Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

90:7-11 We Are Brought to an End by Your Wrath. The people of God reflect on the unfaithfulness of past generations (in which they harbored iniquities and secret sins, v. 8), which resulted in God's anger and wrath (vv. 7, 9, 11). The whole body of God's people suffers from the presence and influence of its unfaithful members, and God's judgments that purge them from his people are hard even for the faithful to endure. Hence the whole people experience toil and trouble during their brief span of life.

90:10 seventy . . . eighty. This gives an "ordinary" life span; many live fewer years (due to violence, accident, and disease), and a few live longer (e.g., Joseph, Gen. 50:26; Moses, Deut. 34:7; Joshua, Josh. 24:29). In any case, it is much briefer than a thousand years (Ps. 90:4), let alone God's eternity.

90:11 your wrath according to the fear of you. God's wrath toward his unfaithful people is in accordance with the "fear" (reverence, faith, and humble, holiness-seeking love) that they ought to have toward him (cf. note on Prov. 1:7).

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