“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: The Lord shall have them in derision.” Psalm 2:4 (KJV)
Laughing among humans is one of the expressions of an emotion which is usually related to a palatable, favourable circumstance, or the comical, or merriment, or at other times an expression of doubt, as we see in the case of Sarah, who laughed at God’s promise that she would have a child after being without a child for over seventy years (Genesis 18:10-12).
Genesis 18:10-12, KJV
“And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also?
However, when the scriptures speak about God laughing, it is totally different and has deeper connotations than human laughter. When the Bible speaks about God laughing, it is not usually in response to the comical, but an expression of victory over Satan and man’s folly in trying to thwart His unchangeable plans and eternal counsel (Psalm 2:4).
Psalms 2:4 NIV
“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.”
How can Satan, a created being whose knowledge of God’s universe is finite , and man in whose nostrils is his breath, seek to thwart God’s counsel and plans in time, that the omnipotent and omniscient God finished and established in eternity? (Ezekiel 28:13, Isaiah 2:22, 2 Timothy 1:9). This was one major lesson that the Lord Jesus wanted Saul to learn during his conversion on the road to Damascus, that he could not fight against the divine counsel and will in trying to destroy and annihilate the church of God (Acts 9:5).
Ezekiel 28:13 KJV
“Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”
Isaiah 2:22 KJV
“Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?”
2 Timothy 1:9 KJV
“who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began'”
Acts 9:5 (KJV)
“And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”
In the aforementioned scripture in Psalm 2:4, Derek Prince , a renown bible teacher, opines that “God’s laughter is not a reaction to some comedy that is being enacted on earth. Rather, it is His response to the ridiculous human midgets who have the effrontery to oppose His purposes”.
It is indeed utterly laughable and ridiculous for Satan, who, because of his finite knowledge of the wisdom and mysteries of God, crucified the Lord Jesus Christ, a grave decision which led to his ultimate, total and irreversible defeat (1 Corinthians 2:8), and whose end is in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10), and a man who only has binocular vision, as he can only see 180° in front, but cannot see 180° behind his back, to think that they can stand against the plans and counsel of an eternal God who has complete knowledge of all the past, present, future, and eternity of individuals, families, cities, nations, and the earth as a whole (Psalm 147:5, 1 Samuel 2:3, Acts 15:18).
1 Corinthians 2:8 KJV
“Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it , they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Revelation 20:10 KJV
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are , and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Psalm 147:5 KJV
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite.”
1 Samuel 2:3 KJV
“Talk no more so exceeding proudly; Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: For the LORD is a God of knowledge, And by him actions are weighed.”
Acts 15:18 KJV
“Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”
David, a man the scriptures describe as a man after God’s heart, also had a deep understanding of God’s unchanging eternal counsel and plans when he pens down in the midst of wicked human machinations against his life that God laughs at the folly of man (Psalm 59:6-8).
Psalm 59:6-8 KJV
“They return at evening: They make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. Behold, they belch out with their mouth: Swords are in their lips: For who, say they , doth hear? But thou, O LORD , shalt laugh at them; Thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.”
As you read these lines, I want you to know that God’s plans for your life, family, city, nation, and the entire earth stand sure, and He laughs at the folly of the enemy as he deploys all his devices and machinations to thwart them. As long as you stay within His will and purpose for your life, keep loving Him and interceding, all things will eventually work together for your good (Romans 8:28, Job 42:2).
Romans 8:28 KJV
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Job 42:2 NIV
“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
Love!!!