angela hormberg

Tag: Victory

  • Psalm 26

    Psalm 26

    Commonplace –

    “I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord:

    That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works” (Psalm 26:6-7).

    Psalm 26 is a ‘mark the day’ song, in which David has had a good day. Among the psalms, this type of psalm is not often seen, but it is important. It is a day of victory, when we may stand and say “Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide” (v.1). Yet, this is not a boastful psalm centered on David’s accomplishment, but it is a psalm of praise to God for his leading along the paths of righteousness. It is a psalm to which we daily aspire. In it we see the following framework:

    David begins by asking God to:

    1. judge him. (v.1)
    2. examine him. (v.2)
    3. prove him. (v.2)
    4. try his reins. (v.2)
    5. try his heart. (v.2)

    He is able to ask God to do these things, because he has committed himself to the Lord’s leading. He lists what he has done and has not done in order to have a good day.

    He has

    1. walked in his integrity. (v.1)
    2. trusted in the Lord. (v.1)
    3. kept the Lord’s lovingkindness before his eyes. (v.3)
    4. walked in the Lord’s truth. (v.3)
    5. hated the congregation of evildoers. (v.5)
    6. loved the Lord’s house. (v.8)

    He has not

    1. sat with vain persons. (v.4)
    2. gone in with dissemblers. (v.4)
    3. sat with the wicked. (v.5)

    By following the Lord, he is able to stand in innocence and on an even foot before the altar of the Lord, where he may give thanks, tell of God’s “wondrous works”, and bless the Lord.

    He petitions the Lord

    1. not to put his soul in the company of sinners. (v.9)
    2. not to put his life with bloody men, who are full of mischief and bribes. (v.10)
    3. to redeem him. (v.11)
    4. be merciful to him. (v.11)

    Matthew Henry notes the following in his summary:

    “In singing this psalm we must teach and admonish ourselves, and one another, what we must be and do that we may have the favour of God, and comfort in our own consciences, and comfort ourselves with it, as David does, if we can say that in any measure we have, through grace, answered to these characters” (266).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 26.” 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 18

    Psalm 18

    Commonplace –

    “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower” (Psalm 18:2).

    David’s own introduction to Psalm 18 is worthy of noting:

    “A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and the hand of Saul” (Psalm 18).

    Here is a song of victory. Yet in it, there is no conceit, no arrogance, no smugness. David heaps his gratitude on God and gives God all the glory for the defeat of his enemy. Matthew Henry’s description of Psalm 18 is especially insightful.

    [Psalm 18] is an admirable composition. The poetry is very fine, the images are bold, the expressions lofty, and every word is proper and significant; but the piety far exceeds the poetry. Holy faith, and love, and joy, and praise, and hope, are here lively, active, and upon the wing” (241).

    With Psalm 18, David was setting down a stone of remembrance of the occasion of his victories over his enemies. We have encountered many psalms where David was in distress and beseeching God for assistance. It is right and good that when he receives the answer to his prayer he recognize the gift and give thanks for it, and here he did so in a beautiful way.

    In regard to this point, Matthew Henry notes:

    “The private compositions of good men, designed by them for their own use, my be serviceable to the public, that others may not only borrow light from their candle, but heat from their fire” (241).

    As Matthew Henry points out, the passion David pours out in Psalm 18 is an encouragement for our own times of struggle to keep going. We can borrow some of his joy to fuel our own hope.

    To Matthew Henry’s point about “borrowing light from their candle”, in Psalm 18, David also left us a worthy model of offering thanks to God, which we can use to illuminate our own expressions of thankfulness to God in times of intense and hard fought victories. Matthew Henry has taken David’s model and broken it down into a helpful outline, which we can employ for our own use.

    I. “[David] triumphs in God (v.1-3).

    II. He magnifies the deliverances God had wrought for him (v. 4-19).

    III. He takes the comfort of his integrity, which God had thereby cleared up (v. 20-28).

    IV. He gives to God the glory of all his achievements (v.29-42).

    V. He encourages himself with the expectation of what God would further do for him and his (v.43-50)” (241).

    It is essential to take note when God has given us a victory in our own life for a few reasons.

    1. It is important to thank the giver for the gift.
    2. It is an important reminder to ourselves that the victory was granted to us.
    3. It increases our faith, because we realize God hears and answers our prayers.
    4. In future struggles, we can look back and remind ourselves of the hard times we previously faced and the victories gained, which will gives us strength and encouragement to stay the course.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 18.” 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 68

    Psalm 68

    Commonplace –

    “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him” (Psalm 68:1).

    “Let God arise”: words that bring comfort to his sheep and fear to his enemies. Even now, Lord, ‘Arise’! God bring big victories and bring small ones, too.

    “…he bringeth out those which are bound with chains” (Psalm 68:6).

    • Be a father to the fatherless
    • Be a judge of the widows
    • Set the solitary in families
    • Break the chains of those who are bound

    Today, I witnessed the truth of these words. Our God is a chain breaker. May He continue to do great things for those He calls His own.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 68.” 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