angela hormberg

Month: January 2025

  • 2025 Rtb: Genesis 25

    2025 Rtb: Genesis 25

    2025

    Read Through the Bible

    Day 15: Genesis 25

    “And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord” (Psalm 25:22).

    Matthew Henry’s comment on Rebekah’s words are apropos. He notes,

    “Before, the want of children was her trouble, now, the struggle of children is no less so” (124).

    Further, he noted,

    “(1.) The comforts we are most desirous of are sometimes found to bring along with them more occasion of trouble and uneasiness than we thought of; vanity being written upon all things under the sun, God thus teaches us to read it.

    (2.) We are too apt to be discontented with our comforts, because of the uneasiness that attends them. We know not when we are pleased; we know neither how to want or how to abound” (124).

    In regard to this, Henry insightfully continues,

    “[1.] In the world. The seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent have been contending ever since the enmity was put between them…and this has occasioned a constant uneasiness among men. Christ himself came to send fire on earth, and this division, Luke 12:49, 51. But let not this be an offence ot us. A holy war is better than the peace of the devil’s palace” (124).

    “[2.] In the hearts of believers. No sooner is Christ formed in the soul than immediately there begins a conflict between the flesh and the spirit, Gal 5:17. The stream is not turned without a might struggle, which yet ought not to discourage us. It is better to have a conflict with sin than tamely submit to it” (124).

    What did Rebekah do? Rebekah took her question to the Lord, as noted, “And she went to enquire of the Lord” (Gen 25:22 b).

    In regard to this enquiry, Henry notes,

    “The word and prayer, by both which we now enquire of the Lord, give great relief to those that are upon any account perplexed. It is a great relief to the mind to spread our case before the Lord, and ask counsel at his mouth. Go into the sanctuary, Psalm 73:17″ (124).

    This passage stuck out to me, as I think of my family. As a child and a parent, I have seen both sides. These reflections cause me to be thankful for my parents, who contended with me, and to empathize with my children, who are under me.

    Thank you, Lord, for your provision, in regard to my parents and my children. Help me to honor my parents rightly and give my children no cause to dishonor me. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

    Henry, Matthew. “Volume 1: Genesis.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 69

    Psalm 69

    Commonplace –

    In regards to Psalm 69, Matthew Henry notes,

    “…in this, David was a type of Christ, and divers passages in this psalm are applied to Christ in the New Testament and are said to have their accomplishment in him” (402).

    Specifically, Henry notes verses 4, 9, 21 and 22:

    “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away” (Psalm 69:4).

    “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me” (Psalm 69:9).

    “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (Psalm 69:21).

    “Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap” (Psalm 69:22).

    In his summary of Psalm 69, Matthew Henry wrote that David begins with listing his afflictions, pleads for God’s help and judgment, and ends with praise. (402).

    Henry ends his summary with the following:

    “In singing [Psalm 69] we must have an eye to the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that followed, not forgetting the sufferings of Christians too, and the glory that follow them; for it may lead us to think of the ruin reserved for the persecutors and the rest reserved for the persecuted” (402.)

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 69.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 68

    Psalm 68

    Commonplace –

    “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him” (Psalm 68:1).

    “Let God arise”: words that bring comfort to his sheep and fear to his enemies. Even now, Lord, ‘Arise’! God bring big victories and bring small ones, too.

    “…he bringeth out those which are bound with chains” (Psalm 68:6).

    • Be a father to the fatherless
    • Be a judge of the widows
    • Set the solitary in families
    • Break the chains of those who are bound

    Today, I witnessed the truth of these words. Our God is a chain breaker. May He continue to do great things for those He calls His own.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 68.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 67

    Psalm 67

    Commonplace –

    “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah” (Psalm 67:1).

    Us. You and me. The church. All of us. Together.

    Matthew Henry noted, the psalmist

    “begins with a prayer for the welfare and prosperity of the church then in being, in the happiness of which he would share, and think himself happy, v.1. Our Saviour, in teaching us to say, Our Father, has intimated that we ought to pray with and for others; so the psalmist prays here not, God be merciful to me, and bless me, but to us, and bless us; for we make supplication for all saints, and be willing and glad to take our lot with them” (Henry 394).

    Thank you, Lord, for and ‘us’, the communion of saints.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 67.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 66

    Psalm 66

    Commonplace –

    “O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:

    Which holdeth our soul in life and suffereth not our feet to be moved” (Psalm 66:8-9).

    and

    “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for m y soul” (Psalm 66:16).

    First, David proclaims what God does for all His people: he holds our souls and fixes our soles. Then, David proclaims what God has done for him, specifically, through his testimony. Here David is teaching us how to preach: Proclaim God’s good works, which he universally does for the church, and proclaim God’s good works for us, individually, specifically through our testimony, our life.

    Matthew Henry wisely observes:

    “If we have learned in everything to give thanks for ancient and modern mercies, public and personal mercies, we shall know how to sing this psalm with grace and understanding” (Henry 390).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 66.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 65

    Psalm 65

    Commonplace –

    “O you who hear prayer” (Psalm 65:2a)

    God does hear prayer. He does give answers. David testified to answered prayers.

    “You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly” (Psalm 65:9)

    Theodoret wisely noted in his work, Cure of the Greek Maladies or Knowledge of the Gospel Truth from the Greek Philosophy,

    “The other nations , through the works of nature and the creation , were led to a knowledge of their God by Him who is Lord of all things. And as in His wonderful bounty He sends His rain, chiefly indeed on the cultivated soil, and that for the service of man, and yet from the abundance of His goodness He waters even the deserts and the mountains; and the land which man has ploughed brings forth a perfect fruit, and that which he has not laboured brings forth wild fruit;

    The Lord rains on the cultivated and uncultivated field.

    It is worthwhile to ponder Matthew Henry’s summary of this psalm.

    “In this psalm we are directed to give to God the glory of his power and goodness, which appear,

    I. In the kingdom of grace (v.1), hearing prayer (v.2), pardoning sin (v.3), satisfying the souls of the people (v.4), protecting and supporting them (v.5).

    II. In the kingdom of Providence, fixing the mountains (v.6), calming the sea (v.7), preserving the regular succession of day and night (v.8), and making the earth fruitful (v.9-13).

    These are blessings we are all indebted to God for, and therefore we may easily accommodate this psalm to ourselves in singing it.

    The kingdom of grace is toward the people, themselves, and the kingdom of providence God working all things together for the good through his creation.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 65.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • 2025 Rtb: Genesis 23-24

    2025 Rtb: Genesis 23-24

    2025

    Read Through the Bible

    Day 14: Genesis 23-24

    “And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth” (Genesis 24).

    Here is the servant’s response to God’s faithfulness. The servant prayed and saw God answer in a miraculous way. Rebekah responded just as the servant asked God for her to, so that he would know if she was the right woman.

    In my own life, I have offered prayers to God and He has answered. Always my prayers have been answered: with a yes, with a no, or with a wait. For those who claim God does not answer prayer, we must consider many things before relying on that individual’s word that God did not answer them. We must always remember that God knows the person’s heart in a way we never can. Consider Cain and Abel, who both presented offerings to God. Cain’s offering was not accepted, because his heart wasn’t right. For myself, I have seen God answer my prayers in clear ways: sometimes a firm ‘yes’ and sometimes a firm ‘no’, and sometimes much later than I expected and in unexpected ways.

    “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).

    Lord, Help me to remember all that you have done for me and trust in your words. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

    Henry, Matthew. “Volume 1: Genesis.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 64

    Psalm 64

    Commonplace –

    “The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in Him and all the upright in heart shall glory” (Psalm 64:10).

    David opens the psalm beseeching God’s protection over his life. He then spends time discussing the ways of the wicked: how they “whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: That they may shoot in secret at the perfect” (Psalm 64:3). This is still the way of the wicked. They prowl around anonymously and shoot their vitriol at the followers of God. Yet judgment for evil comes, either in the physical world or in eternity. But God, who is a good, good Father, offers a way even for the worst sinners. Repent, confess and believe in Jesus Christ. However, “the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Cor 1:18).

    David closes with verse 10 and the promise for those who remain steadfast in the Lord and trust in him: gladness shall be their portion. Matthew Henry notes,

    “The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, not glad of the misery and ruin of their fellow-creatures, but glad that God is glorified, and his word fulfilled, and the cause of injured innoncency pleaded effectually” (Henry 387).

    It is important to keep in mind that our gladness does not stem from the suffering of the punished, but our gladness stems from the glory of God being magnified.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 64.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 63

    Psalm 63

    Commonplace –

    “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land” (Psalm 63:1a).

    It is good to seek God in the morning. Before breakfast and the busy-ness of the day settles in on us, time set aside to read the Word and draw close to God prepares us for all the day brings.

    In the title of Psalm 63 is the description “A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah”. Matthew Henry offers the following commentary on the ‘wilderness’:

    “1. Even in Canaan, ye there were wildernesses, places less fruitful and less inhabited than other places. It will be so in the world, in the church, but not in heaven; there it is all city, all paradise, and no desert ground; the wilderness there shall blossom as the rose.

    2. The best and dearest of God’s saints and servants may sometimes have their lot cast in a wilderness, which speaks them lonely and solitary, desolate and afflicted, wanting, wandering, and unsettled, and quite at a loss what to do with themselves.

    3. All the straits and difficulties of a wilderness must not put us out of tune for sacred songs; but even then it is our duty and interest to keep up a cheerful communion with God. There are psalms proper for a wilderness, and we have reason to thank God that it is the wilderness of Judah we are in, not the wilderness of sin” (Henry 382).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 63.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 62

    Psalm 62

    Commonplace –

    “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation” (Psalm 62:1).

    Matthew Henry offers helpful insight,

    “”We are in the way both of duty and comfort when our souls wait upon God, when we cheerfully refer ourselves, and the disposal of all our affairs, to His will and wisdom, when we acquiesce in and accommodate ourselves to all the dispensations of his providence, and patiently expect a doubtful event, with an entire satisfaction in his righteousness and goodness” (379).

    “He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved” (Psalm 62:6).

    Again, Matthew Henry worthily notes,

    “The more faith is acted the more active it is. Crescit eundo – It grows by being exercised. The more we meditate upon God’s attributes and promises, and our own experience, the more ground we get of our fears, which, like Haman, when they begin to fall, shall fall before us, and we shall be kept in perfect peace, Isa 26:3.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 62.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg