Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinyouth are brought to remembrance. But this is too forced, and inconsistent with the scope of thepassage; for it would destroy the contrast between secret sins and the light of God’s countenance,by which Moses intimates that men hide themselves in darkness, and wrap themselves in manydeceits, so long as God does not shine upon them with the light of his judgment; whereas, whenhe draws them back from their subterfuges, by which they endeavor to escape from him, and setsbefore his eyes the sins which they hide by hypocrisy, being subdued by fear and dread, they arebrought sincerely to humble themselves before him.Psalm 90:9-109. For all our days are passed away in thy indignation: we have spent our years as it were athought. 568 10. In the days of our years there are threescore years and ten: and if through strengththey are fourscore years, yet is their pride but labor and grief; for it 569 swiftly passes by, and wefly away.9. For all our days are passed away in thy indignation. This might be viewed as a generalconfirmation of the preceding sentence, That the whole course of man’s life is suddenly broughtto an end, as soon as God shows himself displeased. But in my opinion Moses rather amplifieswhat he has said above concerning the rigour of God’s wrath, and his strict examination of everycase in which he punishes sin. He asserts that this terror which God brought upon his people wasnot only for a short time, but that it was extended without intermission even to death. He complainsthat the Jews had almost wasted away by continual miseries; because God neither remitted normitigated his anger. It is therefore not surprising to find him declaring that their years passed awaylike a tale, when God’s anger rested upon them so unremittingly.10. In the days of our years there are threescore years and ten. He again returns to the generaldoctrine respecting the precariousness of the condition of men, although God may not openlydisplay his wrath to terrify them. “What,” says he, “is the duration of life? Truly, if we reckon allour years, we will at length come to threescore and ten, or, if there be some who are stronger andmore vigorous, they will bring us even to fourscore.” Moses uses the expression, the days of ouryears, for the sake of emphasis; for when the time is divided into small portions, the very numberitself deceives us, so that we flatter ourselves that life is long. With the view of overthrowing thesevain delusions, he permits men to sum up the many thousand days 570 which are in a few years;while he at the same time affirms that this great heap is soon brought to nothing. Let men thenextend the space of their life as much as they please, by calculating that each year contains threehundred and sixty-five days; yet assuredly they will find that the term of seventy years is short.Now, as these cries awaked those who had slept all that quarter part of the night, it appeared to them but as a moment.” —Harmer’s Observations, volume 1, page 333. If this psalm was the production of Moses, it is observable that night watches werein use in his time.568 Archbishop Secker supposes that this may be the reading, and refers to Job 20:11.569 “Ou, une parolle.” — Fr. marg. “Or, a word.” Dr Adam Clarke reads, “We consume our years like a groan;” and observes,“We live a dying, whining, complaining life; and at last a groan is its termination! How amazingly expressive!”570 “Pource que nostre vie.” — Fr. “For our life.”282