angela hormberg

Tag: Jesus

  • Proverbs 11:19

    Proverbs 11:19

    Tending and Pursuing

    Commonplace –

    “As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death” (Proverbs 11:19).

    Proverbs 11:19 is about action, just different kinds.

    In the first part of the verse, we are told that righteous ‘tends to’ or leads to life. This is interesting. What is leading? Righteousness is leading, in the sense that we are following an example. Only one is truly righteous, and that is Jesus, “in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). Only through our faith in Christ are we justified. Therefore, when we are choosing to follow Christ’s example, we are submitting our will to him. Only in this way are we acting justly and only in Christ are we justified and receive eternal life. “…righteousness, in its own nature, has a direct tendency to life and wickedness to death” (Henry 699).

    In the second part of the verse, we are told about the person who pursues evil. Who is pursuing? The person that seeks to do evil. This person has in front of him the desire to act unjustly, and he chooses to seek it. “The more violent a man is in sinful pursuits the eagerly bent he is upon his own destruction; he awakens it when it seemed to slumber and hastens it when it seemed to linger” (Henry 699).

    We are either following an example or pursuing our own desires.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 11:19.” 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 Chapter 8

    Proverbs Chapter 8

    Commonplace –

    “Does not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

    She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.

    She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors” (Proverbs 8:1-3).

    In his introduction to Proverbs 8, Solomon poses a couple of questions:

    1. “Doth not wisdom cry” (v.1a)
    2. Doesn’t “understanding put forth her voice” (v.1b)

    Wisdom and understanding are open and available to all. They “crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors” (v.3). Unlike folly and ignorance, who lurk in the shadows and use cunning to entrap their prey, wisdom illuminates the soul and can only be found in connection with light.

    From verses 4-36, Wisdom directly addresses the reader and makes it clear that wisdom is readily available to everyone.

    “All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.

    They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge” (Proverbs 8:8-9).

    And, again,

    “I wisdom dwell with prudence” (Proverbs 8:12a).

    Prudence is practical wisdom; it’s common sense. There is also intellectual wisdom, which is the wisdom we need to understand fundamental, unchanging truths. In Proverbs 8:12, we learn that wisdom is available to the common man and is useful for everyday living.

    In verse 13, Wisdom imparts foundational knowledge, informing the reader what it means to possess ‘fear of the Lord’.

    “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate” (Prov 8:13).

    If you will recall, Solomon shared in Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction”. So from the beginning of our journey through these first eight verses of Proverbs, Solomon has been making a passionate plea for us to choose the path of wisdom, which begins with fear of the Lord. Now, in Proverbs 8:7, Solomon clearly states with it means to ‘fear the Lord’, which is to hate evil, pride, arrogance, and contrariness.

    Beginning in verse 22, Wisdom shares that she was with the Lord in the very beginning: “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was” (v.22-23). In reference to these two verses, Matthew Henry comments,

    “That it is an intelligent and divine person that here speaks seems very plain, and that it is not meant of a mere essential property of the divine nature, for Wisdom here has personal properties and actions; and that intelligent person can be no other than the Son of God himself, to whom the principal things here spoken of wisdom are attributed in other scriptures, and we must explain scripture by itself” (684).

    In his introduction to Proverbs 8, Henry writes:

    “The word of God is two-fold, and, in both senses, is wisdom; for a word without wisdom is of little value, and wisdom without a word is of little use” (680).

    Proverbs 8 gives instruction in wisdom and also points to the source of wisdom, which is the Word.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 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 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 22

    Psalm 22

    Commonplace –

    “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Psalm 22:1).

    Psalm 22’s lament stands in stark contrast to Psalm 21’s joy. They are desperate and sorrowful. Later, Jesus would echo David’s words on the cross in one of his last mournful cries.

    “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

    But God.

    Midway through Psalm 22, David offers the following prophetic words:

    “Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

    For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard” (Psalm 22:24-25, emphasis mine).

    Jesus knew God’s word. He had clearly read this psalm. So, even though his last words sound like a defeat, there is a seed of hope in them. We know Jesus cried out, but we also know God heard. So, if Jesus had hope in his worst hour, and David had hope in his horrible hour, shouldn’t we have hope in our difficulties? We can share in their cry and claim the promise of deliverance, at the same time. It is a great act of rebellion against evil to face a challenging circumstance with hope. May that hope never leave us, whatever situation we face.

    Matthew Henry’s summary offers a judicious assessment of Psalm 22.

    “The Spirit of Christ, which was in the prophets, testifies in this psalm, as clearly and fully as any where in all the Old Testament, “the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow” (1 Pet 1:11); of him, no doubt, David here speaks, and not of himself, or any other man. Much of it is expressly applied to him, and some of it must be understood of him only. The providences of God concerning David were so very extraordinary that we may suppose there were some wise good men who then could not but look upon him as a figure of him that was to come. But the composition of his psalms especially, in which he found himself wonderfully carried out by the spirit of prophecy far beyond his own thought and intention, was (we may suppose) an abundant satisfaction to himself that he was not only a father of the Messiah but a figure of him” (251).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 22.” 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 2

    Psalm 2

    Commonplace –

    “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

    Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:10-11).

    The writer opens with a question: “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” What is this vanity? The writer is referring to people who reject God. This is an interesting follow up to Psalm 1, a psalm of instruction, which lays out the choice all men have between good and evil. In Psalm 2, the writer gives the reader a glimpse of life for those who choose evil; they will be punished for their evil actions. The psalmist ends with an entreaty to the reader to make the good choice, “Be wise therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:10-11).

    The result of choosing to follow God is a blessing: “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalm 2:12b). Notice, the psalmist doesn’t say “Blessed will be“. This is important, because the blessing is present. One does not have to wait for it to happen; those who follow God are blessed in the present moment in the act of following God. The blessing is the peace that comes from doing the right thing.

    It is also important to note the Messianic message in this psalm: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but little” (Psalm 2:12a). Here we are introduced to the Son of God and our need of Him. Allegiance to Him is a necessary element in choosing the good path. Matthew Henry notes this in his comments:

    “As the foregoing psalm was moral, and showed us our duty, so this is evangelical, and shows us our Saviour. Under the type of David’s kingdom (which was of divine appointment, met with much opposition, but prevailed at last) the kingdom of the Messiah, the son of David, is prophesied of, which is the primary intention and scope of this psalm” (196).

    Further on, Henry continues:

    “This psalm, as the former, is very fitly prefixed to this book of devotions, because, as it is necessary to our acceptance with God that we should be subject to the precepts of his law, so it is likewise that we should be subject to the grace of his gospel, and come to him in the name of a Mediator” (196).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 2.” 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 118

    Psalm 118

    Commonplace –

    “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

    It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in any man.

    This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

    O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for his mercy endureth forever” (Psalm 118: 6, 8, 24, 29).

    What a poignant reminder that our fear should be in God and not man. What can man do to me? If I put my trust in God and not man, I can trust that God, whose mercy endures forever, will always do what is best for me. What a wonderful hope to rest in!

    Matthew Henry suggests,

    “In singing this psalm we must glorify God for his goodness, his goodness to us, and especially his goodness to us in Jesus Christ” (Henry 555).

    Specifically, Henry states,

    “It appears here, as often as elsewhere, that David had his heart full of the goodness of God. He loved to think of it, loved to speak of it, and was very solicitous that God might have the praise of it and others the comfort of it. The more our hearts are very impressed with a sense of God’s goodness the more they will be enlarged in all manner of obedience” (Henry 556).

    This is a great point! Focusing on God’s goodness orders our hearts aright and helps us to continue in obedience.

    Also, as Henry notes, while this psalm was written by David regarding specific events in his own life, Psalm 118 foreshadows Jesus and his life.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 118.” 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 110

    Psalm 110

    Commonplace –

    “The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thy enemies.

    The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent. Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110: 2, 4).

    This psalm has many references to Jesus. As Matthew Henry notes in his summary of Psalm 110,

    “This psalm is pure gospel; it is only, and wholly, concerning Christ, the Messiah promised to the father and expected by them” (Henry 537).

    It is beautiful to consider that we see fully what the faithful in the Old Testament only anticipated. Matthew Henry gives a rousing charge in his summary of this psalm, Psalm 110.

    “In singing this psalm, we must act faith upon Christ, submit ourselves entirely to him, to his grace and government, and triumph in him as our prophet, priest, and king, by whom we hope to be ruled, and taught, and saved, for ever, and as the prophet, priest, and king, of the whole church, who shall reign till he has put down all opposing rule, principality, and power, and delivered up the kingdom to God the Father” (Henry 538).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 110.” 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 109

    Psalm 109

    Commonplace –

    “Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy mercy: That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Lord, has done it” (Psalm 109:26-27).

    Henry suggests we take on the following mindset as we sing/pray this psalm.

    “In singing this psalm we must comfort ourselves with the believing foresight of the certain destruction of all the enemies of Christ and his church, and the certain salvation of all those that trust in God and keep close to him” (Henry 534).

    In particular, Henry notes,

    “God was David’s protector in his sufferings, and was present also with the Lord Jesus in his, stood at his right hand, so that he was not moved, saved his soul from those that pretended to be the judges of it, and received it into his own hands. Let all those that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him (Henry 537).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 109.” 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 101

    Psalm 101

    Commonplace –

    “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way” (Psalm 101:2).

    The title of Psalm 101 includes the description, “A Psalm of David”. As Matthew Henry notes,

    “David was certainly the penman of this psalm, and it has in it the genuine spirit of the man after God’s own heart; it is a solemn vow which he made to God when he took upon him the charge of a family and of the kingdom” (Henry 502).

    David was committed to God. Yes, he struggled, but his desire was to do his best for the Lord. Later, Christ came. He also was committed to God and desired to do His best for God. The Bible even tells us Jesus was tempted in every way we are tempted,

    “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, emphasis mine).

    Christ was able to do what David could not, “behave himself wisely in a perfect way”.

    In regard to living in a ‘perfect way’, Matthew Henry states,

    “When we make the word of God our rule, and are ruled by it, the glory of God our end, and aim at it, then we walk in a perfect way with a perfect heart” (Henry 503).

    We may struggle like David to maintain our solemn vow, but we can be like him and strive towards the goal and be ruled by it.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 101.” 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 89

    Psalm 89

    Commonplace –

    “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. for I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah” (Psalm 89:1-4).

    What an answer we have here to the lamentations to Psalm 88. Yet, even though Psalm 89 begins with praise, it ends with a cry for help. By the end of the psalm, the psalmist is crying out to God in the final verses. In verse 46, he asks, “How long, Lord? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?” and, again, in verse 49, “Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?”

    Yet, we, the recipients of the New Testament, don’t have to wonder about these things. God’s wrath knew a limit. God’s lovingkindness was revealed in Christ. Now, we have the full revelation. Praise God!

    Matthew Henry responds to the opening of Psalm 89 with the following suggestion:

    “In singing this psalm we must have high thoughts of God, a lively faith in his covenant with the Redeemer, and a sympathy with the afflicted parts of the church” (Henry 468).

    Henry offers the following insight into verses 1-4:

    “The psalmist has a very sad complaint to make of the deplorable condition of the family of David at this time, and yet he begins the psalm with songs of praise; for we must, in every thing, in every state, give thanks; thus we must glorify the Lord in the fire. We think, when we are in trouble, that we get ease by complaining; but we do more – we get joy, by praising. Let our complaints therefore be turned into thanksgivings; and in these verses we find that which will be matter of praise and thanksgiving for us in the worst of times, whether upon a personal or public account,”

    1. However it be, the everlasting God is good and true, v.1. Though we may find it hard to reconcile present dark providences with the goodness and truth of God, yet we must abide by this principle, That God’s mercies are inexhaustible and his truth is inviolable; and these must be the matter of our joy and praise: “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever, sing a praising song to God’s honour, a pleasant song for my own solace, and Maschil, an instructive song, for the edification of others.” We may be forever singing God’s mercies, and yet the subject will not be drawn dry. We must sing of God’s mercies as long as we live, train up others to sing of them when we are gone, and hope to be singing them in heaven world without end; and this is singing of the mercies of the Lord for ever. With my mouth, and with my pen (for by that also do we speak), will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations, assuring posterity, from my own observation and experience, that God is true to every word that he has spoken, that they may learn to put their trust in God, Ps 78:6, 2.

    I affirm through my own observation and experience that God is TRUE to EVERY word that He has spoken!

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 89.” 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