Psalm 90:17a New International Version (NIV) “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us . . . “
Did you know that several different people wrote Psalms? I grew up with the impression that it’s a book written by David, but it’s actually by others, too, including Asaph, Sons of Korah, Solomon, Moses, Ethan, Herman, and unknowns in a couple of cases. In Greek Psalms means “instrumental music” and, by extension, “the words accompanying the music”. One book of the Bible with at least eight authors from different eras somehow came together to create a beautiful and inspired piece of literature.
Moses–yes, Moses!–wrote Psalm 90, and his authorship intrigues me. I like his take on the eternal nature of God and the brevity of our lives. About God he wrote, “A thousand years in your sight are like a day.” Relative to you and me our earthy existence seems awfully short by comparison, which he described as “they are like the new grass of the morning; In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered.”
These two perspectives on God and man have led to much discussion on how long the Biblical figures actually lived, especially since many of them reportedly reached hundreds of years in age. However, Moses pretty well nailed the longevity of a human life when he wrote, “Our days may come to seventy years or eighty, if our strength endures.” Interestingly, as an important instrument of God, Moses lived to be 120 years old. The great news is that we are souls trapped in a body, and when our bodies wear out (entropy!) our real selves continue to live forever.