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
0.08UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.07UNLIKELY
Fear
0.07UNLIKELY
Joy
0.6LIKELY
Sadness
0.62LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.14UNLIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.44UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.88LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.61LIKELY
Extraversion
0.12UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.58LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.71LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
By the Rivers of Babylon
I had a suggestion, related to our sermon today, that we could incorporate into worship.
There’s this song we sang when I was in youth group growing up.
Very peppy.
“By the rivers of Babylon, where we sat down… and there we wept, and remembered Zion.”
Upbeat, catchy, fun guitar part, it’s great!
We sang it over and over again.
Almost as much as “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” and “Shine, Jesus, Shine.”
Then, I suggested, we could read the Psalm it came from as a call to worship.
For some reason, Kelly didn’t think it quite “fit” as a call to worship.
I’ll read that for us now:
For some reason, Kelly didn’t think that was a good call to worship.
Rightly so.
That’s dark.
What’s going on here?
If anyone ever quotes this to you and says that God is supporting “taking little ones and dashing them against rocks...” this is a record of someone’s song, someone’s prayer, and reflects their emotions and prayer.
Not that they were right to feel or wish that, only that they did.
But this is the emotion among the Jewish refugees taken into captivity by Babylon.
Refugees by the River
Babylon came a few times to Jerusalem.
The first time they took some captives.
Like Daniel, young man brought to the king’s court.
By the time of this next attack and subjugation, Daniel is in charge of the Magi, but hundreds more folks are taken off into captivity.
Including a man, older than Daniel, but still young, named Ezekiel.
Thirtieth year of what?
It doesn’t say… which implies that it was Ezekiel’s 30th year.
Which is important, because 30 is when the priests took official office (Num 4:3).
Ezekiel would have trained his whole life to be a priest, and just when he was almost there, his future was snatched from him.
Off into captivity.
He was trained to serve in the temple, sacrifices at the altar, in the holy place.
Now: no temple, no altar, no holy place.
And therefore, no presence of God.
His whole life, his religion, his sense of place.... all ripped away.
By the rivers of Babylon.
The Commission
Eat this!!!
Great principle, here.
The preacher has to “eat” the Word before preaching the Word.
Preach first to yourself, then to the people.
That part was “sweet”, the rest was less so.
He sends Ezekiel to preach to the people of Israel… and they aren’t going to listen.
But regardless...
How do I know Ezekiel was bitter?
Because he “went in bitterness.”
He was angry, furious, the “heat of his spirit” is the heat of anger and bitterness.
Why?
It doesn’t list all the reasons, but we can imagine some.
He has plenty of reason to be furious.
How about that his whole life of preparation to be a priest was now down the toilet?
How about that he is ripped from his home and now in a refugee camp down by the river?
How about that His is commanded by God to go speak to people who aren’t going to listen?
Called to failure.
Bitter?
Yeah… of COURSE he was bitter.
And angry.
And upset.
How could he not be?
I would be!
So would you!
That part makes sense.
Really… it’s the other part that doesn’t make any sense at all.
Back up a second, though.
God gave Ezekiel something before this commission.
It’s the key to why Ezekiel went, even feeling all the things he felt, he went with the hand of the Lord on him.
Verse 13:
What living creatures?
Let’s go back to what Ezekiel saw.
Ezekiel is so visual, so descriptive, see if you can picture this:
The Vision
Picture something like this?
In Chapter 10, Ezekiel will name these creatures, they are the Cherubim.
And the Cherubim are the creatures on the ark of the covenant, with their wings touching.
They announce the presence of God, they frame the throne of God… and that makes sense because of what comes next:
God’s got rims!!! Sweet!
This is not UFO’s (rings in rings), but the portable chariot of God, the portable throne, Daniel pictured something similar.
This is a symbol of how all the best and richest kings moved from place to place, only bigger and grander and more glorious.
How do we know, it goes on but skipping down to the throne:
And Ezekiel fell on his face.
Of course he did.
And God spoke to him...
And then in chapter 2 he speaks of how Israel has messed up.
And chapter 3 we heard, he commissions Ezekiel to go.
To be a watchman, watching and speaking the warning of coming destruction.
Even though… they aren’t going to listen.
And Ezekiel obeys.
With all the feels:
Yes, Ezekiel felt all the things… but this part was undeniable:
the Spirit of the Lord was upon him.
The hand of God was on him.
What was God doing in Babylon????
He was supposed to be in the temple.
Part of why Ezekiel could be upset is that he had been ripped away from all of that.
But here was God now, present where Ezekiel was, in the midst of being a refugee, out of place, out of time.
But not out of God’s place.
Not out of God’s time.
Not out of God’s purpose.
Not beyond God’s calling.
And so Ezekiel “went.”
Liking it was optional.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9