angela hormberg

Tag: Poor Man

  • Psalm 12

    Psalm 12

    Commonplace –

    “Help, Lord” (Psalm 12:1a).

    Petition

    The situation is dire. David cries out, “Help, Lord” (v.1.). He lays before the Lord his charge against the wicked.

    1. They speak vanity with flattering lips.
    2. They speak with a double heart.
    3. They speak with pride and boasting.

    Grounds for Petition

    David details the situation resulting from the evil actions of the wicked.

    1. godly men cease
    2. the faithful fail

    Justification

    David asks God to keep and preserve the godly from the wicked. He quotes God’s own words back to him:

    “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him” (Psalm 12:5).

    Further, David compares God’s words to the vain words of the wicked. God’s words are “pure words; as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (v.6). Therefore, God’s words are more than enough evidence to support the petition for God’s intercession on behalf of the godly.

    Remembering and Reminding

    David reassures himself and the reader that God will resolve this situation and the godly will prevail: “Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever” (Psalm 12:7). Remembering this brings peace in the midst of troubling circumstances. Reminding the reader of this is a help in times of trouble.

    Warning

    The psalm closes with a warning, “The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted” (Psalm 12:8). Again, this is written for David and the reader. If vile men are elevated in a society, the wicked proliferate. It is our responsibility to be on guard against this, refrain from participating in anything that encourages the increase in wickedness, and to pray faithfully against it happening.

    Here is an excerpt of Matthew Henry’s summary of Psalm 12.

    “It is supposed that David penned this psalm in Saul’s reign, when there was a general decay of honesty and piety both in court and country, which he here complains of to God, and very feelingly, for he himself suffered by the treachery of false friends and the insolence of sworn enemies” (227).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 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.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 10

    Psalm 10

    Commonplace –

    “Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

    To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of earth may no more oppress” (Psalm 10:18).

    Psalms 9 and 10

    In the previous post on Psalm 9, the following was noted regarding Psalms 9 and 10:

    “John Parsons of Hebrew4Christians.com wrote the following in reference to Psalms 9 and 10:

    “David probably wrote Psalm 9 and 10 as a single psalm (“Psalm 9 in Hebrew”).

    Matthew Henry echoes this sentiment in his summary of Psalm 10:

    “The Septuagint translation joins this psalm with the ninth, and makes them but one; but the Hebrew makes it a distinct psalm, and the scope and style are certainly different” (222).

    If this understanding is correct, it explains why Psalm 10 does not begin as the psalms usually do, with praising God, but with a question to God. And Matthew Henry’s comment is on point. The two psalms are quite different.

    Psalm 10: The Case Against the Wicked

    In Psalm 10, David begins by asking,

    “Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1).

    Psalm 10 is all about David presenting his case to God against the wicked.

    David begins by introducing evidence.

    The wicked person:

    1. persecutes the poor
    2. boast’s of his own heart’s desire and blesses those that covet
    3. never thinks of God
    4. is always proud
    5. curses, lies and commits fraud
    6. murders the innocent

    David makes his argument.

    Like a prosecutor in a courtroom, he brings the case before the judge and no sin of the wicked is omitted. Then, David asks the question on behalf of the victims,

    “Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it” (Psalm 10:13)

    and he continues,

    “Thou has seen it: for thou beholdest mischief and spit, to requite it with thy hand” (Psalm 10:14a),

    and also,

    “…the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou are the helper of the fatherless” (Psalm 10:14b).

    So, David

    1. asks, ‘what is the reason that the wicked regard God with contempt?’
    2. and he answers his own question, ‘because the wicked believes God will not punish him.’
    3. then, David notes that God, who is omniscient, knows and sees all this. Therefore, God should give the wicked his due, because the poor have committed themselves to God and God is the helper of the fatherless.
    4. Finally, David asks God to “Break thou the arm of the wicked and evil man” (v. 15a). Seek out evil and destroy it until it is all gone.

    David rests his case

    Relying on God’s justice and goodness, David closes by noting he, a humble man, has come before God and made a case for the poor and orphans and faithfully believes God will 1) prepare the heart of the victims and 2) hear their plea, which is for God to:

    “To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of earth may no more oppress” (Psalm 10:18).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 10.” 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.

    Parsons, John. “Psalm 9 in Hebrew”. Hebrew4Christians. https://hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Ketuvim/Psalms/Psalm_9/psalm_9.html. Accessed 2 October 2025.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 119:25-32

    Psalm 119:25-32

    Daleth or Dalet

    Commonplace –

    “My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word” (Psalm 119:25).

    In Daleth, David is confessing his weakness and asking God for help. It is truly the station of man in life, to express his need for God and humble himself before Him. What’s beautiful is David’s dependence on the Word of God to enliven him.

    Matthew Henry notes that this could be David’s complaint of either his corruptions or his afflictions. Whether it is as in the former situation, corruptions, “The remainders of indwelling corruption are a very grievous burden to a gracious soul” (Henry 565), or, in the latter situation, afflictions, “either trouble of mind or outward trouble” (Henry 565), either would leave the soul cleaving to dust. In this circumstance, the soul pleads that “By thy providence put life into my affairs, by thy grace put life into my affections; cure me of my spiritual deadness and make me lively in my devotion” (Henry 565). Truly the name ‘Daleth’, poor man, is suitable here.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 119.” 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