
While laughing with a jolly friend, I was wondering if God thinks I’m funny. I wondered what his sense of humour is like, and what it’s like when you’re omniscient and always know the punchline. Does he laugh at farts, like me? Is his favourite sitcom ‘Smack the Pony’ or ‘The Office’? Does he get irony and sarcasm, in the sense that it tickles him?
I concluded that Jesus must have laughed, or else he wouldn’t have been such a big hit at parties. And also, most of our laughter seems to me to be a good thing. So I reckon it’s part of the bit that reflects the fact we’re made in his image. If it’s not sinful (which of course it can be) then it must be in some way Godish, mustn’t it?
So, anyway, I decided to check out what makes God giggle by looking up laugh, laughter and laughing in a concordance. I was a bit disturbed by the results…
Psalm 2:4 “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his wrath….”
That’s quite a scary sort of laughing…
Psalm 37:13 “but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming”
Ha, ha!……Ha?
So what does he think of our laughter?
Proverbs 14:13 “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief”
Ecclesiastes 2:2 “‘Laughter’ I said, ‘is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?’”
Ecclesiastes 7:3 “Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.”
James 4:9 “Grieve, mourn and wail. change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.”
Oh happy day! Why don’t these quotes ever appear on calenders under a picture of a puppy or a sunset?!