Verse of the Day (January 2, 2020)

Verse of the Day (January 2, 2020) #BMSeminary – Happy New Year, fellow Ministers in the Lord! This psalm is the only one written by Moses and thus the oldest in the Psalter. From verses 7–12 we may judge that it was written at the end of the 38 years of wandering in the wilderness. It is a prayer for the new generation of Israelites who will enter the Promised Land. There are four parts to its message. First, Moses describes the eternality of God (vv. 1, 2). Then, in contrast, he explores the brevity of man before God (vv. 3–6). Four key comparisons are used: (1) A thousand years are like one day to God. (2) A thousand years are like a watch in the night (three hours). The implication of these comparisons is simple: if a thousand years to God are like a day or a nightwatch, man’s life is like a vapor. (3) Your life is like a particle swept away by a flood. (4) Your life is like a blade of grass that sprouts, fades, withers, and dies in a day. Moses was most qualified to speak of death, since he witnessed an entire generation perish in the wilderness. The third part of the psalm may be described as the condemnation of man (vv. 7–10). Moses speaks here of the wilderness experience. Finally, he concludes with a petition (vv. 11–17) in which he asks the Lord that the Israelites might be given God’s work to do one more time, that is, the work of taking the Promised Land. (KJV Study Bible)