angela hormberg

Category: Reading Through the Psalms

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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