A Closer Look at Psalm 90-91

A Closer Look at Psalm 90-91

When our family moved overseas I claimed Psalm 90:1 as my theme verse! We said goodbye to a home we had for over fifteen years. Living in Central America we began to grow roots again and home shifted for me. I never thought I would think of that home in Honduras as a real home. But after two years I did!

Only, God moved us (again!) back to the United States. So I had to once again say goodbye to my home. 

My heart goes out to the author of Psalm 90. He too did not have a home. Moses is the author of Psalm 90 (and maybe Psalm 91). Moses never had a home. You can read all about his life at the beginning of Exodus. Basically, Moses lived his entire life as a wanderer. Maybe you too have never felt like you’ve had a home. You might have moved around a lot as a kid and then you might have moved a lot now as an adult.

Home is a tricky word for so many people. Maybe home was supposed to be a safe place, but this sinful world sometimes offers only brokenness in our homes. As little children we want to feel protected and loved and home might not hold that memory for you. For me, home was always connected to a physical place. But the longer I live and the more I grow I see that home is a feeling and that feeling is only found in God. 

 I love that Moses gets right to the point at the beginning of Psalm 90:1-2.

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world,  from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Are you seeking a home? God says you already have one – with Him. This home will last forever. It won’t end when you die but continues because God is everlasting. God was there before Creation and God will be there after it is all finished. Until the end God is God. 

Moses calls us to remember the eternal nature of God’s character at the beginning of this chapter because the rest of this chapter talks about the brief life we have as humans. Many believe that Moses wrote this Psalm at the end of His life. He was facing his death and would not enter the Promised Land. As he reflected on his life he says three things: 

1. Life is short. A breath. A dream. 
2. Life is filled with hardships and sin makes life sad and disappointing. 
3. Only a life with God will bring satisfaction and meaning. 

As we maybe search our entire lives for a home we will come up empty if we look anywhere to God. Do not waste time searching. Find God today, Moses encourages us.

Many scholars believe that Moses might have written Psalm 91 because it comes right after and does not have another author listed. There are similar language and metaphors used in both Psalm 90 and Psalm 90. It seems as if Moses is continuing the theme of finding our refuge and safety in God, not an earthly home. 

Psalm 91 reminds us that our dwelling place is hidden with God. God is like a mother bird, hiding us under His feathers, figuratively speaking.  Remember, Psalm 90 lists so many horrible things about this world. Where do we go when we face them? Psalm 91 tells us. God will be our deliverer from all of the evil. Does it mean we won’t suffer? No. Does it mean life will be easy? No. But it means even in our suffering and even when life is hard – God protects, guides, and keeps us in His loving embrace. 

This Psalm covers everyday trials like the darkness we face on a daily basis or the attacks we feel from others. The author doesn’t shy away from the language of hurt. Oh that we would see the goodness of God in these verses. Notice a couple of things in these verses. 

When we think about “home” there are two words that come to mind. The first is safety. In Psalm 91:5 he says: 

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

Psalm 91:5

Morning, noon, and night God protects us. We have no need to fear. Many have taken this verse to mean physically, and although I do believe God can and does protect us physically, that doesn’t mean we won’t face physical harm. Instead, it means that those things that can crush our spirit or damage our souls all pass through a loving Father’s hand. 

The other word that I think about when it comes to home is the idea of being “known.” In the last few verses you will notice that the pronouns change. It is God talking now. He is addressing the listener – those that will “take refuge” in God. (Psalm 91:9) What does He say? He says we are loved, delivered, and known by Him!

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him,

And show him My salvation.

Psalm 91:14-16

It should bring such comfort to your heart to know that God loves you so much that He is our true home. If you are longing for a home today, you can find it in God. 

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