The Lord's Laughter

[Rippon]

Psalm 2:4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs ; the Lord scoffs at them .

Psalm 37:23 the Lord laughs at the wicked , for He knows their day is coming .

Psalm 59:8 But you , O Lord , laugh at them ; you scoff at all those nations .

Proverbs 1:26 I will inturn laugh at your disaster , I will mock when calamity overtakes you .

I know Benny Hinn-types expected something else from this thread , but I had to be biblical anyway . ( There are no Benny Hinn-types here , are there ? )

I have seen in print some articles about the joy of the Lord and saying the Lord must laugh -- He has to have a sense of humor . But the only references we have in the Bible are the ones I have shared . Does anyone know other verses that might apply ?

It seems the Lord's laughter is serious stuff !

 

[npetreley]

I know Benny Hinn-types expected something else from this thread

It seems the Lord's laughter is serious stuff !

Yeah, but I got a good laugh out of the Benny Hinn reference.

 

[DQuixote]

The Hebrew Bible is written in couplets. A thought is stated, then restated in a slightly different form. Passages in the Hebrew Bible are stated, then restated differently; for example, see Genesis 1 and Genesis 2.

Couplets.

"Laugh" or "laughs", then, is to be taken in the same sense as the repeat in each reference. It isn't the image of a jovial giant bursting out in laughter, grabbing his sides. It is, as you say, serious stuff.

Boy, we reach way back into ancient English to spell laugh and laughter, don't we?

 

[Allan]

Here are some Rippon about God laughing.

Psa 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

This one shows he laughs at how laughs at those who wish to oppose Him.

Psa 37:12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
Psa 37:13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his dayis coming.

Here we see God laughing at the carefully laid plans of the wicked to hurt and or kill the righteous, and that God laughs at their futility as He saves the righteous from out of their hands.

Pro 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
Pro 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Pro 1:25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
Pro 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
Pro 1:27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
Pro 1:28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
Pro 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
Pro 1:30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
Pro 1:31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

Here,...well the passage speaks for itself.

I do think God laughs, smiles, and has joy - since scripture says He does.

Just not in the unbiblical way many of the present day pentacostal types are portraying Him. Like His is some kind of mighty laughing hyena and sending out his "laughing Spirit" upon People. (not just His own people) So everyone can share in the all accepting God. - HOGWASH !!!


However, I agree His laughter is portrayed as mockingly toward those who oppose Him. But if He laughs scornfully at His opposition, He must inherently laugh at (or more correctly with) those who walk in union with Him. And I don't mean some silly, knee jerk laugh but more of a fatherly type acknowledgment of praise. Otherwise what is the purpose of a laugh which is intrinsic to both mirth and Joy?
IMO.

 

[Rippon]

Allan you quoted 3 of my verses thinking you were covering new ground . ( I had made a typo -- I listed Ps. 37:23 -- it should have been 37:13 ) .

departing from the theme of the OP , I will address human laughter now .

Pro. 14:13 Even in laughter the heart may ache , and the end of joy may be grief .

Ecc. 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter because sober reflection is good for the heart .

Ecc. 7:6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot , so is the laughter of the fool . This kind of folly also is useless .

All human laughter is not intrinsic to both mirth and joy . Some laughter is of an evil nature .

 

[Rufus_1611]

I believe 1 Samuel 5 had a bit of humor in it.

 

[Allan]

Allan you quoted 3 of my verses thinking you were covering new ground . ( I had made a typo -- I listed Ps. 37:23 -- it should have been 37:13 ) .

departing from the theme of the OP , I will address human laughter now .

Pro. 14:13 Even in laughter the heart may ache , and the end of joy may be grief .

Ecc. 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter because sober reflection is good for the heart .

Ecc. 7:6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot , so is the laughter of the fool . This kind of folly also is useless .

All human laughter is not intrinsic to both mirth and joy . Some laughter is of an evil nature .

I honestly didn't see your listing of Psa 2 and Prov 1, so my appologies there.

Regarding Joy and mirth they are neutral terms not specificaly inherent of good or evil.-
But since I was addressing God and His laughter not specifically Mans let me elaborate a little on what "I" ment:

Joy is commonly (if not typically) used as being synonymous with aspects of good and not evil, but in fact the word is neutral and really neither. However, due to the neutrality of the word it CAN and COULD be used refering to evil.
Therefore, since it is commonly accosiated as such (Joy as good not evil) I allowed it to maintaintain it's generally accepted meaning.

BUT...
Mirth is commonly used as being synonymous with something that was found funny, and not whether something is good or evil. It also is a neutral word but has no such commonly given attribute like good but is seen only as thing (neither being inherently good or evil) during the time of an action.

When using mirth or Joy regarding Gods disposition it can not be seen in any form of evil but it can reflect the negitive aspects of both terms. i.e. instead of edifying or acknowledging in a positive way it can be given condescendingly, patronizingly, and disdainfuly to the detriment and humiliation of a person/people.

And is why I stated :

But if He laughs scornfully at His opposition, He must inherently laugh at (or more correctly with) those who walk in union with Him. And I don't mean some silly, knee jerk laugh but more of a fatherly type acknowledgment of praise.

So His laughing condendingly (mirth) is toward evil. So He would equally laugh (in Joy) toward and with His children of Good. (but that is my opinion)

 

[Tom Bryant]

I always believe that God had a smile on his face in Genesis 3:18-21 when he told Adam that he would make a helper fit for him and then paraded all the animals in front of him.

 

[npetreley]

I always believe that God had a smile on his face in Genesis 3:18-21 when he told Adam that he would make a helper fit for him and then paraded all the animals in front of him.

Wait....I'm getting a message directly from the Lord that this is how the original manuscripts read...

17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:
" Cursed is the labor of your hands;
And your wife shall nag you about it incessently.
Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.

...etc...

[Ducks and whistles, innocently.]

 

[Rippon]

Acts 12:13-16

This passage has always seemed humorous to me .

Peter knocked at the outer entrance , and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door . When she recognized Peter's voice , she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed , " Peter is at the door !" "You're out of your mind ," they told her . When she kept insisting that it was so , they said , " It must be his angel." But Peter kept on knocking , and when they opened the door and saw him , they were astonished .