the unconditional covenant made with the House of David. In speaking of the descendents of David, the psalmist says of them "they shall endure like the sun and the moon, a faithful witness forever". Then abruptly, this scene is reversed and the hopes Israel places in the dynasty are dashed, broken down, ruined; the dynasty is dishonored and hurled to the dust. (Ps 89:39ff). Likely the ending is a later addition to the psalm reflecting the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the king and the people in 598-587.

Remember what the dynasty meant in ancient Israel. Recall the covenant promises embodied when David's line was assured continuance (2 Sam 7). Consider the role of the King as the visible representative of God. There is great hope placed in the King who was to be the guarantor of God's covenant justice to all (Psalm 72). All this makes Psalm 89 a very poignant reflection indeed. Where does Israel go from here? When it is over, is it over? Or could there be another long view that opens endless possibilities, another way of perceiving the future? Psalm 90 and several of the psalms in this 4th book of the Psalter (Ps 90 - 106), seem to offer a solution to the dilemma. The Lord (Yahweh) is king! The future is in the hands of the creator King whose beginning is before the ageless mountains. "You have been our refuge from generation to generation".

It has been suggested that parts of Psalm 90 seem to be a communal lament. This explains some of the references to God's anger and the acknowledgement of the human condition. It may sound, at first, that the psalmist is oppressed by the weightiness of God's anger, but note the confidence expressed in Vs 1 and picked up again in vs. 13-15. Here the psalmist is likewise dependent on the reliable covenant qualities of God: God's pity, his merciful love and God's fidelity that is capable of filling us with joy. The balance points out that human beings are dependent upon God, the God who breathed the breath of life into the dust (vs. 3) making of it a living being, reflective of God, but not gods. The sense of "dust" here carries with it the idea of being brought low to the earth. It is at such times that God is best able to accomplish his work in us. The fragile state of human existence is real and our mortal lives are but a "day" in God's calculating. What is important? What is lasting? "Teach us to number our days that we may gain wisdom of heart" (vs. 12). How can each of us make the best use of the limited days we have on this earth? Through prayer and humble dependence on God, we will learn the way to this.

The wisdom reflection contained here can make us think of the words of Ecclesiastes who similarly reminds his audience of the brevity and futility of life. Ecclesiastes proffers the advice to enjoy the gifts that God gives us and use them to the fullest. He states that as human beings, there is simply too much we cannot know. The one thing we do know is that the joy of the present is God's gift to us. How foolish is one who does not embrace this with a full heart! One who sacrifices everything for the accomplishment of success and prosperity is chasing after the wind if they lose sight of the joy and blessing of the moment.

Vs 5-6 are sure to recall the teaching of Jesus who speaks of the flowers of the field that sprout in the morning but by evening wilt and fade. So too, you may be reminded of the words of Isaiah that have been the motto of the CBS since its beginning: "The grass withers, the flower wilts but the word of our God remains forever". (Isa 40:8). As we begin to consider the beginning of another year of classes, perhaps we give thought to the worthy endeavor we are about. The time we commit to hearing, pondering and studying the word of God can shape us in Wisdom's ways. As with all that is worth while, this takes time and the working of the Spirit within us.

As always, the thoughts in these reflections are only jumping off points for your own prayer. Surely, God will shine the light of his word on your prayer in ways that speak to your own life and experiences. The benefit of praying with a psalm for a week should make you aware of this.