Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.1UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.06UNLIKELY
Fear
0.1UNLIKELY
Joy
0.65LIKELY
Sadness
0.59LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.71LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.2UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.94LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.65LIKELY
Extraversion
0.11UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.75LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.5UNLIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Birth of the Blues
Blues music typically combines melancholy lyrics and melodies in a standard structure.
Blues music has its roots in the work songs of African Americans starting in the 1800s.
These folk songs express sadness and hard times.
Psalm 42-43 share a lot of similarities with the blues genre.
It is a lament prayer sung by a person who is overwhelmed with grief and pain.
But unlike the blues, these Psalms point us to recognize the One who turns our mourning and sorrow into gladness and joy.
God makes the sad heart once again sing praises to God because He is the God of salvation.
As we study these psalms, consider how you might express yourself honestly to God, both in praise and pain.
God is both worthy and compassionate to receive both.
A History of God’s Grace
The superscript tells us that this song is connected to the Sons of Korah.
The history of the Korah's immediate household started out in rebellion, to which God caused the ground to swallow them in judgment.
Numbers 16:28-35 But the later descendants were not abandoned by God.
The Korahites became gatekeepers and workers in the tabernacle.
They also participated in the singing and worship of God.
The sons of Korah are examples of God's grace to judge sin and extend mercy.
In the same way, your family history may include a lot of mess, problems, and rebellion, but God has not given up.
Your interest and desire to know Him is evidence of His steadfast love.
And this is the hope of all who come to Him.
He can change the rebellious trajectory of life into a life of worship and faithfulness.
In the same way, your family history may include a lot of mess, problems, and rebellion, but God has not given up.
Your interest and desire to know Him is evidence of His steadfast love.
And this is the hope of all who come to Him.
He can change the rebellious trajectory of life into a life of worship and faithfulness.
Thirsty Tears
The two psalms go together structurally with the pattern of a lament followed by a refrain of hope.
The writer uses powerful imagery to describe a deep emotion.
The primary concern is the temporary pain connected with exile.
In the history of Israel, God allowed the once redeemed people to experience an exodus from the promised land.
God did so as part of His covenant responsibility and love toward a rebellious people.
No matter how severe the discipline was, it was done in love and hope that they would return to faith, love, and obedience to God.
The songwriter is such a person.
He recognizes that sin has changed the landscape of life.
The psalm writer remembers the holy festivals and longs to participate but cannot because they are separated from the holy city, Jerusalem.
Because of this, they are deeply sorrowful.
You may recognize this feeling if you have been separated from home and family.
Like a deer who thirsts for the abundant flowing water to quench a natural thirst, so does the one who experiences loss.
The songwriter misses two things.
First, he misses the worship of God as God intended for Israel in the Temple.
Second, he misses the fellowship included in worship with others.
While we do not require a sacred place to worship God today, we can relate to the situation.
The early days of the lockdown restrictions may have been necessary, yet many of us recognized that it should not be the new normal for worship.
The natural response for the person who worships God is to do so with others.
It logically fulfills the greatest commands to love God and love others.
But exile prevents this from happening.
The writer describes his sadness as eating tears day and night.
And added to this heaviness is the taunting of enemies who say, "Where is your God?" Moments of great sadness often cause us to question God's existence, love, and sovereignty.
In moments like these, we must recognize the reality of sin and life in a fallen world.
At times our foolish and sinful choices will cause us to feel the pain of wandering from God.
But not all pain and suffering are a result of our own sin.
At times, we will feel the pain of living in this sinful world.
Yet, as believers, we can be like this psalm writer.
We can state the reality of present sadness and the promise of future hope.
The psalm writer appears to confidently encourage himself that God is Salvation and God is God.
As Salvation, God will bring an end to exile and sadness.
As God, He is in sovereign control of the situation, even though it appears like the end.
It is good to have honest faith that can recognize the present reality and look to God for the future.
Overwhelming Distance
In the next section, the writer mentions his familiar location of the mountainous regions near the Jordan River.
As he remembers the physical location, his sadness is like a waterfall and rushing river.
The picture is not of drinking water but of potential drowning.
The pain of exile and God's discipline seem like too much to handle, and it would be were it not for God's faithfulness.
By day God, when the singer is awake, He is aware of God's presence.
And at night, he is able to lay his head down in confidence that God is in control.
At this point, we see the challenge of having faith in God.
Let’s review a definition of faith from Hebrews 11:1-3
From this, we recognize that having faith implies hope in God for things not yet seen.
We should be careful not to assume that biblical faith is much like making a wish while blowing out a birthday cake.
Biblical faith is rooted in the steadfast character of God.
We don't have faith in faith or hope itself.
We have faith in the person and character of God.
We must not assume that our faith in God will be perfect.
As in this psalm, we find the singer admitting the difficulty of continuing in light of the situation.
We will often find it a challenge to trust in God when things remain unseen for us.
The psalm writer has an internal strain and external as well.
Enemies continue to poke at him with doubt.
They ask, "Where is your God?"
By faith, the singer restates that God is a rock, his rock.
Even when life shows that God is absent, he faithfully states that hope is built upon a solid foundation: God.
After this, we hear a repeat of the refrain.
We can see the singer have another conversation with his soul.
The soul, in this context, is the center of his emotions and mental health.
In the refrain, we see faith building toward a confident stance to hope in God because the present reality is not the eternal state.
God is still in control.
Return to Hope
As we mentioned, chapter 43 fits with chapter 42.
In this section, the psalm writer shifts from reflection on the situation to direct conversation with God.
He prays for vindication, a term that describes God proving that faith in the One True God is not futile.
He asks for God to show those who doubted that trust in God is the only way to go through suffering.
But yet again, we see the reality of faith.
It can be challenging.
Sometimes faith requires us to look beyond our pain to God and wait upon Him.
The prayer for vindication is connected to the prayer for guidance.
The only way to go through suffering is to have the light and truth of God.
Thankfully God provides believers this with the presence of the Holy Spirit and scripture.
Jesus promised the disciples and all who believed these promises in John 14:26-29
The Holy Spirit brings emotional comfort and peace of mind through the word of God.
This is how the people of God have always lived.
The songwriter describes the hope for which he waits.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9