angela hormberg

Category: Reading Through the Psalms

  • Psalm 55

    Psalm 55

    Commonplace –

    In this Psalm, David has been betrayed by one close to him. He is beside himself with sorrow.

    “For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. (Psalm 55:12-14).

    Betrayal by a close friend is traumatic. We expect such things from our enemy but not from those we have taken sweet counsel with or with whom we have attended church. The temptation is to seek solace in others and pour out our hearts seeking human comfort in times of trouble. However, this only leads to gossip and cannot be good. We must follow David’s example:

    “As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me” (Psalm 55:16).

    This psalm was a source of good counsel for me this morning, after feeling hurt and grieved over the unkind words of someone close. I am thankful for David, who points me to God.

    “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).

    Amen and amen.

    Matthew Henry notes:

    “Prayer is a salve for every sore and a relief to the spirit under every burden: Give ear to my prayer, O God! [Psalm 55] v. 1, 2″ (361)

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 55.” 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 54

    Psalm 54

    Commonplace –

    “Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by my strength” (Psalm 54:1).

    Here we have another Maschil by David. David has been betrayed. At this time, he calls on God to save Him and places his complaint at the Lord’s feet for judgment, which David knows will be just.

    Matthew Henry comments,

    “Never let a good man expect to be safe and easy till he comes to heaven” (359).

    David cries out to God for deliverance. By the end of the Psalm, David is able to say confidently,

    “I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O Lord; for it is good. For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies” (Psalm 54:6).

    David was delivered and justice was served.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 54.” 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 53

    Psalm 53

    Commonplace –

    “The fool hath said in his heart, ‘There is no God’. (Psalm 53:1)

    Psalm 53:1 and Psalm 14:1 are identical; they both open with the words of the fool. While there is much to ponder in Psalm 53, it is worthwhile to consider just this first sentence and see what we make of it.

    Matthew Henry makes a great point about this verse when writing on Psalm 14: the fool is saying it in his heart.

    “The sinner here described. He is one that saith in his heart, There is no God: he is an atheist. ‘There is no Elohim, no Judge or governor of the world, no providence presiding over the affairs of men.’ They cannot doubt of the being of God, but will question his dominion. He says this in his heart; it is not his judgement, but his imagination. he cannot satisfy himself that there is none, but he wishes there were none, and pleases himself with the fancy that it is possible there may be none. He cannot be sure there is one, and therefore he is willing to think there is none. He dares not speak it out, lest he be confuted, and so undeceived, but he whispers it secretly in his heart, for the silencing of the clamours of his conscience and the emoldening of himself in his evil ways”. (Henry 231).

    In commenting on Psalm 53, Henry continues:

    “He is a fool (in the account of God, whose judgment we are sure is right) that harbours such corrupt thoughts. Atheists, whether in opinion or practice, are the greatest fools in the world. Those that do not seek God do not understand; they are like brute-beasts that have no understanding; for man is distinguished from the brutes, not so much by the powers of reason as by a capacity for religion. The workers of iniquity, whatever they pretend to, have no knowledge; those that may truly be said to know nothing that do not know God” (Henry 358).

    It is good to pause and consider just the first verse. What is a fool? He is one who denies God. He is an atheist; a person with reason, who is unreasonable. Thomas Aquinas addresses the question of God’s existence in the Summa, Question 2, which Peter Kreeft expounds on in his, Summa of the Summa: “Whether the Existence of God is Self-Evident? Objection 1: It seems that the existence of God is self-evident” (54). Further on Aquinas addresses this statement:

    “On the contrary, No one can mentally admit the opposite of what is self-evident; as the Philosopher, [Aristotle], states concerning the first principles of demonstration. But the opposite of the proposition “God is” can be mentally admitted: The fool said in his heart, There is no God (Psalm 52:1). Therefore, that God exists is not self-evident.

    [Aquinas answers] that, A thing can be self-evident in either of two ways; on the one hand, self-evident in itself, though not to us; on the other, self-evident in itself, and to us. A proposition is self-evident because the predicate is included in the essence of the subject, as “Man is animal,” for animal is contained in the essence of man. If, therefore, the essence of the predicate and subject be known to all, the proposition will be self-evident to all; as is clear with regard to the first principles of demonstration, the terms of which are common things that no one is ignorant of, such as being, non-being, whole and part, and such like. If, however, there are some to whom the essence of the predicate and the subject is unknown, the proposition will be self-evident in itself, but not to those who do not know the meaning of the predicate and subject of the proposition. Therefore, it happens, as Beothius says…”that there are some mental concepts self-evident only to the learned, as that incorporeal substances are not in space.” Therefore, I, [Aquinas], say that this proposition “God exists,” of itself is self evident, for the predicate is the same as the subject; because God is His own existence as will be hereafter shown (Q.3.A.4). Now because we do no know the essence of God, the proposition is not self-evident to us; but needs to be demonstrated by things that are more known to us, though less known in their nature–namely, by effects.

    “Reply Obj. 1. To know that God exists in a general and confused way is implanted in us by nature, inasmuch as God is man’s beatitude. For man naturally desires happiness, and what is naturally desired by man must be naturally known to him. This, however, is not to know absolutely that God exists; just to know that someone is approaching is not the same as to know that Peter is approaching, even though it is Peter who is approaching; for many there are who imagine that man’s perfect good which is happiness, consists in riches, and others in pleasures, and others in something else” (Kreeft 55-56).

    If we consider Aquinas’ words about the existence of God with the fool’s words, we can see that God exists whether the fool is willing to admit it or not. The fool is one who has chosen happiness in created things over happiness in the uncreated God. It is helpful to consider Kreeft’s footnote to “the knowledge of God is naturally implanted in all” (54):

    “For the vast majority of all humans who have ever lived have believed in some God. Children (or societies) have to be educated out of theism into atheism, not vice versa. Atheism always comes later” (54).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 53.” 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.

    Kreeft, Peter. Summa of the Summa. Edited and annotated by Peter Kreeft. Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1990.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 52

    Psalm 52

    Commonplace –

    “To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech” (Superscription to Psalm 52).

    In this Psalm, David is addressing his enemy.

    “Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually” (Psalm 52:1)

    Here is a prescription for how to deal with people in our lives who use their tongue for evil against us. David turns to God. In verse 1, he poses a rhetorical question to his enemy and then answers himself with a truth about God – “the goodness of God endureth continually”. While his enemy might have caused mischief, David called on his faith in God’s goodness to reassure himself that God’s goodness overcomes all evil done to and against us. David placed his faith in God and like Joseph believed God would work it to the good.

    “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20).

    But God! David eventually becomes King, but at this moment he is in the midst of struggle. In the midst of his struggle, when evil seems to be winning, David reminds himself that the evil man “made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness” (Pslam 52:7). Unlike like the wicked man, David committed himself to God:

    “But I [David] am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou has done it: and I will wait on thy name , for it is good before thy saints” (52:8-9).

    This is a good example of how to deal with an enemy. Matthew Henry notes, “In singing this psalm we should conceive a detestation of the sin of lying, foresee the ruin of those that persist in it, and please ourselves with the assurance of the preservation of God’s church and people, in spite of all the malicious designs of the children of Satan, that father of lies” (356).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 52.” 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 51

    Psalm 51

    Commonplace –

    Here is a Psalm that teaches us how to confess our sin.

    “Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

    Relying on God’s mercy and lovingkindness, the Psalmist asks God to cancel his sins. The Psalmist teaches us to:

    • Acknowledge sinfulness
    • Confess the sin
    • Ask for cleansing
    • Pray to be made to hear joy and gladness
    • Ask God to hide the sin from His face
    • Ask for a clean heart and right spirit
    • Ask for God and His Holy Spirit to remain and not leave
    • Pray for the restoration of the joy of salvation
    • Pray to be upheld by God
    • Pray that the lesson learned can be used to testify to sinners of the goodness of God, so others will be converted and God will be glorified
    • Pray for deliverance from guilt

    Matthew Henry notes that David, the writer of Psalm 51, “saw, more than ever, what an unclean heart he had, and sadly laments it, and therefore begs of God (whose prerogative it is to create) that He would create in [David] a clean heart. [God] only that made the heart can new-make it; and to His power nothing is impossible” (353.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 51.” 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 50

    Psalm 50

    Commonplace –

    Matthew Henry noted that, along with Psalm 49, Psalm 50 was also a sermon. While Psalm 49 was a call to forget the things of this world and focus on eternity, Psalm 50 teaches us how to live in the world while being “not of the world” (John 17:14). To the saints, the psalmist calls for offerings of thanksgiving. To the wicked, the psalmist declares they hate instruction and ignore God’s word.

    “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High” (Psalm 50:14).

    Daily believers should offer God thanksgiving. There is always something to be thankful for and training our minds to focus on these things is a great help. While thanking God for His provision, it also sets our mind aright, shifting our eyes heavenward away from our physical circumstances. Thanksgiving is essential in times of plenty and times of need: physical and/or spiritual. When we are happy and content, we give thanks, and, in so doing, we acknowledge it is all God’s provision not our own work. Again, when we are downhearted and destitute, we give thanks, because our suffering draws our hearts and focus to God, and we recognize our need for Him. Our need is more obvious in times of suffering than times of lack, which indicates we should be on our guard in times of plenty, when we are less likely to seek God.

    Wicked are those that: hate instruction, ignore God’s word, collaborate with thieves, partake with adulterers, speak lies and slander. To the wicked,

    “These things thou hast done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes” (Psalm 50:21).

    The psalmist leaves us the following to consider:

    “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordeth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:23).

    About this psalm, Matthew Henry noted, “This psalm, as [Psalm 49], is a psalm of instruction, in singing which we are to teach and admonish one another; it is a psalm of reproof and admonition, in singing which we are to teach and admonish one another” (Henry 346).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 50.” 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 49

    Psalm 49

    Commonplace –

    “This psalm is a sermon” (Henry 341).

    “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah” (Psalm 49:15).

    But God! I have often heard this phrase used in church. After a parishioner describes a hard time in their life, they will insert this phrase at the end marking a major turning point in their story. What follows is a testimony to God’s faithfulness in their life in the midst of a dark time. In Psalm 49, the author does the same thing. Or should I say that the author laid down in the Psalms the model for how we should confront adversity in our life:

    • State the struggle, problem, sin
    • Proclaim: “But God”
    • Testify to God’s goodness in help during the struggle, problem, sin

    This simple three step response to life’s problems is essential to overcoming whatever suffering we are going through in life, because it shifts our focus from the problem to the solution. Focusing on God is always the solution, staring at the problem is not.

    In Psalm 49, the sermon is all about where we place our trust: God or things. This Psalm is an excellent outline of how to write a sermon, and I will address the technical aspects of that in another post. For now, I would like to focus on the psalmist’s answer to overcoming suffering, which, if you recall, Elisabeth Elliot gave a very worthy definition of:

    Suffering is having what you don’t want and wanting what you don’t have (Suffering Is Never for Nothing).

    In their book, The Life Model: Living from the Heart Jesus Gave You, the authors note,

    There may be times when we are not in a place where we are free from pain, but we can still experience God’s amazing redemption. An often-quoted passage in II Corinthians 12 describes how the apostle Paul learned a key lesson. When he was stuck with a tormenting problem which did not go away even though he pleaded with the Lord three times, he got an answer he was not looking for: God works through weakness. What a profound discovery – [Paul] learned to delight in “weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions and in difficulties.” The good news of the Gospel is that God wants to be with us in the middle of our struggles. That is precisely when He exercises His strength in us. Paul learned to let God be in charge, and to stop asking God to end his hardship. God’s strength flowed through him because Paul stopped trying to be in control. He let God take over, and God was able to use him more effectively. Paul could delight in suffering because he found it was an opportunity for God’s strength to work through him” (7).

    The shift in going from a life focusing on the problem to focusing on God, requires a shift in mindset. When we consider why things are happening in our lives, it’s important to consider eternity. In Psalm 49, the psalmist is preaching against putting faith in wealth and power, which reside here in the physical world, and preaching for putting faith in God, who resides outside of this physical time and place in eternity. The psalmist urges the reader to consider their physical end: everyone dies. The most important thing to consider is: where will I spend eternity?

    For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever (Psalm 49:8).

    As Matthew Henry points out, “It is certainly true that the redemption of the soul is precious and ceaseth for ever; that is, life, when it is gone it cannot be recalled, by any human art, or worldy price. But this looks further, to the eternal redemption which was to be wrought out by the Messiah, who the Old-testament saints had an eye to as the Redeemer. Everlasting life is a jewel of too great a value to be purchased by the wealth of this world.” And further on he states, “Christ did that for us which all the riches of the world could not do; well therefore may He be dearer to us than any worldly things. Christ did for us which a brother, a friend, could not do for us, no not one of the best estate or interest; and therefore those that love father or brother more than Him are not worthy of Him. This likewise shows the folly of worldly people, who sell their souls for that which could never buy them.

    Suffering is for the moment, but our souls are eternal. When we consider events in light of eternity, pondering how we can turn what is happening to us into an opportunity to glorify God is key.

    Works Cited

    Elliot, Elisabeth. Suffering is Never for Nothing. B&H Publishing Group, 2019.

    Friesen, James G., et al. The Life Model: Living from the Heart Jesus Gave You. Morris Publishing, 2000.

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 49.” 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 48

    Psalm 48

    Commonplace –

    Psalm 48 “is a triumphant song” (Henry 339). Indeed, it is! The psalmist begins with a declaration of God’s greatness.

    “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His Holiness” (Psalm 48:1).

    God’s residence is in Zion, the home of His Holy Mountain, the sight of which astounds kings but brings comfort to God’s people. It is a mountain of refuge, where Christians consider God’s lovingkindness, are glad for His trustworthy judgments and marvel over His strength. In other words, it is a place of rejoicing, when we are elated and a place of encouragement, when we are downhearted. We are reminded

    “God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death” (Psalm 48:14).

    I can’t help but be reminded of the beautiful hymn, “We’re Marching to Zion”, when I read Psalm 48. Here is a youtube of my favorite version of this song.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 48.” 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 47

    Psalm 47

    Commonplace –

    Psalm 47 is a Psalm of praise. We are called to join with all people in clapping our hands and praising the triumphant works of God

    Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. (Psalm 47:6)

    This psalm reminds us that God is always triumphant, reigns over saved and heathen, alike, and sits on His holy throne. I appreciate Matthew Henry’s observation,

    “The psalmist, having his own heart filled with great and good thoughts of God, endeavours to engage all about him in the blessed work of praise, as one convinced that God is worthy of all blessing and praise, and as one grieved as his own and others’ backwardness to and barrenness in this work” (Henry 337).

    It’s also a good time to be reminded that a psalm is a sacred hymn and is intended to be sung. Following is an example of Psalm 47 being sung. It is presented by St. George’s Church and is available on their Youtube channel.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 47.” 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 46

    Psalm 46

    Commonplace –

    Matthew Henry points out that “war is a tragedy which commonly destroys the stage it is acted on” (336). Henry goes on to describe the wars David actually carried out in his enemies’ territory, but his words are also true in a spiritual sense. When we are at war within ourselves, it is a tragedy and is destructive. But the Psalmist offers a remedy for us, whether our enemy is physical or spiritual:

    “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

    Henry notes, God “is our refuge, by whom we are sheltered and in whom we are satisfied, who by his providence secures our welfare when without are fightings, and who by his grace quiets our minds, and establishes them, when within are fears. The Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, has been, is and will be with us — has been, is and will be our refuge” (336).

    What a timely reminder as we begin the New Year. Our God is our refuge and strength.

    “It is said of Luther that, when he heard any discouraging news, he would say, “Come let us sing the forty-sixth psalm” (Henry 334).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 46.” 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