In today's article we are going to go over bible verses on Laughter as well as mention people in the bible that laughed, we will also be covering bible passages I find funny and talk about whether or not jesting is a sin. Let's get to it.
People Who Laughed
I will get this ball rolling by mentioning several people in the bible who were said to have laughed. One of if not the first person's known to have laughed in scripture is Abraham upon hearing that his wife Sarah would bear a son (Gen 17:16 -17). Sarah also laughed within herself when she heard the news also (Gen 18:9 -15, Gen 21:6).
The Lord also is known to laugh as well (Psa 2:4, Psa 37:13, Psa 59:8, Pro 1:24-26). We also can tell from reading the bible that righteous people laugh too (Psa 52:6). So we see that the Lord and the righteous laugh, therefore it seems so far that there's nothing inherently wrong with laughing. Let's now take a look through scripture to see what it has to say about rejoicing, merriment and laughter.
Bible Verses About Laughter, Rejoicing, Etc
There are many verses in the bible about laughter, Joy, and Rejoicing, however for the sake of brevity I will just mention a few.
When can see from Pro 14:13 that people can hide their true emotions, Cashiers suffering from depression can be an ideal depiction of this. Pro 17:22 is a great verse that shows that our emotions can impact our health. In Ecc 3:4 we see that there are times for laughter, although Ecc 7:3 -6 informs us that sorrow is better than laughter as well as other stuff.
There's the instance where the people laughed Jesus to scorn at his remark that the girl wasn't dead but asleep (Mat 9:24, Mar 5:40). Another two verses regarding laughter is Luk 6:21 and Luk 6:25 where Jesus says (paraphrasing) those that weep now shall laugh and those that laugh now shall mourn. The bible also instructs us to rejoice in the Lord (Php 3:1, Phili 4:4).
See also: Psa 126:2, Ecc 10:19, Jas 4:9
Besides all the verses about laughing and rejoicing the bible also teaches us that as Christians we are to be sober (1Th 5:6, 1Ti 3:2, 1Pe 1:13, 1Pet 4:7, 1Pet 5:8). This not only can mean to not be drunk but also can mean to be serious which would be the opposite of joking around.
Verses i Find Funny
Now I just thought I would cover a few passages of scripture that has either made me laugh or I have thought were quite funny.
There are two instances in the book of Nehemiah that probably put a smile on my face more than once. One is Neh 13:20-21 where Nehemiah threatens the merchants that were hanging around a wall of Jerusalem, who as I assume were intent on selling on the sabbath. Then there is Neh 13:28 which is a passage about Nehemiah chasing his enemy Sanballat's son in law.
Another part of the bible that I find very funny is the time when Haman who was the enemy of the Jews had to honour his arch-nemesis Mordecai when he came to the king intending to have him hanged (Est 6).
Other Things to Consider
Perhaps one of the most important things to ask ourselves in this study is is Joking a Sin? Well the bible does say not to Jest (Eph 5:4), I have left a few links below that offer two different opinions on this matter. One link tells us that yes it is sinful and the other two links basically say that it can be considered ok depending on the content of the joke and the circumstances.
To conclude this study I want to point out a few more verses one should consider if one believes that it is ok to jest. Is the joke made at the calamity of another (Pro 17:5)? Is the joke perverted or corrupt (Pro 19:1, Eph 4:29)? Is the joke based on a lie (Pro 26:18-19, Col 3:9)? Does it glorify God (1Cor 10:31)? Finally, allow me to just say that although I'm uncertain that all joking is inherently sinful; we can be sure however that any kind of joke with ungodly content should never proceed from a christian's lips. After all, all the knowledge, faith, and generosity in the world won't do us any good if we rejoice in iniquity (1Cor 13:1-6).
See also: Pro 15:2, Col 4:6
Some Relevant Links:
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