angela hormberg

Tag: Blessings

  • Proverbs 10:6

    Proverbs 10:6

    Just Desserts

    Commonplace –

    “Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked” (Proverbs 10:6).

    In Proverbs 10:6, Solomon lays out the rewards for the just and the wicked. The just receive blessings, while the wicked receive violence. In his Commentary, Matthew Henry made the following comments related to Proverbs 10:6, and the rewards of the just and the wicked.

    “Here is, 1. The head of the just crowned with blessings, with the blessings both of God and man. Variety of blessings, abundance of blessings, shall descend from above, and visibly abide on the head of good men, real blessings; they shall not only be spoken well of, but done well to. Blessings shall be on there head as a coronet to adorn and dignify them and as a helmet to protect and secure them.

    2. The mouth of the wicked covered with violence. Their mouths will be stopped with shame for the violence which they have done; they shall not have a word to say in excuse for themselves (Job 5:16); their breath shall be stopped with the violence that shall be done to them, when their violent dealings shall return on their heads, shall be returned to their teeth” (691).

    I agree with the heart of Matthew Henry’s commentary. Yet, his words seem to suggest justice is served and man will reap his reward for his behavior on earth. This seems to echo the understanding of his time, which, in my understanding (definitely limited), is that if you are a ‘good’ person, God will bless you’, which, as he mentioned, involves others speaking well of you and good things being done to/for you.

    However, there are some people who seem to get away with their wickedness. After pondering this, it seems the only true test of this can come when you die. If you are a wolf in sheep’s clothing or people have a reason to like/need you, they will pay you tribute in life, which would make it seem as if you are receiving God’s blessings through man. A couple of fictional characters that fit this bill jump to mind: Scrooge and Lady Catherine De Bourgh. (At least with Scrooge, we see he changed by the end of the tale.) I am suggesting that it is really only when you die that people reveal their true feelings about you. Do you agree?

    Cross References from Biblehub.com:

    Psalm 1:1-3
    Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. / But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. / He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.

    Matthew 5:3-12
    “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. / Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. / Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. …

    Psalm 112:1-3
    Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. / His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. / Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

    James 3:13-18
    Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. / But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth. / Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. …

    Psalm 37:22-26
    Surely those He blesses will inherit the land, but the cursed will be destroyed. / The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey. / Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand. …

    Matthew 25:34-40
    Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. / For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, / I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’ …

    Psalm 5:12
    For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous; You surround them with the shield of Your favor.

    Luke 6:20-23
    Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. / Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. / Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. …

    Psalm 24:4-5
    He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully. / He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from the God of his salvation.

    1 Peter 3:9-12
    Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. / For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. / He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. …

    Psalm 128:1-2
    A song of ascents. Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways! / For when you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.

    Romans 12:14
    Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.

    Psalm 84:11
    For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.

    1 Corinthians 4:12-13
    We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; / when we are slandered, we answer gently. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

    Psalm 115:13-15
    He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike. / May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children. / May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

    Works Cited

    “Proverbs 10:6”. Biblehub.com. https://biblehub.com/proverbs/10-6.htm#google_vignette. Accessed 16 Dec 2025.

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:6.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

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

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    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 1

    Psalm 1

    Commonplace –

    “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (Psalm 1:1).

    Matthew Henry has much to say on this Psalm, so I will let him take the lead.

    “This is a psalm of instruction concerning good and evil, setting before us life and death, the blessing and the curse, that we may take the right way which leads to happiness and avoid that which will certainly end in our misery and ruin. The different character and condition of godly people and wicked people, those that serve God and those that serve him not, is here plainly stated in a few words; so that ever man, if he will be faithful to himself, may here see his own face and then read his own doom. That division of the children of men into saints and sinners, righteous and unrighteous, the children of God and the children of the wicked one, as it is ancient, ever since the struggle began between sin and grace, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, so it is lasting, and will survive all other divisions and subdivisions of men into high and low, rich and poor, bond and free; for by this men’s everlasting state will be determined, and the distinction will last as long as heaven and hell” (194).

    Further on, Henry continues,

    “whoever collected the psalms of David (probably it was Ezra) with good reason put this psalm first, as a preface to the rest, because it is absolutely necessary to the acceptance of our devotions that we be righteous before God (for it is only the prayer of the upright that is his delight), and therefore that we may be right in our notions of blessedness and in our choice of the way that leads to it. Those are not fit to put up good prayers who do not walk in good ways” (194).

    And so we begin with Psalm 1. As Matthew Henry noted, it is a psalm of instruction. I highlighted the first verse, because the writer states very clearly his position and the position of any person who chooses the path of good. In order to be blessed, a person must choose to avoid

    1. ungodly counsel,
    2. becoming a stumbling block to others, and
    3. being a person who derides others.

    Instead, a person who desires to be blessed must choose to delight in God’s law and make it his meditation all day. Such a person will be firmly rooted and watered in blessing.

    This psalm is connected to the final psalm, Psalm 150, of the Book of Psalms. Matthew Henry notes this connection in his opening to Psalm 150.

    “The first and last of the psalms have both the same number of verses, are both short, and very memorable. But the scope of them is different: the first psalm is an elaborate instruction in our duty, to prepare us for the comforts of our devotion; [Psalm 150] is all rapture and transport, and perhaps was penned on purpose to be the conclusion of these sacred songs, to show what is the design of them all, and that is to assist us in praising God” (645).

    Therefore, let us begin with the end in mind: a life of praising God.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 1.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

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

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 128

    Psalm 128

    Commonplace –

    “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.

    For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be and it shall be well with thee” (Psalm 128:1-2).

    This is a happy song. It shares the secrets to a good life. What constitutes a happy life: a wife that is fruitful, children that grow around the family table, living to see one’s grandchildren, productive labor and seeing the good of the church and peace in the country. These are the blessings given by the Lord to obedient followers. As Matthew Henry notes,

    “…the prosperity of our families depends upon the blessing of God; in this we are taught that the only way to obtain that blessing which will make our families comfortable is to live in the fear of God and in obedience to him” (602).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 128.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

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

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg