What does "flourishes in the morning" teach about life's temporary nature? Setting the Scene: Psalm 90:6 “in the morning it springs up new, but by evening it withers and dries up.” Key Observation: Rapid Bloom, Rapid Fade • “Flourishes in the morning” pictures grass that shoots up vigorously with the first light—full of color, strength, and promise. • “By evening it withers” shows the same grass brown and brittle before the day ends. • The verse is intentionally literal: real desert grass in Israel often lives only a few hours under the scorching sun. Lessons on Human Life • Our vitality resembles that grass—strong for a brief span, gone before we expect. • Success, beauty, influence, and health can look permanent in youth (morning) yet decline swiftly (evening). • Time, like the sun, relentlessly moves us from bloom to fade. • Because life is brief, numbering our days (Psalm 90:12) is wisdom, not pessimism. Other Scriptures Echoing the Theme • Job 14:2 — “Like a flower he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.” • Psalm 103:15-16 — “Man’s days are like grass… the wind passes over, and it is gone.” • Isaiah 40:6-8; 1 Peter 1:24-25 — “All flesh is grass… but the word of our God stands forever.” • James 1:10-11 — “Like the wildflower he will pass away.” Practical Takeaways • Hold earthly blessings loosely; they are morning grass, not granite. • Invest in what outlasts the evening—God’s Word, eternal souls, kingdom service. • Let brevity fuel urgency: forgive quickly, speak truth today, pursue holiness now. • Remember that frailty magnifies dependence on the Lord who “from everlasting to everlasting… is God” (Psalm 90:2). Gospel Hope in the Midst of Frailty • Though our bodies fade, Christ’s resurrection guarantees future imperishable life (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). • Our outer nature is “wasting away,” yet our inner nature is renewed daily (2 Corinthians 4:16). • The grass image drives us to the eternal Shepherd who alone can lead us beyond the withering evening into everlasting morning. |
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