Let's Laugh With God

Ps 2:1-Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 
2-The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, [saying], 
3- Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 
4-He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 
5-Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

     In Biblical times, when two armies would come together to fight.  They would stand some distance away from each other and taunt each other.  They would make fun of each other.  They would make fun of their gods.  They would taunt each other by telling the opposing army all the terrible things they were going to do to them during the battle.  They would probably taunt them by telling them the things they were going to do to their families after they killed them.  All this was done to instill fear in one another. Did you catch that?  It was done to instill fear in their enemies.

     Isn't that exactly what satan, our enemy does when he sends people to hurt us and make us angry.  (See previous blog-Luke 10:19 Revisited)  Satan doesn't care about the person he sends to you to hurt you.  He doesn't care about you either.  If he gets both of you angry and vicious, then he has won.   When you hear news about the economy on the TV, he whispers to you all the terrible financial things that are going to befall you as if it was going to happen right now.  If you have a loved one serving in the Armed Forces and hear something about Afghanistan, Iran, or Iraq, he'll pop unsettling images of what he would like to do to your loved one.  Your children go out on dates or to a party and he reminds you of every horror story you have seen in the newspaper about car crashes, rape, murder and gang warfare.  All done to unsettle you, instill fear in you and destroy your faith in God.


     My mother used to say, "It's a poor game that two can't play."  Look real hard at Psalm 2:4.  The first thing that God does when the enemy starts his prattle is laugh and then the Lord does a little taunting Himself.  Then verse five tells us that God speaks to THEM in HIS anger and vexes THEM.  And when God speaks, EVERYBODY listens.


     Let's take another look at the arrest of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.  He spoke to the disciples and told them that He could call 72,000 angels to help Him.  With all of this power available to Him, He allowed them to bind Him and lead Him away.  He never resisted.  He never called them bad names.  Even when they whipped Him and nailed Him to the cross, He never cursed them.  In essence, He taunted them by taking my punishment and yours without one complaint.


     Think about the trial.  Jesus was the one Who was in control.  Out of all the things that were said to Him and the false testimony about Him, He kept His cool and just let them rant and rave.  It was Jesus, Himself, that brought the proceedings to a close when He admitted that He was the Christ.  The Sanhedrin couldn't pull off a successful trial without that one statement.


     I made a statement in my previous blog that I want to reiterate.  JESUS FLAUNTED HIS FATHER'S LOVE FOR HIMSELF TO THE DEVIL BY ENDURING THE CROSS.  Not once did He speak in anger.  Not once did He speak in doubt.  Not once did He say any unkind remarks about his accusers or his cowardly followers.  But catch this.  The ultimate backhand slap in the devil's face was when Jesus said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."  Don't you know that satan was using every human vessel he could to get Jesus to say something un-Godlike.  Jesus maintained control of the situation by holding His peace and only uttering His Father's love.


     When we walk in the joy of the Lord in every situation, we laugh with God in the face of the enemy.  When we 'choose' to walk in love with God and our neighbor, we backhand slap the devil with every step.  When we 'choose' to speak God's Word instead of uttering phrases of doubt and fear, we backhand slap him again.  When we speak God's Word in the face of chaos, we become satan's enemy as we begin to taunt him.  I like that.  


Happy taunting and backhand slapping, my friend.