ദൈവവും സെന്‍സ് ഓഫ് ഹ്യുമാരും

God and the Sense of Humor.

We have heard this week from the reading of the psalms, Psalms 2, “He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh: The Lord will have them in derision.” This lead me to think does God has a real sense of humor.

As we live in this land, we are aware that the Americans do not favor a candidate running for key office such as the president, if he/she lacks humor. I have seen and heard from many preachers, using one-liners to open their speech with ‘icebreakers’. I do not know if Jesus when he was on the earth giving out those famous sermons resorted to such methods. When you search on the word “laugh” you can only see onetime, or one thing that God laughs, which is at the devil or in the destruction of the wicked. I am imagining when God laughs; it might be a terrifying sound for devil and for the wicked that has rejected The Christ, that God send for them as savior.

The following is a kaleidoscope of verses about laughter.

Now I was looking at certain people in the Bible who has laughed or might have laughed at certain situations. I have looked at the people who are supported by the Holy Spirit in Chapter 11 of Hebrews. In 11:7, “By faith Noah, being warned [of God] concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Did Noah laugh? He has never seen nor heard about a thing called “rain”. Yet, when God said, “go and build an ark”, he started the work. Did Noah laugh? (Remember the famous Bill Cosby stand-ups on Noah.) He probably could have laughed, don’t you think?

Another one is Abraham. It is in Genesis, 8th, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Remember Abraham was a friend of God, he could have said, “yeah right God; you did not give me anything, even a high-level master plan, and you want me to go to an unknown land with belongings?” Instead of that thinking, he obeyed completely. ”By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a [land] not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” I did not see anything in the Bible saying that he questioned God nor he said “Lord, what a trial”, (poraattam), or prayed about the situation, to make it smoother. He knew exactly who has called him, and he knew, if He has called me, he has a plan, and set out to the unknown.

Genesis 17:17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 18:15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. 21:6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.

Let’s compare this situation in the new testament in Hebrews 11: “By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised: wherefore also there sprang of one, and him as good as dead, [so many] as the stars of heaven in multitude, and as the sand, which is by the sea-shore, innumerable.” In Genesis 18 we read thus: And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And Jehovah said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old? Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.” See, there is even an argument. Even though Sarah’s famous smile was not audible, God saw what she did inside. Be aware, he made your frame, he can see through you.

2 Kings 19:21 This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

2 Chronicles 30:10 So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.

Nehemiah 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

Job 5:22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. 8:21 Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing. 9:23 If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent. 12:4 I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn. 22:19 The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn. 29:24 If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down. 41:29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. (Leviathan)

Psalms 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. 22:7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 37:13 The LORD shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. 52:6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: 59:8 But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision. 80:6 Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. 126:2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

Proverbs 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; (wisdom) 14:13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness. 29:9 If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.

Ecclesiastes 2:2 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. 7:6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity. 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

Isaiah 37:22 This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

Ezekiel 23:32 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it containeth much.

Matthew 9:24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

Mark 5:40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

Luke 6:21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 6:25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. 8:53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.

James 5:5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. (The wicked fill their hearts with mirth and merriment, fattening themselves up for the day of slaughter. We Christians know what's coming, we need to be sober.)

Let’s look at some other verse, including our core :

Psalms 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.

Psalms 37:13 The LORD shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

Psalms 59:8 But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.

Proverbs 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; (wisdom speaketh here)

Ezekiel 23:32 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it containeth much.

So, when people say, “ Our pastor has a good sense of humor, is it really necessary. We Mallus have a natural tendency to bore other people. Sometimes a dash of humor can be justified to breakout of boredom.

Ephesians 5:3-4 ...let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

To me joking is jesting. There was even a “holy group” resorted to using “holy laughter” in their worship services. Is it according to the Bible?

Ecclesiastes 2:2 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

Ecclesiastes 7:6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

What does James say about laughter?

James 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

A comedian on stage, on someone else’s expense makes some foolish jokes. It glorifies him. If we resort to same stuff in the church, would that glorify God? Do not the scriptures say that we should be sober and grave? We live in perilous times. The night cometh when no man can work. We've got to work while it is day. People don't come to Jesus to be entertained. They can get better entertainment on TV than at a church service. They've come to Him for more abundant life.

Sadness and sobriety in spirit does indeed make the countenance better. When we walk through the deep waters, God makes it our best times with the Lord. The troubled times becomes our best times-not when we’re flapping our lips too much. One of the benefits of fasting is that it sobers us. We put our bodies under subjection and turn our attention to our God meditating on His precepts and commandments. We are looking for Him, seeking Him out. THAT is unspeakable joy. Joy is not the foolishness of meaningless banter or laughter or jester, which has a tendency to spread like wildfire infecting everything in its path. (I applaud and support our Pastor, for taking the time out this week for fasting and prayer.)

The Lord Jesus told us something about laughter:

Luke 6:21, 25 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. They that mourn now shall laugh and rejoice in the kingdom to come. This is not what we call "a sense of humor.". Like James 4:9, Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. We will be so overwhelmed with happiness at seeing the Lord that we will laugh!!!

Amen.

Thank You,

Thomas Abraham