angela hormberg

Tag: Psalm

  • Psalm 149

    Psalm 149

    Commonplace –

    “For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation” (Psalm 149:4).

    David begins this praise song stirring up his spirit and those around him: the congregation of saints, Israel, children of Zion. Specifically, David invites the Lord’s people to dance for the Lord and sing praises accompanied by instruments. He focuses on the relationship between God and His people in v. 4., when he says that the Lord will take pleasure in the praise He receives from His people and return their affection with the gift of salvation. He encourages the saints to be joyful in glory to the point of singing to and praising God from their beds.

    In verse 6, David pivots and instructs the people of God to praise with their mouths and also have the two-edged sword in their hand. This calls to mind Paul’s words in Hebrews 4:12:

    “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

    Peter’s words build on Paul’s thought, instructing believers on how to properly use the Word of God .

    “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

    Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ” (1 Peter 3:15-16).

    May we praise Him into eternity and always be ready to speak about the reason of our hope.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 149.” 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 148

    Psalm 148

    Commonplace –

    “Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven” (Psalm 148:13).

    With this psalm, David provides us with a beautiful example of a call to praise. Matthew Henry notes the following:

    “This psalm is a most solemn and earnest call to all the creatures, according to their capacity, to praise their Creator, and to show forth his eternal power and Godhead, the invisible things of which are manifested in the things that are seen. Thereby the psalmist designs to express his great affection to the duty of praise; he is highly satisfied that God is praised, is very desirous that he may be more praised, and therefore does all he can to engage all about him in this pleasant work, yea, and all who shall come after him, whose hearts must be very dead and cold if they be not raised and enlarged, in praising God, by the lofty flights of divine poetry which we find in this psalm.” (641).

    It is a call to all creation everywhere: material, living, sentient, rational creation, along with nonmaterial, nonliving, nonsentient, nonrational creation. His praise, even greater than a flood, engulfs all creation to its fullest extent.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 148.” 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 Number

    Psalm Number

    Commonplace –

    “Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God” (Psalm 147:6).

    This is a psalm of high praise and devotion. David delights the reader with many attributes of God, upon which it is good to meditate. Here he tells us that “it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely” (v.1.). Of God, David says:

    1. He builds up Jerusalem.
    2. He gathers together the outcasts.
    3. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
    4. He tells the number of the stars.
    5. He calls the stars by name.
    6. He is great in power.
    7. His understanding is infinite.
    8. God lifts up the meek.
    9. He casts down the wicked to the ground.
    10. He covers the heavens with clouds.
    11. He prepares rain for the earth.
    12. He makes grass grow upon the mountains.
    13. He gives food to the beasts and young ravens.
    14. He takes pleasure in those who revere Him and those who hope in His mercy.
    15. He strengthens the gates of His people.
    16. He blesses His children’s children.
    17. He brings peace to His children.
    18. He fills His children with the finest wheat.
    19. He sends forth His commandments; His word runs quickly.
    20. He gives snow and frost; He casts forth ice.
    21. He sends out His word, which brings warmth.
    22. He causes the wind to blow.
    23. He causes water to flow.
    24. He shows His statutes and His judgments to His people, He does this for no one else.

    Once again, David gives us an exemplary psalm for praising God, naming His wonderful attributes and works. After pondering this list, our place is put right in the world. What was big before now finds its rightful place in our day, and God rises to take His place, ordering our day aright. How can we but help praising God with David after this? It is pleasant to sing praise to God. As Matthew Henry notes, “This is another psalm of praise” (638). Let us put it in our memory and keep it close at hand, calling it forward when times are challenging and comfort is needed.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 147.” 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 146

    Psalm 146

    Commonplace –

    “Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, o my soul” (Psalm 146:1).

    Here is another beautiful psalm of praise. David begins by stirring up his soul to praise God. He declares he will praise God till the end of his days. He gives reasons for not putting faith in man:

    1. There is no help in man, layman or ruler.
    2. Man dies, and his thoughts perish with him.

    Then, David gives reason for putting faith in God:

    1. God is creator of all things.
    2. God keeps truth forever.
    3. God judges in favor of the oppressed.
    4. God gives food to the hungry.
    5. God sets the prisoner free.
    6. God opens the eyes of the blind.
    7. God raises up those who are bowed down.
    8. God loves the righteous.
    9. God preserves strangers.
    10. God gives relief to the widow and orphan.
    11. God confounds the ways of the wicked.
    12. God reigns forever.

    Then, David invites the reader to join him in praising God.

    Matthew Henry makes an interesting comment:

    “This and all the rest of the psalms that follow begin and end with Hallelujah, a word which puts much of God’s praise into a little compass, for in it we praise him by his name Jah, the contraction of Jehovah.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 146.” 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 145

    Psalm 145

    Commonplace –

    “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever” (Psalm 145:1).

    What does it mean to ‘extol’? Extol means to praise enthusiastically. It takes its meaning from the Latin word extollere, which means “to place on high, raise, elevate”(extol), and Psalm 145 is an exemplar of praise. David begins with declaring he will praise God for ever, and so he will. From there, he begins to speak of God’s greatness and the passing on of God’s love from one generation to the next, including recording specifically what will be passed on:

    1. the glorious honor of God’s majesty
    2. the might of God’s terrible, in the sense that they cause terror, acts
    3. God’s greatness
    4. God’s goodness
    5. God’s righteousness
    6. God’s graciousness
    7. God’s compassion
    8. His being slow to anger
    9. God’s great mercy

    David declares all creation will

    1. praise God,
    2. bless God,
    3. speak of the glory of God’s kingdom
    4. talk of God’s power
    5. make known His might acts
    6. make known the glorious majesty of His kingdom

    David describes God’s kingdom:

    1. it’s everlasting
    2. it endures throughout all generations

    David tells of God’s great acts

    1. God upholds those who fall
    2. God raises up all those that are bowed down
    3. God gives food to all those whose eyes wait upon Him
    4. God opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing

    David describes God

    1. God is righteous in all His ways
    2. God is Holy in all His works
    3. God is near to all who call upon Him in truth
    4. God fulfills the desire of those that fear, meaning reverence, Him
    5. God hears the cry of His children
    6. God saves His children
    7. God preserves all who love him
    8. God destroys the wicked

    Finally, David closes with the declaration that he will praise the Lord, and he asks that all flesh bless the Lord’s name forever.

    In saying all these things, David did exactly what he set out to do: he praised God enthusiastically. This truly is a song of praise, one to be emulated.

    Matthew Henry observes that this is the beginning of six praise psalms, and these six praise psalms follow after five psalms full of prayers and beseeching. He notes the following in regard to this:

    “It is observable, [t]hat after five psalms of prayer follow six psalms of praise; for those that are much in prayer shall not want matter for praise, and those that have sped in prayer must abound in praise” (633).

    Works Cited

    “Extol.” Etymonline: Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=extol. Accessed 14 Sep 2025

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 145.” 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 144

    Psalm 144

    Commonplace –

    “My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer, my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me” (Psalm 144:2).

    Throwing off the heaviness of the previous three psalms, David begins Psalm 144 with a happy cry, “Blessed be the Lord my strength” (144:1). He acknowledges God as his hiding place, his savior, his protection, his source of strength and One who is trustworthy. David has experienced God’s goodness in difficult times, and his testimony is true. He asks to be delivered from unbelieving men and strange children, who are unaware of their own finiteness, and rejoices in the infinity of God. He ends by beseeching God for sons like plants and daughters like palace cornerstones. He prays for full granaries, flocks of healthy sheep, and strong oxen. He declares that this is happiness; a happy home, where children are healthy, flocks are prolific, and oxen are strong, and where God is Lord.

    “In singing this psalm we may give God the glory of our spiritual privileges and advancements, and fetch in help from him against our spiritual enemies; we may pray for the prosperity of our souls, of our families, and of our land; and, in the opinion of some of the Jewish writers, we may refer the psalm to the Messiah and his kingdom” (Henry 630).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 144.” 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 143

    Psalm 143

    Commonplace –

    “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness” (Psalm 143:10).

    Like Psalm 141 and Psalm 142, Psalm 143 begins with David asking God to hear his prayer, “Hear my prayer, O Lord” (Psalm 143:1). David’s heart is heavy, and his soul is downtrodden. Alone and despondent he reaches out to God, “Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble” (Psalm 143:11). In times of trouble, when faced with the limits of this finite world, our consolation is the reality of eternity. When we acknowledge the eternal in our time bound existence, we step outside our circumstances and put our troubles into perspective. Prayer is the ultimate act of revolution; it is choosing hope in the midst of despair. It is the belief that God actually can bring one’s soul out of trouble, even in the midst of it. In verse 10, David is asking God to infuse him with the will needed to choose right. He affirms God’s goodness and asks God to lead him in the path of uprightness. It is in this affirmation of God’s goodness that the first step on the path to goodness is taken.

    “Preservations are pledges of salvation, and those shall find God their hiding-place who by faith make him such” (Henry 630).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 143.” 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 142

    Psalm 142

    Commonplace –

    “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me; refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.

    I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:4-5).

    Like Psalm 141, Psalm 142 begins with David crying out to God. He shares his troubles with God. He speaks of his loneliness and despair; no person is there to help him. Then, David reminds himself that God is his refuge and portion in the “land of the living”. Even if man abandons him, God is ever present. He ends on a confident note with full faith that God will save him:

    “…the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me” (Psalm 142:7b).

    Matthew Henry advises the following:

    “Those that are troubled in mind, body, or estate, may, in singing this psalm (if they sing it in some measure with David’s spirit), both warrant his complaints and fetch in his comforts” (626).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 142.” 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 141

    Psalm 141

    Commonplace –

    “Let my prayer be set before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2).

    In this psalm, David begins with a plea, begging the Lord to hear his voice. First, David asks that his prayers permeate the air with a sweet aroma and his hands be seen as a living sacrifice for the Lord’s work. Then, he entreats God to guard his mouth and his heart from wickedness. He welcomes the reproach of the righteous as a kindness, an excellent oil. Even though David is in the midst of struggle, he pledges his allegiance and devotion to God. He asks for protection from evil and prays for justice to be served to the wicked, while he escapes their traps.

    Psalm 141 is a good example of what to do in times of struggle. Keep focused on God and seek his protection from temptation. It’s a reaffirming of the good, which is right at all times, but it becomes most important during times of temptation and struggle. It is both our best shield and weapon, our protection and defense.

    In regard to this, Matthew Henry comments,

    “Is any distressed? Let him pray; David did so, and had the comfort of it” (624).

    Likewise, let prayer be our comfort in times of hardship.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 141.” 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 140

    Psalm 140

    Commonplace –

    “I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.

    Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence” (Psalm 140:12-13).

    The psalmist, David, opens this psalm with the very real prayer of protection from the evil man, the violent man, the wicked man, and the proud man. As we live in the world, we, too, must pray similar prayers of protection against these types of evil actors and mischief makers. David pleads for justice to be done and evil to be confounded. Then, he appropriately turns his gaze from that which surrounds him on earth upward to God, who holds the world in His hand. In the last two verses, David reorients his focus on God and, praising God and encouraging himself, reminds himself that God will keep watch and protection over His own. He closes with the confident words “the righteous shall give thanks…the upright shall dwell in thy presence” (Psalm 140:13).

    As Matthew Henry points out,

    “[David] assures all God’s afflicted people that their troubles would in due time end well (v.12,13), with which assurance we must comfort ourselves, and one another, in singing this psalm” (622).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 140.” 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