My beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
How often have you reflected upon the laughter of God?
If you haven’t done this often, it’s very understandable. We don’t find many references to the Lord’s laughter in Scripture, and it is mentioned just three times in the Psalms. If we were to make a list of the divine attributes, we might well leave off the attribute of a ‘sense of humor’! But, nevertheless, we have it here in the inspired Word of God that laughing is something that God does (see also Psalm 37:13 and 59:8).
Here in Psalm 2, and in the other references, the Lord is said to be laughing at those enemies of His (and those of His people) who strut their stuff, so to speak, in defiance of His reign. In 2:1, it is the nations of the world that are in a fit, devising plans against the Sovereign Lord, believing all the while that they can thwart His will, successfully strategize against Him, and bring His Kingdom and His people to ruin.
In 37:12, these same malevolent forces are those that plot against the Covenant people, seething with anger and unbridled hatred against them, even unleashing deadly weapons upon them (v. 14). In 59:7, these wicked nations and powers constantly vomit their poisonous lies and empty accusations against the Lord and those who are His.
Most unexpectedly, however, there is laughter from heaven in response!
Certainly, the Lord is angry with such people, nations, and forces that are always opposing His will and His rule, all the while delivering their merciless blows upon those He loves. And, indeed, as each of these chapters from the Psalter make abundantly clear, they will get what’s coming to them, and to a degree that, when the Lord is finished with them, no one will remember that they even existed!
But what’s meant by the sound of this divine laughter that echoes throughout the universe even now?
Well, let me simply suggest a few things that you might contemplate on this new Monday.
Our Lord laughs because He is in control of all things.
Despite the boisterous boasts of the hostile powers, and their relentless opposition to Him, there is not even the slightest alarm in the heavenly sanctuary! The Commander and King reigns supreme! What His enemies don’t know and would never admit, is that their very existence, their every breath, their every thought, their every move, is under Divine control. They are on borrowed time! At any moment, the Lord our God can flick them away with the tip of His finger as one would rid themselves of a bothersome little gnat!
Our Lord laughs because He is infinitely wiser than those who are opposed to Him.
His enemies, and ours, are always strategizing, studying, scheming, and plotting. Yet, in comparison to the wisdom of God, their wisest advisors and most experienced strategists are simply stupid fools! Every move planned in their wicked counsels, and then executed on the stage of human history, will lead them deeper into the trap that has been set for them. There is no victory coming for the enemies of our Redeemer. Their plans are reduced to sheer folly in view of the mighty wisdom of God!
Our Lord laughs because His plan to exalt His Son is unfolding with perfection, even as His enemies war against Him.
The more opposition that arises against Him, the more perfectly His eternal plan for the ages unfolds in time. And that great plan is that His Son might be exalted and glorified before all as Lord! The final triumph of the Son will be revealed in the face of the powers of hell that are waging war against Him, unleashing their maximum fire-power upon God’s Anointed One, but only to their open shame and utter defeat! Every flaming missile launched from enemy territory leads to the victory and magnification of the Son! Hallelujah!
But then, our Lord also laughs because it is through suffering, persecution, adversity, and spiritual war that He is glorifying Himself through us, and making our lives as beautiful as His Son’s.
On the field of battle, and within the crucible of pain, His Spirit is transforming us into a holy people and a beautiful Bride! And as empowered by His grace, we will exalt and proclaim the Name that is above all names, even in our sufferings! The greater the opposition, or the steeper the climb, or the more it hurts, the more His power and unfailing sufficiency are revealed in us and to us.
And our enemies can only gaze upon us with incredulity and utter astonishment! Those who belong to this King cannot be crushed, forsaken, or destroyed! The more intense the battle, the stronger we become, for in our weakness His omnipotence is being revealed! And in the end, we shall stand with our Lord in victory, and shall rejoice in the total eradication of all evil and everything that is or ever has been opposed to His reign!
Let’s laugh along with our King!
My encouragement on this Monday is this: why not do a little laughing of your own? Why not join with Christ our Lord in laughing at all His enemies that are now at work in our world? Why not laugh in your pains and tribulations? This is totally appropriate because you already know the glorious outcome of your struggles! You have every right to burst out laughing because of the sheer insanity of those forces that vainly stand against the Bride of Jesus! What a joke they are! What hilarious madness it is to oppose our King and those His blood has cleansed!
Six days from now we will gather again before our Lord in worship. Until then, rather than giving in to despair, worry, and anxiety, let us laugh with a most holy hilarity! And then we shall come before Him, the One who reigns over all, with singing and thankfulness in our hearts!
“ But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you”–Psalm 5:11.
I love you, each and every one, with all of my heart!
Thank you for remaining faithful to Christ and His Church!
Mike