When Our Hands Do Not Prosper: Lessons from Moses

It's always a treat to dive into a Psalm, but today, we're looking at something quite unique. Psalm 90 isn't from David or Asaph; it's titled "A Prayer of Moses, the man of God." Imagine that—we get a glimpse into the heart and thoughts of Moses himself! It's an unusual and profound opportunity.

In this particular Psalm, Moses seems to be wrestling with the consequences of Israel's rebellion. They stood at the doorstep of the Promised Land, full of God's promises, yet they turned away in fear and disobedience. Their rebellion led to a divine pronouncement: 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, waiting to die.

The Weight of God's Wrath

Moses vividly captures the despair of this situation:

For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath we are troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. Psalm 90:7

He speaks of God's wrath consuming them, and it's a sobering thought. Then, he adds:

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. Psalm 90:9

Can you imagine the dreadful reality of those 40 years? Wandering, waiting, with the knowledge that their own actions had brought this upon them. It's a sad picture of a people living out their days under the weight of divine discipline.

A Peculiar Plea: "Establish the Work of Our Hands"

What truly struck me, though, was how Moses ends this profound prayer. After speaking so candidly about judgment and wandering, he concludes with a remarkable plea:

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

He repeats it, emphasizing this focus on "the work of our hands." Why this particular emphasis? Why is he asking God to establish their work?

I believe the answer might lie in a passage from Ecclesiastes. Let's look at Ecclesiastes 5, starting from verse 5:

Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? Ecclesiastes 5:5-6

Ah, there it is! "Destroy the work of thine hands." Ecclesiastes tells us that if we make a vow and don't keep it, God can become angry and destroy the work of our hands. This gives us a crucial clue for understanding Moses' prayer in Psalm 90.

The Broken Vow at Sinai

Could Moses be referring to a broken vow that led to the "destruction of the work of their hands"—their inability to settle and build in the Promised Land? Let's cast our minds back to Exodus 19.

After their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, God brings the children of Israel to Mount Sinai. This is where the Old Testament gets its name; it's the very covenant that shaped their identity. In Exodus 19, God speaks to them:

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. Exodus 19:5

Then, Moses goes to the people:

And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. Exodus 19:7

These were all the commandments, all the stipulations of the covenant God was offering. And the people's response was unanimous and powerful:

And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord. Exodus 19:8

This was their vow! A solemn promise to do all that the Lord had spoken. Yet, when they reached the border of the Promised Land, they refused to obey Him and enter. They broke their vow. This disobedience resulted in God's judgment and their wandering for 40 years.

A Plea for Restoration

So, when Moses prays in Psalm 90:17 (and indeed, in verse 16), he seems to be looking forward to the eventual entry into the Promised Land. He wants their work to be established—to plant fields and vineyards, to build houses and live in them. He's asking God to forgive their transgressions, to overlook the broken vow that led to the destruction of their hopes and efforts. He's pleading for God to forgive them so that their work can finally be established.

It's a powerful and profoundly hopeful postscript to a Psalm steeped in judgment, showing Moses' enduring desire for God's redemptive work in the lives of His people.