angela hormberg

Tag: Instruction

  • Proverbs 12:1

    Proverbs 12:1

    The Love of Knowledge

    Commonplace –

    “Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish” (Proverbs 12:1).

    Matthew Henry’s insight on verse 12:1 is too good not to share.

    “We are here taught to try whether we have grace or no by enquiring how we stand affected to the means of grace” (701).

    How do we react to instruction? According to the Proverb, our reaction, loving or hateful, shows our character. Receive the instruction well and it is obvious you are a lover of knowledge. Become angry at the instruction and it is obvious you are a brute.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 12.” 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 10:17

    Proverbs 10:17

    The Way of Life

    Commonplace –

    “He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth” (Proverbs 10:17).

    Proverbs 10:17 is a simple truth well stated. Keep instruction and you will be in the ‘way of life’, eternal life, avoiding the way of death. I really like Matthew Henry’s thoughts on this verse and ‘the way of life’.

    “That those are in the right that do not only receive instruction, but retain it, that do not let it slip through carelessness, as most do, nor let it go to those that would rob them of it, that keep instruction safely, keep it pure and entire, keep it for their own use, that they may govern themselves by it, keep it for the benefit of others, that they may instruct them; those that do so are in the way of life, the way that has true comfort in it and eternal life at the end of it” (693).

    Henry packs alot into his notes. I work best from lists, so I’ll convert what he says here on what ‘keeping instruction’ means to him:

    1. Receive instruction
    2. Retain instruction
    3. Keep instruction by taking care of it
    4. Keep instruction safe
    5. Keep instruction pure
    6. Keep instruction entire
    7. Keep instruction for your own use, to govern yourself by it
    8. Keep instruction for the benefit of others, to instruct them

    This is why I like Matthew Henry. He looks at exactly what it means to keep instruction. It goes beyond just hearing it. We must retain it, recall it, and teach it, not just parts of it, all of it. We have a duty to the instruction we receive.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:17.” 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.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 34

    Psalm 34

    Commonplace –

    “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).

    In Psalm 34, David begins by praising God. He calls the reader to worship with him: “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalm 34:3). He gives a testimony: “I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (v. 4). God is ever present. He sends his angels to deliver the saints. (v.7).

    Then, David turns to instruction. “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (v. 11). How do you live like one who loves the Lord?

    1. Keep your tongue from evil. (v. 13)
    2. Refrain from cunning or sly speech. (v. 13)
    3. Run from evil. (v. 14)
    4. Do good. (v. 14)
    5. Seek and pursue peace. (v. 14)

    Afterwards, David compares the life of those who follow God with those who follow evil. The evildoers will be cut off, but the followers of the Lord will be heard and delivered from their troubles. David ends with the following encouragement:

    “The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servant: none of them that trust in him shall be desolate” (Psalm 34:22).

    I’d say that is some pretty good news.

    Matthew Henry references Psalm 34’s introduction, which follows:

    “A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed” (Psalm 34).

    In respect to the opening, Henry notes,

    “This psalm was penned upon a particular occasion, as appears by the title, and yet there is little in it particular to that occasion, bu that which is general, both by way of thanksgiving to God and instruction to us” (289).

    This is a very important point and not one to be overlooked. David took the specific situation he was in and wrote a song about the general truth he learned from that situation and used it to praise God and teach others, and, in so doing, he made plain the purpose of our own testimony: praise God for deliverance and use it to teach others.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 34.” 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 24

    Psalm 24

    Commonplace –

    “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

    He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully

    He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:3-5).

    “Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah” (Psalm 24:10).

    Psalm 24 is simply divine. It is a lovely meditation with many splendid verses. Verse 1 is one of my personal favorites:

    “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).

    Psalm 24: A Psalm of Wonder

    Psalm 24 inspires a sense of wonder, as David meditates on the creation around him. The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. What a beautiful reminder that God is the God of creation. Whether good or evil, He holds it all in His hands, which means He works all of it ultimately to the good, no matter the intent of the wicked (Rom 8:28).

    Psalm 24: A Psalm of Instruction

    David also instructs the reader on how to enter the Kingdom of God. One must do the following:

    1. Maintain clean hands.
    2. Keep a pure heart.
    3. Refrain from vanity and deceitful swearing.

    If one is able to do these things, he will receive blessing and righteousness from God. And praise be to God, who sent his Son to save us, knowing a person would be unable to achieve these ends alone. Philipians 4:13 tells us that one can do all things through Christ, who alone supplies the necessary strength to endeavor hardships and trials.

    Psalm 24: A Psalm of Praise

    Here is the heartfelt praise of the people of the King. They stand in unity, physical and spiritual, those present in the body and those gone before, and look with anticipation toward the gates waiting for the King to enter. David looked forward, even as the Christ dwelt within Him, waiting for His time. Our vantage point is looking back to hear of Christ’s coming, living, dying, rising, and entering the gates of Heaven to take His place next to the Father. In that way, we stand on one side of time looking, as one through a mirror, at David looking forward. And we both can say: He is the King of Glory; He was present inside of David, even as David was writing, and He is present in all those who submit to Him.

    Matthew Henry observes:

    “It is supposed that [Psalm 24] was penned upon occasion of David’s bringing the ark to the place prepared for it, and that the intention of it was to lead the people above the pomp of external ceremonies to a holy life and faith in Christ, of whom the ark was a type” (260).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 24.” 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 5

    Psalm 5

    Commonplace –

    “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

    For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield” (Psalm 5:11-12).

    In Psalm 5, the opening lines are “Give ear to my words, O Lord” (v.1.) and “Hearken unto the voice of my cry” (v.2). In a similar manner in Psalm 4, David called out to God in the opening verse, “Hear me when I call, O God”. David comes before God as a member of His kingdom, as one who has the right to approach the throne. In both psalms, David is respectful, both times adding a specific attribute to God, when he addresses Him: “God of my righteousness “ (Psalm 4:1) and “my King and my God” (Psalm 5:2). David would have been very familiar with how to appropriately approach the throne of the ruler, as he was a King and was used to receiving requests from his own people. He is modeling for us to be bold but respectful when entering the spiritual throne room of God, as a member of His kingdom.

    Why is this important? It is important for a couple of reasons.

    1. It is a sign of reverence. It is important to acknowledge God’s place in the Kingdom as ruler, as it immediately puts one in a right attitude. We acknowledge we are His people, and He is our God; He is higher, and we are lower. He is God, and all power rests in Him. This isn’t because God needs us to acknowledge Him as higher, but it is for our peace, knowing we don’t rely on ourselves nor are we alone. We acknowledge His role as our provider and our dependence on His mercy. Unlike an earthly King, who is distant and difficult to approach, we have complete access to our King at all times.
    2. It is a sign of belonging. As members of God’s Kingdom, we have the right to come before Him and make our requests. We belong to Him. Therefore, we are not alone. David had this right through his heritage as a Hebrew; we have this right through faith in Christ.
    3. It is a sign of need. Pride melts away, when the heat of need refines us. We recognize we have needs that we cannot fulfill, which immediately brings us to a place of humility, which brings relief. No longer do we have to do everything, we can release that stress and turn it over to God, resting in the peace and comfort of knowing He is our Provider.

    After acknowledging God, David turns to instruction.

    1. When to pray. He models for the reader the appropriate time to turn to God, which is in the morning, not because this is the only time, but because it is when prayer should begin: immediately when we arise. By beginning with prayer in the morning, we set our sight immediately on that which is good.
    2. How to live. Reject evil, because evil has no place with God. We should avoid sin, lying, speaking with flattery, and any manner of evil, because God, in His goodness, cannot abide with it. Accept good by having a holy reverence of God, trusting in Him, and following after Him.
    3. Rejoice. By choosing God and good, we can and should rejoice in His blessing and protection.

    Following is excerpt of Matthew Henry’s summary of Psalm 5.

    “[Psalm 5] is a prayer, a solemn address to God, at a time when the psalmist was brought into distress by the malice of his enemies. Many such times passed over David, nay, there was scarcely any time of his life to which this psalm may not be accommodated, for in this he was a type of Christ, that he was continually beset with enemies, and his powerful and prevalent appeals to God, when he was so beset, pointed at Christ’s dependence on his Father and triumphs over the powers of darkness in the midst of his sufferings.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 5.” 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 4

    Psalm 4

    Commonplace –

    “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah

    Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord” (Psalm 4:4-5).

    Psalm 4 is credited to David. David begins this psalm with a plea to God to be heard; he predicates his argument to be heard on God’s previous responses to his cries. In the past, God blessed him in his distress, and he is asking for the same again: “have mercy upon me and hear my prayer” (Psalm 4:1b).

    David then turns to his oppressors and calls them out for their shaming him to stoke their own vanity. He warns them that God will hear him, when he prays.

    Then, David turns his face to God, and the glory of God fills him to overflowing as the wisdom pours out in his song. He instructs the reader in the way of the good in verses 5 and 6. This receiving from God and sharing with others has “put gladness in [his] heart” (v. 7), and his prayer has been answered. He receives the calm and comfort only God can impart: “for thou, Lord, only makes me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). In this psalm, David leads the reader from being perturbed to being at peace and the pathway is prayer.

    Matthew Henry paints a beautiful picture of David as we see him in Psalm 4.

    “David was a preacher, a royal preacher, as well as Solomon; many of his psalms are doctrinal and practical as well as devotional; the greatest part of this psalm is so, in which Wisdom cries to men, to the sons of men (as Prov. 8:4,5), to receive instruction” (204).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 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.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg