angela hormberg

Tag: children

  • Psalm 8

    Psalm 8

    Commonplace –

    “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of mine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger” (Psalm 8:2).

    and

    “What is man, that thou are mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:4).

    “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1 and 9).

    David begins and ends this contemplative psalm with the same verse, praising God for his excellent name and His glory. In Psalm 8, David marvels over God’s kindness towards man:

    1. Even the children of men are recognized and loved by God, speaking God’s word in strength, stilling the enemy (v.2.).
    2. Even man, himself, is loved by God, placed a little lower than angels and above all creation.

    Why is God’s kindness so amazing? Because God as Creator does not have to love His creation, yet He does. Throughout the psalm, David recognizes God as Creator of all things: the heavens, the moon, the stars, beasts of the field, fowl of the air, fish and everything else in and of the sea. And God, Creator of all things, is mindful of everything He created. Note David’s emphasis on God’s recognition of children. Children were not prized, as they are often not prized today, but God takes notice of them and gives strength to children through his Word. Probably God’s recognition of His Creation is more of a marvel to David, who as King of Israel was aware of how difficult it is to keep an eye on his kingdom. It’s impossible for an earthly king to be attune to all the goings on of His Kingdom, yet God is mindful of the entire world and everything in it.

    But we can be mindful of the One, who is mindful of all things. We can acknowledge how excellent He is. And that is what Matthew Henry points us to in his summary.

    “This psalm is a solemn meditation on, and admiration of, the glory and greatness of God, of which we are all concerned to think highly and honourably” (216).

    and

    “When we are observing the glory of God in the kingdom of nature and providence we should be led by that, and through that, to the contemplation of his glory in the kingdom of grace” (216).

    This psalm is an excellent example of how to meditate on God’s word, thinking about an aspect of God and considering it.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 8.” 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 144

    Psalm 144

    Commonplace –

    “My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer, my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me” (Psalm 144:2).

    Throwing off the heaviness of the previous three psalms, David begins Psalm 144 with a happy cry, “Blessed be the Lord my strength” (144:1). He acknowledges God as his hiding place, his savior, his protection, his source of strength and One who is trustworthy. David has experienced God’s goodness in difficult times, and his testimony is true. He asks to be delivered from unbelieving men and strange children, who are unaware of their own finiteness, and rejoices in the infinity of God. He ends by beseeching God for sons like plants and daughters like palace cornerstones. He prays for full granaries, flocks of healthy sheep, and strong oxen. He declares that this is happiness; a happy home, where children are healthy, flocks are prolific, and oxen are strong, and where God is Lord.

    “In singing this psalm we may give God the glory of our spiritual privileges and advancements, and fetch in help from him against our spiritual enemies; we may pray for the prosperity of our souls, of our families, and of our land; and, in the opinion of some of the Jewish writers, we may refer the psalm to the Messiah and his kingdom” (Henry 630).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 144.” 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 127

    Psalm 127

    Commonplace –

    “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

    As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

    Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate” (Psalm 126:3-5).

    Psalm 127 is “for Solomon”, and it is good to keep this in mind as we read Psalm 127. As Matthew Henry notes, “[t]his is a family psalm” (601). What did David choose to write specifically for his son which was to be repeated aloud by pilgrims en route to festivals in Jerusalem?

    He admonished his son and the pilgrims to remember, that if one builds a house but fails to keep God as its head, it is built in vain. If one rises early and stays up late and is in a constant state of worry, one has failed to remember that it is God, who orders the day. But of the five verses that David wrote for Psalm 127, he focused the majority of them on children, specifically how children are a blessing from the Lord. Specifically, David notes the following about children:

    1. they are a heritage,
    2. they are a reward,
    3. they make a man mighty, and
    4. they bring happiness.

    This admonishment to parents is similar to what children are commanded in regard to their parents:

    “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Exodus 20:12).

    Parents are to remember that children are a reward, and children are to remember to honor their parents. Obedience brings its own reward.

    It is good to reflect on all of these thoughts as we ponder the three main points David makes in Psalm 127:

    1. Make God the head of the home, otherwise one labors in vain.
    2. Remember everything one receives is from God, believing otherwise is simply vanity.
    3. Children are a heritage and a reward and make man mighty and happy.

    As Matthew Henry notes,

    “In singing this psalm, we must have our eye up unto God for success in all our undertakings and a blessing upon all our comforts and enjoyments, because every creature is that to us which he makes it to be and no more” (601).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 127.” 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

  • 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