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
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Sadness
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences
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I was fearful as I prepped for this sermon...
Heman, the son of Joel, was a temple musician during the reign of David (1 Chron.
6:33, 37; 15:17; 16:41–42; 2 Chron.
35:15) and is the most likely candidate for the authorship of this psalm.
Second choice is Heman, the son of Mahol, one of the wise men during the reign of King Solomon (1 Kings 4:31).
The Hebrew words mahalath and leannoth mean “sickness” and “for singing” or “for humbling.”
The first word probably refers to a sad melody to accompany this somber song, and the second might identify the purpose of the psalm, to bring us low before the Lord.
This is the last “sons of Korah” psalm in the psalms and is perhaps the most plaintive song in the entire book.
In the Hebrew text, the psalm ends with the word hoshek, “darkness,” and there is no closing note of triumph as in other psalms that begin with pain and perplexity.
The psalm speaks of darkness (vv. 1, 6, 12, 18), life in the depths (vv.
3–4, 6), the immanence of death (vv.
5, 10–11), feelings of drowning (vv.
7, 16–17), loneliness (vv.
5, 8, 14, 18), and imprisonment (v.
8).
Heman was a servant of God who was suffering intensely and did not understand why, yet he persisted in praying to God and did not abandon his faith.
Not all of life’s scripts have happy endings, but that does not mean that the Lord has forsaken us.
From Heman’s experience, as recorded in this psalm, we can discover four instructions to follow when life falls apart and our prayers seemingly are not answered.
Hello Darkness my old friend
“A song.
A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
For the director of music.
According to mahalath leannoth.
A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.”
(NIV)
“For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.”
A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite.”
(NLT)
1.
By faith, call to the Lord
2. Talk to God, tell Him how you feel - what you are thinking.
3. Remember, God has broad shoulders and boundless grace - present your case to Him.
4. God’s waiting room.
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains within the sound of silence
In restless dreams, I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night, and touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared
And no one dared disturb the sound of silence
"Fools," said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops, fell
And echoed in the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls
And whispered in the sound of silence"
5. Into God’s waiting room…Emmanuel
They changed
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