angela hormberg

Tag: Rejoice

  • Psalm 21

    Psalm 21

    Commonplace –

    “The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” (Psalm 21:1).

    Psalm 21 is a joyful psalm full of praise of the Lord. We have encountered many psalms when David was downtrodden and calling on the Lord in his anguish, but here he revels in answered prayer and the faithfulness of God.

    “Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not witholden the request of his lips. Selah” (Psalm 21:2).

    It is right and good when our prayers are answered to be as passionate of our praise of God, as we are when we petitioning Him with desperate prayers. David goes on to list all the ways God has answered his prayers. God has

    1. given him his heart’s desire
    2. not withheld his request
    3. set a crown of pure gold on his head
    4. given him long life
    5. made him glad with God’s face

    David notes his own trust in God and how God’s mercy is what allowed him to remain steadfast in trials. He trusted in God and acknowledged it was only through God he was able to be unmoved.

    Next, David discusses his ongoing prayer: that God will destroy the wicked. He expresses confidence that God will do it: “Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them” (Psalm 21:9). It’s important to note that David isn’t simply calling them wicked, because they oppose him but because they oppose God: “they intended evil against thee” (v. 11).

    Finally, he ends in praising God for His strength: “Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength” (v. 13).

    Matthew Henry noted the following in his summary:

    “As the foregoing psalm, [Psalm 20], was a prayer for the king that God would protect and prosper him, so this is a thanksgiving for the success God had blessed him with” (250).

    Let us give thanks!

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 21.” 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 19

    Psalm 19

    Commonplace –

    “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

    Surely one of the greatest of the psalms of praise, Psalm 19 is a psalm of pure rejoicing. David carries the reader away with his expressions of amazement at the way nature itself proclaims God’s glory. He then moves on to meditating on the perfection of God’s laws, statutes, and judgments. He ends with a prayer that God will keep believers from sin, so they can be upright and clean in the His presence.

    Matthew Henry provides a lovely summary of Psalm 19.

    “There are two excellent books which the great God has published for the instruction and edification of the children of men; this psalm treats of them both, and recommends them both to our diligent study.

    I. The book of the creatures, in which we may easily read the power and godhead of the Creator (v. 1-6).

    II. The book of the scriptures, which makes known to us the will of God concerning our duty. [David] shows the excellency and usefulness of that book (v. 7-11) and then teaches us how to improve it (v. 12-14)”.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 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.

    © 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