Psalms 90

²Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Thou - Thou hadst thy power, and all thy perfections, from all eternity.

³Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

Turnedst - But as for man, his case is far otherwise, though he was made by thee happy. and immortal, yet for his sin thou didst make him mortal and miserable. Saidst - Didst pronounce that sad sentence, return, O men, to the dust out of which ye were taken, Gen 3:19.

⁴For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

Past - Indeed time seems long when it is to come, but when it is past, very short and contemptible. A watch - Which lasted but three or four hours.

⁵Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

Them - Mankind. Away - Universally, without exception or distinction. A sleep - Short and vain, as sleep is, and not minded ‘till it be past.

⁷For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

Are consumed - Thou dost not suffer us to live so long as we might by the course of nature.

⁸Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

Hast set - Thou dost observe them, as a righteous judge, and art calling us to an account for them. Secret sins - Which though hid from the eyes of men, thou hast brought to light by thy judgments.

¹⁰The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Our years - Of the generality of mankind, in that and all following ages, some few persons excepted. Flee - We do not now go to death, as we do from our very birth, but flee swiftly away like a bird, as this word signifies.

¹¹Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

Thy fear - According to the fear of thee; according to that fear which sinful men have of a just God. So - It bears full proportion to it, nay indeed doth far exceed it.

¹²So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Teach us - To consider the shortness of life, and the certainty and speediness of death. That - That we may heartily devote ourselves to true wisdom.

¹³Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

Return - To us in mercy. How long - Will it be before thou return to us? Repent thee - Of thy severe proceedings against us.

¹⁴O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Early - Speedily.

¹⁷And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

The beauty - His gracious influence, and glorious presence. In us - Do not only work for us, but in us,