Psalm 90
You’ll notice that our reading plan takes us away briefly from the narrative in Numbers to read Psalm 90 today. Since this is the first psalm we have read in our 166 days together, I wanted to offer you an overview of the entire book of Psalms. This longest book of the Bible consists of 150 chapters full of prayers, petitions, pleas, laments, praises, poems, and songs to God, written by God’s people throughout the Old Testament, often in response to a specific event in history. What I particularly enjoy about this portion of Scripture is the authenticity with which the authors write. Assuredly, as you read through these pages, you’ll notice that these are real men who are pouring out their hearts to God. Many of these psalms (like Psalm 90) are attributed to an individual writer, while the authorship of others is unknown. No matter the named author, we know that all the psalms, like the rest of the Bible, were inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16).
Specific to Psalm 90, we are reading from the heart and hands of Moses in what many consider to be the oldest psalm penned. Many scholars date this prayer to the time of Numbers 20, which we read yesterday. You will recall there were many significant moments in this chapter, including the death of Miriam and Aaron, as well as Moses’s disobedience in striking the rock that led to him being told by God that he would no longer lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.
As will be a common theme when we read a psalm, I want to highlight some specific verses and passages that reveal truths of God that will prayerfully encourage your heart (understanding that time and space will not allow for an exhaustive commentary on each chapter):
· “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations” (v. 1): The word picture here is that God is our refuge, the One who protects and sustains us during every moment of the day.
· “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (v. 2): As we discussed way back in Genesis 1, God existed before the heavens and earth were created and will always exist. There’s nothing that happens to us that His eyes haven’t seen, and nothing in our future will take Him by surprise. What a comfort in our times of trouble.
· “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night” (v. 4). Because God has always existed, and always will, He is beyond the comprehension of how we measure time. He is also beyond our understanding in every other aspect of His character. No one, no matter how much they study, will scratch the surface of the depths of God.
· “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence” (v. 8). Nothing is hidden from God, even our innermost thoughts and actions. If that reality frightens you a bit, here’s the glorious truth: He sees all our flaws and loves us anyway.
· “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” (v. 10). Moses recognized the brevity of a man’s life in comparison to our everlasting God, and he also acknowledged that our days here and now are spent in a fallen world.
· “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (v. 12). Because life is short (again, in comparison to the One who has and will always exist), Moses prays for wisdom to keep his eyes fixed on eternity while he still has breath in his lungs. “To live with dying thoughts is the way to die with living comforts.”[i]
· “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (v. 14). Moses acknowledges that receiving God’s love is the foundation for a joyful life. No matter how much we may try to find satisfaction in this world (including from the people around us), unshakeable and enduring joy is only found in a relationship with God.
· “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us…” (v. 17). How we should pray for God’s face to shine upon us daily, as there is nothing more precious than being in the midst of God’s presence.
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Journal responses to the following prompts:
· Was there a specific verse from Psalm 90 that stood out to you today? Meditate on those words now.
· There’s nothing that happens to us that God’s eyes haven’t seen, and nothing in our future will take Him by surprise. How does this truth comfort you?
[i] Trapp, J. (1997). A commentary on the Old and New Testaments. Tanski Publications.
Numbers 16
If Moses thought that the opposition to his leadership would cease after God dealt with Miriam (as documented in Numbers 12), he had another thing coming. Specifically, we read in the beginning of chapter 16 that:
Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD? (v. 1-3).
Warren Wiersbe states that “whenever you find complaining and rebelling among God’s people, there’s usually a ‘stated reason’ and a ‘hidden reason.’”[i] Korah’s articulated rationale for rising up against God’s chosen leaders was that he (and the other 250 men with him) felt like Moses and Aaron were pridefully elevating themselves above the rest of the congregation. But in verse 10, Moses speaks to the ulterior motive behind Korah’s attempted rebellion: “would you seek the priesthood also?”
Korah and his rowdy crowd were not content with the specific role God had purposed for them. Much like Miriam and Aaron’s failed ploy against Moses earlier in the book of Numbers, these men sought to discredit their leaders so they could finagle their way into the role that was more esteemed among the camp. Brothers and sisters, when we allow our significance and status to be determined by anyone but God, we should not be surprised when a self-seeking mindset creeps into our hearts.
It is God’s desire that His people dwell in unity, and any attempt to circumvent His plans will be dealt with. For Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, those who championed the rebellious efforts to overthrow the leadership of Moses and Aaron, “the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up…and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly” (vv. 32-33). What about the other 250 men who went along with this coup attempt? Well, God sent down fire and consumed each one (v. 35). Friends, it is a dangerous thing to go against the will of God.
One would think that such mighty acts would have prompted the rest of Israel to submit themselves to God’s purposes, but that was not the case. Instead, the latter part of Numbers 16 records how the rest of the congregation gathered together to grumble against Moses and Aaron, “saying, ‘You have killed the people of the LORD’” (v. 41). In His righteous anger, God tells Moses to move away from his accusers so that He may “consume them in a moment” (v. 45). A plague is then sent by God to destroy the people, and as it spreads quickly throughout the camp (14,700 perished), Aaron runs into the people’s midst, interceding for them to stop further spread of this deadly pestilence (vv. 47-49).
David Guzik notes how Aaron’s ministry to the Israelites resembles that of Jesus’s atoning work on our behalf: “We were guilty sinners deserving judgment, we were rightly plagued, our Savior was sent on His mission, He was unjustly accused and attacked, He prayed on our behalf, He ‘ran’ to save us, He stood between death and life for us, and He is the only chance for salvation, being the dividing line between death and life.”[ii]Aren’t you grateful for our great Intercessor?
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Journal responses to the following prompts:
· Would you be willing to stand in the midst of a plague to intercede for your brothers and sisters in Christ?
· Think about a time when you let your self-worth, significance, and status be dictated by anyone or anything but God. What was your heart like in that moment?
[i] Wiersbe, W. W. (2001). The Bible exposition commentary: The Pentateuch. David C. Cook. p. 338.
[ii] Study Guide for Numbers 16. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved May 11, 2026, from
https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/numbers/numbers-16.cfm