Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth
and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as
a watch in the night.
. . .
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale
that is told.

This passage from the Psalms poetically contrasts the ephemeral nature of human life with the eternal presence of God. The psalmist reflects on the divine vantage point where a millennium is as fleeting as "yesterday" or a "watch in the night." These expressions emphasize the vast gulf between the temporal existence of humanity and the timelessness of the divine. Humanity's days, likened to a "tale that is told," underscore the transient, narrative-like quality of human life, which unfolds briefly and then concludes. By evoking images of the ancient and the eternal, the psalmist invites reflection on the humility and wisdom required to live purposefully within the confines of our limited time, while acknowledging the divine's permanence and enduring authority. This evokes a call to live wisely and with reverence for the divine order that outlasts us all.