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Answer
In Psalm 90, Moses reflects on a lifetime that is fleeting and temporary. He makes several observations about the challenges of life and God’s sovereignty over life. Moses also makes several requests, including a twice-repeated appeal: “Establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands” «And 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.», (Psalm 90:17).
Moses first acknowledges the eternality of God, addressing Him directly as the One who is “our dwelling place” always « LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place In all generations. », (Psalm 90:1) and the everlasting God who created the earth «Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. », (Psalm 90:2). God is sovereign and timeless—even in control of the curse of death «Thou turnest man to destruction; And sayest, Return, ye children of men. », (Psalm 90:3). He is not bound by the fleetingness of time «For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday When it is past, and as a watch in the night. », (Psalm 90:4). He governs the passing of time and has set boundaries and maintains them (Psalm 90:5-6).
Throughout the first section of Psalm 90, Moses alludes to the Genesis account:
• th
The preexistence of God “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”, (Genesis 1:1 and Psalm 90:1)
• God’s creative work (Genesis 1—2 and Psalm 90:2)
• God’s decree of the curse Genesis 3 and Psalm 90:3
• the continuation of seasons and times as part of God’s covenant with Noah and every living thing (Genesis 8:21—9:17 and Psalm 90:5-6)
While Moses contemplates God’s sovereignty and control—as outlined in Genesis—it becomes evident why Moses would implore God to establish the work of our hands “And 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.”, (Psalm 90:17): God observes all human sin and has responded with anger and wrath (Psalm 90:7-8; compare with Paul’s parallel description in Ephesians 2:1-3), and only God can resolve the sin problem.
Before Moses elaborates on how God can establish the work of our hands “And 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.”, (Psalm 90:17), Moses laments the hopelessness of life without wisdom (and the right relationship with God that wisdom represents). He touches on themes similar to what Solomon used in Ecclesiastes: life without the right relationship to God is short, difficult, and meaningless.
Moses reflects on the temporality and challenges of life in a world under a curse “For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: We spend our years as a tale that is told.”, (Psalm 90:9), acknowledging that a person’s lifespan typically ranges from seventy to eighty years—years marked by toil and sorrow “The 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.”, (Psalm 90:10). Moses rhetorically questions who can truly comprehend the depth of God’s anger and the magnitude of His displeasure towards sin “Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.”, (Psalm 90:11).
Recognizing the importance of revering the Lord and the challenges of life, Moses presents a series of pleas in Psalm 90:13–17, culminating in the request for God to bless the work of our hands “And 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.”, (Psalm 90:17). Moses requests several things:
• that God would come back and show compassion to His people “Return, O LORD, how long? And let it repent thee concerning thy servants.”, (Psalm 90:13)
• that He would satisfy them with His mercy so they could rejoice and be glad throughout their lives “O satisfy us early with thy mercy; That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”, (Psalm 90:14)
(Psalm 90:14)
• May He grant them joyful days to counterbalance the past days of sadness “Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, And the years wherein we have seen evil.”, (Psalm 90:15)
• May His blessings be visible to His people, and may His splendor be witnessed by their offspring “Let thy work appear unto thy servants, And thy glory unto their children.”, (Psalm 90:16)
• Ultimately, may God’s favor rest upon the people “And 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.”, (Psalm 90:17a).
In conclusion, Moses pleads with God twice to establish the work of our hands “And 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.”, (Psalm 90:17). The repetition underscores the importance of God establishing the work of our hands as the culmination of the preceding requests. Moses does not want his (or the people’s) efforts to be fruitless; instead, he seeks for God to regard them with compassion and kindness. Then God’s people can rejoice rather than grieve. Human endeavors are only meaningful when one acknowledges God as the Creator and Judge, understanding that it is God who bestows mercy.
Moses recognized that only God can establish the work of our hands—only God can give significance and permanence to our actions—and that a right relationship with God is the essential element for a purposeful life.
