In the Bible, in the Book of Psalms, there are two Psalms, one after the other, that describe the believer’s life. One Psalm speaks of life under the law. Interestingly, this Psalm, Psalm 90, is the only one written by Moses, through whom God gave the Law. The other Psalm, Psalm 91, was written by David, a man who, although he lived under the law, knew about God’s grace, for he himself said: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity…” [Ps.32:1-2] Paul quoted these words in his Epistle to the Romans when he spoke of the righteousness that God gives through faith, not through the works of the law. [Rom.4:7-8]

Many parallels could be drawn between these Psalms, but I will dwell on just a few. Psalm 90 speaks of God’s anger and His wrath several times, while Psalm 91 says nothing about God’s anger, only about the Lord’s protection and His love. A man living under the law can count on 70 or 80 years, and even then his days are filled with labour and sorrow, and they fly by quickly. [Ps.90:10]. Have you heard people say sometimes: “Twenty years have gone by, but it feels like it was yesterday”? That is because they live under the law, and so under the curse. [Gal.3:10]

In Psalm 91 the Lord says: “With long life I will satisfy him…“. Two very interesting words: “long” and “satisfy”. You can live 90 years and still feel that life has passed in an instant. When a person lives in God’s grace, the Lord fills his days. A year goes by, and it feels as if he has lived all of ten or twenty. “I will satisfy” means that a person will live not 70 or 80 years, as under the law, but as long as he wants. For some 80 is enough, for others 120. This is the blessing of Abraham, for it is written: “Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years [literally, satisfied]…” [Gen.25:8]

Beloved, let us live under God’s grace and enjoy all of God’s blessings in Psalm 91.