angela hormberg

Tag: David

  • 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 62

    Psalm 62

    Commonplace –

    “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation” (Psalm 62:1).

    Matthew Henry offers helpful insight,

    “”We are in the way both of duty and comfort when our souls wait upon God, when we cheerfully refer ourselves, and the disposal of all our affairs, to His will and wisdom, when we acquiesce in and accommodate ourselves to all the dispensations of his providence, and patiently expect a doubtful event, with an entire satisfaction in his righteousness and goodness” (379).

    “He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved” (Psalm 62:6).

    Again, Matthew Henry worthily notes,

    “The more faith is acted the more active it is. Crescit eundo – It grows by being exercised. The more we meditate upon God’s attributes and promises, and our own experience, the more ground we get of our fears, which, like Haman, when they begin to fall, shall fall before us, and we shall be kept in perfect peace, Isa 26:3.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 62.” 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 61

    Psalm 61

    Commonplace –

    “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer” (Psalm 61:1).

    David calls to God and offers prayers. He is in a state of overwhelm and turns to God. In that state, David reminds himself of God’s past faithfulness, when God was “a shelter for [him], and a strong tower from the enemy” (Psalm 61:2). Because of God’s past faithfulness, David returns seeking comfort and knowing he will receive it. As we have seen over the past few days, David’s prayers are turned to praise.

    Matthew Henry aptly notes,

    “Those abide to good purpose in this world that abide before God, that serve him and walk in his fear; and those that do so shall abide before him for ever” (Henry 379).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 60.” 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 60

    Psalm 60

    Commonplace –

    “Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies” (Psalm 60:11-12).

    In Psalm 60, David again begins with prayers of protection and favor. In verse 6, the Psalm turns to praise, as David writes,

    “God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Schechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth” (Psalm 60:6).

    God answered and gave David the victory. Regarding Psalm 60 Matthew Henry notes, it was written when “David was in the zenith of his prosperity, and the affairs of [David’s] kingdom seem to have been in a better posture than ever they were either before or after” (Henry 376). Further on Henry writes,

    “David, in prosperity, was as devout as David in diversity” (375).

    Matthew Henry outlines Psalm 60 as follows,

    “I. [David] reflects upon the bad state of the public interests, for many years, in which God had been contending with them (v. 1-3).

    II. [David] takes notice of the happy turn lately given to their affairs (v. 4).

    III. [David] prays for the deliverance of God’s Israel from their enemies (v. 5).

    IV. [David] triumphs in hope of their victories over their enemies, and begs of God to carry them on and complete them (v 6-12)” (Henry 375).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 60.” 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 59

    Psalm 59

    Commonplace –

    “But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble” (Psalm 59:16).

    As with Psalm 57, there is a turning point in this psalm. It begins in prayer and ends with praise; verse 16 is that turning point. In the face of his enemies, David turns to God, his strength and defense. Matthew Henry notes,

    “[David] would praise him because he had still a dependence upon Him and a confidence in Him, as his strength to support him and carry him on in his duty, his defense to keep him safe from evil, and the God of his mercy to make him happy and easy. He that is all this to us is certainly worthy of our best affections, praises and services” (375).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 59.” 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 58

    Psalm 58

    Commonplace –

    “So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous; verily he is a God that judgeth the earth” (Psalm 58).

    Here the Psalmist addresses the wicked and calls them to account. He declares our choices have consequences.

    Regarding “he is a God”, Matthew Henry notes,

    “He is a God (so we read it), not a weak man, not an angel, not a mere name, not (as the atheists suggest) a creature of men’s fear and fancy, not a deified hero, not the sun and moon, as idolaters imagined, but a God, a self-existent perfect Being; he is that judges the earth; his favour therefore let us seek, from whom every man’s judgment proceeds, and to him let all judgment be referred” (372).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 58.” 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 57

    Psalm 57

    Commonplace –

    “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise” (Psalm 57:7).

    This Psalm turns on this verse. David begins in prayer expressing his dire situation to God. Yet at verse 7, his attitude changes. He eyes are no longer set on the circumstances surrounding him but on God. As Matthew Henry notes:

    “How strangely is the tune altered here! David’s prayers and complaints, by the lively actings of faith, are here, all of a sudden, turned into praises and thanksgivings; his sackcloth is loosed, he is girded with gladness, and his hallelujahs are as fervent as his hosannas. This should make us in love with prayer, that, sooner or later, it will be swallowed up in praise” (369).

    It is at one and the same time a reminder to keep our hearts fixed on God continuing in prayer, and it is a praise that our hearts are fixed on God, our ever present help in trouble.

    Matthew Henry comments,

    “If by the grace of God we be brought into this even composed frame of spirit, we have great reason to be thankful” and “[i]t is implied that the heart is the main thing required in all acts of devotion; nothing is done to purpose, in religion, further than it is done with the heart. The heart must be fixed, fixed for the duty, fitted and put in frame for it, fixed in the duty by a close application, attending on the Lord without distraction” (369).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 57.” 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 56

    Psalm 56

    Commonplace –

    “In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me” (Psalm 56:11).

    Here David reminds himself of where he has put his trust. We often need to remind ourselves and again commit to put our trust in God. It is good to remember that this life is comprised of the physical and spiritual; man is only a part of the physical, whereas God is over all. Man’s reach is limited.

    In regards to the words “what can man do unto me” Matthew Henry comments:

    “This triumphant word, so expressive of a holy magnanimity, the apostle puts into the mouth of every true believer, whom he makes a Christian hero, Heb. 13:6, “We may each of us boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and then I will not fear what man shall do unto me; for he has not power but what he has given him from above””(366).

    Finally, the psalmist reminds himself:

    “For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living? (Psalm 56:13)”

    The greatest gift we are given, if we choose to receive it, is deliverance from death, which is the wages of sin. Believing God has delivered his soul from death, David inquires as to whether God will “deliver [his] feet from falling”. Here Matthew Henry notes,

    “This may be taken either as the matter of his prayer, pleading his experience, or as the matter of his praise, raising his expectations; and those that know how to praise in faith will give God thanks for mercies in promise and in prospect, as well as in possession” (367).

    Further, David indicates that, if allowed to continue to walk on this earth, he will do so “before God in the light of the living”. If David is allowed to live, he will live as a follower of God. To this Matthew Henry counsels,

    “”That I may do my duty while this life lasts”.” Note, This we should aim at, in all our desires and expectations of deliverance both from sin and trouble, that we may do God so much better the service – that, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we may serve Him without fear” (367).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 56.” 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 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