By: Gen. James Green
WHEN WE posted the above Word—April 18, 2013—on the Youtube, one critic wrote that “God DOES NOT laugh at people!” Really? This person surely doesn’t study his Bible:
“He that sitteth in the heavens shall LAUGH: the Lord shall have them (kings, rulers of earth, v. 2) in derision” (Ps. 2:4, KJV). This LAUGHING is followed up with God’s WRATH, VEXING them in His sore displeasure (v. 5). The Revised Standard Version uses, “TERRIFY them in His FURY;” like TERRORIZE!! The Lord laughs and holds their (heathen, v. 1) vain conceits in derision; then in terrifying anger He sets about to show that the king, whom He has set up on Zion, is inviolable (v. 6).
“I also will laugh at you calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh” (Prov. 1:26, KJV).
Why would God LAUGH at someone’s calamity? Verse 24 and 25 tells us WHY: “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof.”
“Set at nought” (KJV), or, as the RSV has it, “ignored.” The root idea of the verb ‘para’ is “to let loose” (see Ex. 32:25); then “to let go free,” and so “to neglect,” “to avoid,” “to ignore.”
THUSLY, WISDOM, IN TURN, HAS HER LAUGH WHEN MISFORTUNE BEFALLS THOSE WHO HAVE DISREGARDED HER WARNINGS.
MOCK!: A stronger word than LAUGH of the preceding clause—since it implies utterance.
FEAR/PANIC: ‘pahadh’ means, “sudden terror.” The PANIC (RSV) results from events which strike FEAR into the heart, when those who disregard wisdom feel most secure in their own strength, CALAMITY strikes, and brings them to RUIN! Our mere human reason, like that of our critic, is repulsed at Wisdom/God gloating over the misfortune of others. Yet, here it is in the Bible, used by the psalmist, and the prophet, who, likewise, exult over the downfall of the sinner.
Why is it that people only want to believe that God/Jesus/Holy Ghost are only love, love, love? They certainly have another side to them—and it is called WRATH/ ANGER/ FURY/ INDIGNATION/ JUDGMENT!!
I challenge all our critics to read “The Wrath of God” magazines parts one and two; I put days, weeks, months into these. If anyone can prove them false, just try it.
Verse 29 opens our minds a bit more: “For that they HATED knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD.” The verbs noted: “did not choose, would have none, despised,” are synonymous; revealing the antagonistic attitude of the FOOLS to Wisdom and her counsel, (see Jer. 18:18). Read vv. 30-33 also in Proverbs one.
“The Lord shall laugh at him: for He seeth that his day is coming” (Ps. 37:13). Verse 12 tells of who “him” is: “The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.” Verse 12, 14 provides us with a precise picture of the anti-godly; but the LORD LAUGHS at him/them…there is a painful touch of ridicule in v. 13. Amen! God sees ahead that the “wicked” will come to ruin himself/herself.
You see, eventually, retribution will overtake the ungodly. We know this by Ps. 52:5 where, “God shall likewise DESTROY thee for ever, He shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living.” We are surely seeing this happen here, and now, in good ol’ backslidden USA—many are being deprived of their power, wealth, health; made homeless. Verse 6 tells us that, “The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall LAUGH at him!! (V. 7 continues: “Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.”) We, personally, know some who are under God’s judgment: some have died a HORRID DEATH, others are in total RUIN!!
“But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them (enemies of vv. 1-7); thou shalt have all the heathen in derision” (Ps. 59:8, KJV). Read this entire psalm.
The LORD, who is competent to SAVE, is also the same LORD that is competent to SLAY…LAUGHTER and corrosive SCORN are all part of God’s character!
You see, if, and when, men mock God/laugh at His Word, the pleasant vice of such will become instruments to scourge us. God MOCKS the mockers. Those who conspired to have Jesus put to death (see Mark 10:32-34) were MOCKED in 70 AD. Tens of thousands of the Jews were crucified!! Jesus put forth a parable (a true one!) in Luke 19:12-27 in which He was revealing what lie ahead for, “those mine enemies, which would not that I (Jesus) should reign over them, bring hither, and SLAY them before Me” (v. 27). Why isn’t this taught by our “Jesus is only love, love, love” Churchites??
In every parable that Jesus uttered, there was something that lay at the door. In this one, Jesus foretells the DESTRUCTION of Jerusalem, and His enemies. And I’ll warn all of you, that, if you, too, refuse to let Jesus reign over you (v. 14), YOU WILL FACE HIS WRATH.
No doubt Jesus had in mind 1 Samuel 15:33—the prophet Samuel’s treatment of king Agag. Matthew’s version describes the fate of the “worthless servant” (Mt. 25:30); and Codex Bezae adds this matter to Luke’s text.
Verse 27 refers to the Jews, whom Jesus would SLAY by the sword of the Romans—this is New Testament folks, not Old Testament. And, as I write, God is pouring out His Wrathful judgments/punishments upon this world. And, they are going to increase, too. I PITY YOU WHO ARE THE ENEMIES OF CHRIST—HE WILL LAUGH AT YOUR RUIN!
Not only did the Jews kill Jesus, they also were guilty of killing the prophets (Matt. 23:37). Jesus wished to gather the Jewish people together into the Kingdom of God “as a hen (or bird) gathereth her chicken (or brood) under her wings, and ye would not!”
According to Josephus (Jewish War VI 5:3), at the time of Pentecost, just before the temple’s fall, the priests heard a portentous voice say, “We are departing hence.” It must have been generally believed that God’s presence had forsaken His house.
The lament and pathos over Jerusalem came before God’s WRATH; mercy before FURY. There is no doubt that Jesus loved both Jerusalem, and the people. He wanted both to be spared (v. 37 echoes Ps. 17:8 and 57:1). Lest we forget, the Jews were under the wings of the Roman eagle, not God’s, because of their rebellion/sin. Jesus wanted to free their minds/hearts from the same. Had they accepted Him, the Romans would have been driven away by God. But, because of their continued rebellion against God, Roman dominion prevailed…and ICHABOD (1 Sam. 4:21) was written upon that city. Jesus says in v. 38, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” Has this happened to America? Is it a matter of time before America lies in ruin?
Let’s face the facts, America’s “freedoms” are fading fast. We can become like Jerusalem in our obstinate rejection of God’s love—it can, and will, run out!!
Jesus predicts the destruction of Jerusalem, and the temple in cpt. 24:1-2. No doubt, Jesus, regarding this future catastrophe, predicted its ruin, not with happiness, but with sorrow. Remember, too, that His enemies, at His trial, accused Him of planning to destroy the temple. Their evil returned unto them; the temple was destroyed by the fierce and overwhelming vengeance of Rome. Jesus saw a DARK day coming, and He could not hide the Truth.
Most think that America will not suffer ruin. Don’t be so sure, dear ones. Jerusalem’s great building—her great temple, became a tower of Babel! Don’t be fooled by America’s “Greatness;” God’s temple was the “beauty of holiness” (Ps. 29:2; 96:9); yet destroyed
WHEN MERE MEN MOCK GOD, GOD WILL MOCK THEM.