Introduction
Happy New Year to you!
2021 ended on a sad note for me, as a co-worker died of COVID. He was born in 1969 just like me. It hit a little too close to home. So, we are starting the 2022 studies on what I hope will be a happier note.
I have been sharing some verses with my cousin recently, and I told him that I don't think happiness is the goal. I sent him Ecclesiastes 7:3.
Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
Ecclesiastes 7:3 King James Version
Of course, Ecclesiastes also says there is a time to laugh.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Ecclesiastes 3:4 King James Version
So, I should amend my comment, "I don't think happiness is the goal." I do think there is a time and place for happiness even if sorrow is better. In fact, one year I made a comedy CD for my son.
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| Go look up Jonah, he's in the yellow pages under water. |
While the Bible tends to present laughter in a negative light, we were able to find comedians who got a lot of laughs from some Bible verses. We included Bill Cosby's take on Noah, the Smothers Brothers' version of The Impossible Dream with their comments on Moses, Joan of Arc, Noah, and Jonah, and a couple of Christian artists, Newsboys with VeggieTales and ApologetiX, doing songs about Jonah.
It seems that the most incredible miracles in Bible get the most laughs, even when God tells you ahead of time he is going to do them. For example, both Abraham and Sarah laughed when they heard they were going to have a child well into their old age. Of course, both the Christian artists we chose for the comedy album got a kick out of God having a fish swallow a prophet and spit him back onto his mission field. ApologetiX is known for their parodies of popular songs with Biblical lyrics and changed "Mony Mony" by Tommy James & the Shondells to "Jonah Jonah" with the yeah, yeahs being slightly altered to fit the Biblical context.
Whale's not lookin' like he feels so good, yeah
Well, don't look now but he's gonna vomit
So hold on Jonah
Bleah! (Bleah!) Bleah! (Bleah!) Bleah! (Bleah!)
- Jonah Jonah by ApologetiX
Here are my top 12 verses on Laughter:
Jesus On Laughter
Matthew 9:24 King James Version
24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
Luke 6:21 King James Version
21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Luke 6:25 King James Version
25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
John 15:11 King James Version
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Laughter In The New Testament
Matthew 2:10 King James Version
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Romans 12:15 King James Version
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
James 4:9-10 King James Version
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
1 John 1:4 King James Version
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
Laughter In The Old Testament
Genesis 21:6 King James Version
6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.
2 Chronicles 30:10 King James Version
10 So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.
Proverbs 14:13 King James Version
13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.
Isaiah 37:21-22 King James Version
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:
22 This is the word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
Conclusion Of The Whole Matter
The surprising discovery about this study was that laughter is tied to intelligence. Of course, a lot of humor can go over the head of the recipients. So, you have to be clever to get some jokes, and the Bible seems to be the same. People are laughing at the wrong time, showing that they don't get God's sense of humor. It takes a lot of wisdom to understand God's humor. That is why most of the occurrences of laughter appear in the OT Wisdom literature.
Of course, the New Testament is similar. There are not a lot of laughter verses from which to choose. The New Testament timeframe is smaller and, with the sacrifice of the messiah, the time to laugh was less appropriate. However, the NT writers tends to emphasize the spiritual fruit of joy over happiness.
So, that is why I have amended my comment, "I don't think happiness is the goal," to include, "but I do think joy is a goal."
And I am going to change my wish of a "Happy New Year to you!"
Joy to the world! 😇
7 Bible results for “laughter” from King James Version.
- Old Testament (6)
- New Testament (1)
38 Bible results for “laugh” from King James Version.
- Old Testament (32)
- New Testament (6)
187 Bible results for “joy” from King James Version.
- Old Testament (121)
- New Testament (66)
16 results for “laughter” from previous Solomon's Colonnade studies.
21 results for “laugh” from previous Solomon's Colonnade studies.
68 results for “joy” from previous Solomon's Colonnade studies.
Scripture contributions for January 2022 by: Paul Anderson, Matthew Anderson
