angela hormberg

Month: February 2025

  • Psalm 76

    Psalm 76

    Commonplace –

    “In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel” (Psalm 76:1).

    Matthew Henry notes,

    “The psalmist, in the church’s name, triumphs here in God, the centre of all our triumphs.

    1. In the revelation God had made of himself to them, v.1. It is the honour and privilege of Judah and Israel that among them God is known, and where he is known his name will be great. God is known as he is pleased to make himself known; and those are happy to whom he discovers himself – happy people that have their land filled with the knowledge of God, happy persons that have their hearts filled with that knowledge. In Judah God was known as he was not known in other nations, which made the favour the greater, inasmuch as it was distinguishing, Ps. 147:19, 20.

    This comment by Matthew Henry gets to the heart of why I thoroughly enjoy reading his commentary. He takes a verse, which I would simply gloss over, and delves deep into the meaning. In doing so, he highlights the importance of pondering each verse.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 76.” 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 75

    Psalm 75

    Commonplace –

    “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalm 75:7).

    Matthew Henry suggests that this psalm “does so exactly agree with David’s circumstances, at his coming to the crown after the death of Saul, that most interpreters apply it to that juncture” (426).

    Henry suggests the following in relation to this psalm,

    “In singing this psalm we must give to God the glory of all the revolutions of states and kingdoms, believing that they are all according to his counsel and that he will make them all to work for the good of his church” (Henry 426).

    Specifically, Henry notes,

    “In these verses we have two great doctrines laid down and two good inferences drawn from them, for the confirmaiton of what he had before said,

    I. Here are two great truths laid down concerning God’s government of the world, which we ought to mix faith with, both pertinent to the occasion: –

    1. That from God alone kings receive their power (v. 6,7) and therefore to God alone David would give praise of his advancement; having his power from God he would use it for him…
    2. That from God alone all must receive their doom (v.8): In the hand of the Lord there is a cup, which he puts into the hands of the children of men, a cup of providence, mixed up (as he thinks fit) of many ingredients, a cup of afflictions. The sufferings of Christ are called a cup, Matt 20:22; John 18:11.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 75.” 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 74

    Psalm 74

    Commonplace –

    “For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth” (Psalm 74:12).

    According to Matthew Henry,

    “[t]his psalm is entitled Maschil – a psalm to give instruction, for it was penned in a day of affliction, which is intended for instruction; and this instruction in general it gives us, That when we are, upon any account, in distress, it is our wisdom and duty to apply to God by faithful and fervent prayer, and we shall not find it in vain to do so” (423).

    In times of affliction, it is good to remember who God is.

    “The lamenting church fastens upon something here which she calls to mind, and therefore hath she hope (as Lam. 3:21), with which she encourages herself and silences her own complaints. Two things quiet the minds of those that are here sorrowing for the solemn assembly; –

    I. That God is the God of Israel, a God in covenant with his people (v. 12): God is my King of old. This comes in both as a plea in prayer to God (Psalm 44:4, thou art my King, O God!) and as a prop to their own faith and hope, to encourage themselves to expect deliverance, considering the days of old, Ps. 77:5….

    II. That the God of Israel is the God of nature, v. 16, 17. It is He that orders the regular successions and revolutions, 1. Of day and night. He is the Lord of all time…2. Of summer and winter…

    Day and night, summer and winter, being counter-changed in the course of nature, throughout all the borders of the earth, we can expect no other than that trouble and peace, prosperity and adversity, should be, in like manner, counterchanged in all the borders of the church. We have as much reason to expect affliction as we expect night and winter. But we have then no more reason to despair of the return of comfort than we have to despair of day and summer” (Henry 425-426).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 74.” 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 73

    Psalm 73

    Commonplace –

    “Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart” (Psalm 73:1).

    In this psalm, the writer, Asaph, begins confessing he was “envious of the foolish” (Psalm 73:3). He recognized his sin and declared,

    “So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee” (Psalm 73:22).

    In the very next verse, the psalmist offers guidance on the way out of sin.

    “Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand” (Psalm 73:23).

    The remedy is to turn back to God and be fixed on Him, walking with Him continually. If our heart is fixed on Him, it will not have time to wander around envying others. A heart fixed on Him is a contented heart.

    Matthew Henry notes,

    “This is a psalm of great use; it gives us the account of the conflict which the psalmist had with a strong temptation to envy the prosperity of wicked people. He begins his account with a sacred principle [verse 73:1], which he held fast, and by the help of which he kept his ground and carried his point” (Henry 416).

    Further, Henry notes,

    “If, in singing this psalm, we fortify ourselves against the life temptation, we do not use it in vain. The experiences of other should be our instructions” (Henry 416).

    The psalmist ends with the following counsel:

    “It is good from me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works” (Psalm 73:28).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 73.” 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 72

    Psalm 72

    Commonplace –

    “A psalm for Solomon” (Psalm 72).

    The first thing to notice about this Psalm is the subtitle, “A Psalm for Solomon”. This was a psalm written by King David for his son, Solomon.

    “Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son” (Psalm 72:1).

    Matthew Henry noted,

    “This verse is a prayer for the king, even the king’s son.

    I. We may apply it to Solomon: Give him thy judgments, O God! and thy righteousness; make him a man, a king; make him a good man, a good king. (Henry 413).

    While David’s words were for Solomon, Henry also notes that the verse applies even to the coming king, King Jesus.

    “It is an expression of the satisfaction which all true believers take in the authority which the Lord Jesus has received from the Father: “Let him have all the power both in heaven and earth, and be the Lord our righteousness; let him be the great trustee of divine grace for all that are his; give it to him, that he may give it to us.”

    Henry also notes that we can come before God with this same prayer for our own children.

    “The best thing we can ask of God for our children is that God will give them wisdom and grace to know and do their duty; that is better than gold” (Henry 413).

    “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended” (Psalm 72:20).

    Of this verse, Matthew Henry wrote,

    “This was the last psalm that [David] ever penned, though not last in this collection; he penned it when he lay on his death-bed, and with this he breathes his last:

    “Let God be glorified, let the kingdom of the Messiah be set up, and kept up, in the world, and I have enough, I desire no more. With this let the prayers of David the son of Jesse be ended. Even so, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly” (Henry 416).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 72.” 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 71

    Psalm 71

    Commonplace –

    “O God, thou has taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come” (Psalm 71:17-18).

    In his summary, Matthew Henry observed that this psalm was written by David

    “for the general use of God’s people in their afflictions, especially those they meet with in their declining years; for this psalm above any other, is fitted from the use of the old disciples of Jesus Christ” (409).

    Further on in his comments, Henry noted,

    “Those that have been taught of God from their youth, and have made it the business of their lives to honour him, may be sure that he will not leave them when they are old and gray-headed, will not leave them helpless and comfortless, but will make the evil days of old age their best days, and such as they shall have occasioned to say they have pleasure in.

    And thus will the old believer of one generation magnify God’s glory to the next generation.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 71.” 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 25, Part II

    2025 Rtb: Genesis 25, Part II

    2025

    Read Through the Bible

    Day 16: Genesis 25, a little more

    The following verse , Genesis 25:8, also struck me:

    “The Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people” (Gen 25:8).

    Matthew Henry offers some beautiful commentary in regards to this verse, but I will only quote the Latin statement, which he noted in relation to it:

    “Vixi quantum satis est – I have lived long enough” (123).

    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 70

    Psalm 70

    Commonplace –

    “Let God be magnified” (Psalm 70:4b).

    About Psalm 70 verse 4, Matthew Henry waxes on beautifully, and his words in regard to this verse are well worth sharing. Before I post his comments, I will begin with verse 4 in full.

    “Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified” (Psalm 70:4, emphasis added).

    Now for Henry’s comments,

    “[David] prays that God would fill the hearts of his friends with joy (v. 4), that all those who seek God and love his salvation, who desire it, delight in it, and depend upon it, may have continual matter for joy and praise and hearts for both; and then he doubts not that he should put in for a share of the blessings he prays for; and so may we if we answer the character.

    1. Let us make the service of God our great business and the favour of God our great delight and pleasure, for that is seeking him and loving his salvation. Let the pursuit of a happiness in God be our great care and the enjoyment of it our great satisfaction. A heart to love the salvation of the Lord, and to prefer it before any secular advantages whatsoever, so as cheerfully to quit all rather than hazard our salvation is a good evidence of our interest in it and title to it.
    2. Let us then be assured that, if it be not our own fault, the joy of the Lord shall fill our minds and the high praises of the Lord shall fill our mouths. Those that seek God, if they seek him early and seek him diligently, shall rejoice and be glad in him, for their seeking him is an evidence of his good-will to them and an earnest of the finding him [Psalm 105:3]. There is pleasure and joy even in seeking God, for it is one of the fundamental principles of religion that God is the rewarder of all those that diligently seek him. Those that love God’s salvation shall say with pleasure, with constant pleasure (for praising God, if we make it our continual work, will be our continual feast), Let God be magnfied, as he will be, to eternity, in the salvation of his people. All who wish well tot he comfort of the saints, and to the glory of God, cannot but say a hearty amen to this prayer, that those who love God’s salvation may say continually, Let God be magnified” (Henry 409).

    Let us stand on His promise to us: If I seek Him, I will find Him.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 70.” 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