God’s sense of humor

Job 8:21 (ESV)

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,

    and your lips with shouting.

How can we his creatures think things are funny unless the whole idea came from God in the first place?

You have to love God’s sense of humor.  Think about God’s creation. Surely he made creatures such as the otter, dolphin, and penguin, just because they delighted Him so much. Or consider what we find in Scripture itself (keeping in mind that Scripture was inspired by God). Job 39:13-18 (a very serious book) describes the life of a stork in pretty funny terms. Verse 17 says, "For God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense." I hope I'm never described that way!

Proverbs is a funny book at times. If you read it aloud to a group, it's difficult not to laugh. Proverbs 11:22 says, "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion." Doesn't that give you delight on the days you feel more piggish than beautiful? You wonder if Solomon had just fought with one of his many wives when he said, "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife" (21:9). However, my favorite proverb is 22:13, "The sluggard says, 'There is a lion outside!'" That sounds like as good excuse as any to me on days when I feel lazy. I don't recommend trying it with your though. And there's the night person's favorite verse, "If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse" (27:14). When I was in High school and volunteered at a camp for the summer I had a camper who quoted this to me, reminding me that not everyone wakes up cheery.

But I think Hebrews 11:12 is the funniest verse in the Bible: "Therefore there was born even of [Abraham], and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars in heaven …"

Of course God's humor is never cruel the way humans twist it to be at times. In fact, God is entirely pure and untainted, thus so is his humor. Such a God inspired the author of Proverbs to write, "A happy heart makes the face cheerful" (15:13), or seen from the opposite point of view in verse 30, "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart." Proverbs 16:24 says, "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Aren't you glad?

Dear Lord, we thank You for the humor You show. Help us to take the time to laugh and see the joy in life. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.