angela hormberg

Tag: Eternal Life

  • Proverbs 11:8

    Proverbs 11:8

    Deliverance

    Commonplace –

    “The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead” (Proverbs 11:8).

    Proverbs 11:8 states that the righteous are saved from a trouble, but the wicked fall when confronted with the same situation. This happens due to the choices made by each person. A righteous person will choose the good and be delivered. The wicked person will choose evil and fall. Of course, we all see situations in the material world we live in where it appears the good make a good choice and are punished by their choice, sometimes even unto death. However, that viewpoint leaves out the eternal, spiritual perspective, which is essential. As Matthew Henry notes in his Commentary,

    “When a godly man dies his expectations are out-done, and all his fears vanish; but when a wicked man dies his expectations are dashed, dashed to pieces; in that very day his thoughts perish with which he had pleased himself, his hopes vanish” (697).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 11:8.” 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.

    © 2026 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 11:4

    Proverbs 11:4

    Righteousness

    Commonplace –

    “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death” (Proverbs 11:4).

    Proverbs 11:4 encourages the reader to have an eternal outlook toward life and pursue righteousness over wealth. Job 1:21 helps us understand the writer’s meaning behind the first part of verse 11:4: “Riches profit not in the day of wrath”:

    “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither” (Job 1:21).

    We came with no thing. We leave with no thing. The only possession we have upon entering and exiting this life is our soul, which is why we should pay heed to this verse and think primarily of what is best for our soul during our life. Riches may bring comfort during life, but they do not help us in our eternal life. As Matthew Henry states, “In the day of public judgments riches often expose men rather than protect them, Ezek 7:19” (696).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 11:4.” 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.

    © 2026 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 16

    Psalm 16

    Commonplace –

    “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11).

    Psalm 16 is a beautiful meditation on a life purposed to follow God. It is all about living with intention and persistently pursuing God. How do we live that way?

    Purposeful Living

    David shares with us how he lives intentionally.

    1. He puts his trust in God. (v.1)
    2. He seeks God’s counsel. (v.7)
    3. He sets the Lord always before him. (v.8)
    4. He recognizes God maintains his lot. (v.5)
    5. He rests in the hope that God will not leave him nor forsake him. (v.10).

    David shares with us how he receives God’s gifts. Often we ask for things from God and we are committed to following God, but we never receive the gifts of God. We continue to live in stress and worry. What does receiving the gifts of God look like?

    1. Recognizing the good things in our lives and being thankful for them. (v.6).
    2. Living with a glad heart and rejoicing in the Lord always no matter the circumstances. (v.9).

    God gives us the gift of life; life is a gift. There is always something to be thankful for: breath of life, sunshine, rain, food, people that come into our lives, even if it’s simply a stranger with a smile. Recognizing these things is an essential part of living with a glad heart. When we purpose to recognize the good, we are also purposing to see past our present unpleasant circumstances. This is key to obtaining the joy that David is talking about in this psalm. It is a mindset. It is affirming the goodness of God and the gift of life. It is the very essence of hope. Connect your hope with action: be “be patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). In this way we live the life Christ modeled for us.

    Matthew Henry’s summary includes the following excerpt:

    “This psalm has something of David in it, but much more of Christ. It begins with expressed devotion as may be applied to Christ; but concludes with such confidence of a resurrection (and so timely a one as to prevent corruption) as must be applied to Christ” (234).

    And our faith in Christ gives us the same confidence in eternal life. We can have that eternal life now through faith, and we can walk that faith out every day.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 16.” 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 105

    Psalm 105

    Commonplace –

    “Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance” (Psalm 105:11).

    Matthew Henry had some thoughtful insight regarding this psalm:

    “Some of the psalms of praise are very short, others very long, to teach us that, in our devotions, we should be more observant how our hearts work than how the time passes and neither overstretch ourselves by coveting to be long nor over-stint ourselves by coveting to be short, but either the one or the other as we find in our hearts to pray” (Henry 517).

    In particular, I was struck by God’s promise to the Israelites to give them the land of Canaan, which is found in verse 11. Matthew Henry notes,

    “God’s promise to the patriarch’s, that great promise that he would give to their seed the land of Canaan for an inheritance, which was a type of the promise of eternal life made in Christ to all believers” (Henry 518).

    So, we can receive this promise from God. We, too, have a Canaan promised to us, and all we have to do is receive it.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 105.” 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