In Psalms, chapter ninety, verses one through seventeen, the prayer assigned to Moses written during the forty years that God made Israel wander in the wilderness as punishment for their unfaithfulness, as in Deuteronomy eight, verse fifteen. During that period, a generation of disobedient Israelites died in verses seven to eleven and Numbers fourteen, verses twenty-two through twenty-three, respectively. After acknowledging their iniquities and punishment, Moses prays to restore God’s favor and blessing.
The theme chapter under Eternal God and Mortal Man describes how humans have the opportunity to please the Lord through their faith in him. However, the war for each person who reaches the age of maturity, especially those who are believers in Christ, must overcome the challenge of the flesh and the mind that fights against their spirit. “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,” in Matthew twenty-six, verse forty-one. However, the Israelites were watching and complaining instead of praying.
After leaving Egypt for eleven days to reach the promised land, the Israelites went through the wilderness en route to find that place. However, the people complained after three days of departure with the ark of the covenant to the promised land, as in Numbers ten, verse thirty-three. The people quickly forgot their deliverance from Egyptian slavery and God’s mighty acts on their behalf. The Israelites expect everything to be smooth sailing from now on.
Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place is the theme title. The meaning reveals that God is with us and will be when His people face both good times and bad. He desires to commune with His people, but does His people want to dwell with Him? When things are going well, many do not focus on God, only on what is good. However, when things are not going well, they want the Lord, and some complain to Him about it.