You can hear it in the sunrise. You sense it in the majesty of the mountains. You find it in the ceaseless gurgling of a stream, or the continuous crash of a waterfall.
And if you have ears to hear, you catch it in the cries of the wicked, ensnared in their own devices. And you perceive it in the praises of the righteous, rejoicing in their Redeemer and his perfectly timed rescue.
It’s the laughter of God. Yes, he laughs. Oh, how he does. “He who sits in the heavens laughs” (Psalm 2:4). God Almighty, high on his heavenly throne, secure in his absolute sovereignty, fatherly in his strength, tender in his love and compassion for his family, laughs out loud to put his children at ease.
One way to enjoy the smile of our fiercely happy Father is to tune your ears to the wonders of his laughter.
From Bottomless Joy
Of course, God’s laughter is not the snicker of an adolescent at a cheap joke. Nor is it the sinister snort of a masochist who delights to inflict pain. Nor is it the chuckle of a nervous yes-man, intimidated by his boss.
This is the laughter of the God of all grace. This is the rich, deep, mature, contagious, steadying laughter of our infinitely happy Father — one whose laughter is always holy, righteous, and good. A good father’s laughter, echoing through his household, is the sound of security and joy. His audible mirth quiets the fears of the whole family.
From where does God’s laughter come? From his settled, vibrant happiness. From his indomitable divine mirth. From his cosmically thick, unassailably resilient blessedness.
His enemies may plot against him, and chuckle along the way. But they will not laugh in the end. In fact, even as they conspire against him, God laughs at their striking folly: “The Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming” (Psalm 37:12–13). He laughs at those who set themselves against his anointed (Psalm 59:8).
While God laughs at the wicked, the righteous learn to laugh with their God. His laughter reminds us that he never worries. He never fears. He is never under threat. His laughter evokes our trust and fills our hearts with admiration and courage.
When God laughs, he does so for our sake, to communicate to all who might hear. He laughs to signal coming horrors to his enemies and coming glories for his friends. And of all the laughter he lets us hear in his word, the most memorable of all comes in the second psalm.
When God Laughs
The setting is black and white: God’s enemies stand against him on one side, his friends with him on the other. His “Anointed” is the chosen human ruler of his people, on whom he has set his favor (Psalm 2:2). With God’s anointed are his loyal subjects — originally the first-covenant people of Israel, today the new-covenant church of Christ.
First we hear the enemies of God rage. Miserable, in search of company, they take counsel together. They plot against Christ and his church (Psalm 2:1–2). But then, can you hear it? The swell of their conspiratorial poison is overpowered by the happiest and most comforting sound in the world, echoing down from heaven itself: the mighty mirth of God in righteous laughter.
He who sits in the heavens laughs. (Psalm 2:4)
For God’s people, his laughter resounds with great comfort. He laughs aloud to dispel our fears. He laughs to remind us that no purpose of his can be thwarted. We his people do not fear along with the rebel nations, because we have heard his fiercely happy voice. We have received his promise. Wonder upon wonder, undeserving as we are, he has set his favor on us, in his Son, and who are we to dishonor him by not receiving the promise of his word?
Soon enough, our enemies too will hear his voice, as we have, but instead of being comforted by a Father, they will be terrified by divine fury (Psalm 2:5). They will not simply be conquered; they will serve his purposes to make his people more than conquerors (Psalm 2:8; Romans 8:37).
Kiss the Son
To those who oppose God’s chosen one, his Son, the ever-approaching sound of divine laughter communicates their utter folly. The coming contest will not be close. In fact, it will not even be a contest. His foes stand no chance against the Sovereign of all. Standing against God’s anointed King is laughably ridiculous.
For the enemies who hear foretastes of their impending doom in the righteous laughter of God, he offers an escape. “Be warned,” says the one who laughs. “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:10–11).
So, it’s not too late. Soon enough it will be. But not yet. “Kiss the Son” (Psalm 2:12) — that is, bow before him, trust him, delight in him, pledge allegiance from the heart, repent of your rebellion and change sides, and you will be free from the terror of his laugh and welcomed into the wonder of his joy.
For now, the laughing God still holds out open arms, even as he derides the vanity of his foes — a severe mercy that warns them that their path leads to consuming fire, and that taking refuge in the Son is an unending shelter of happiness.
Laugh at the Time to Come
For a little while yet, God’s enemies may snicker with the laughter of unbelief. The ignorant laughed even at Jesus (Matthew 9:24). Will they not also laugh at his church?
Yet, even as they do, we learn to laugh in sync with our Lord. Like the excellent wife of Proverbs 31:25, we “laugh at the time to come.” Like a war horse who “does not turn back from the sword,” we learn to laugh at such threats and not be dismayed (Job 39:22). We laugh like Leviathan at the enemy’s arrows, slings, clubs, and javelins (Job 41:28–29) — not because they cannot pierce the skin but because they cannot prevail against us.
In this age, we don’t only laugh. Here our laughter often turns to mourning. “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief” (Proverbs 14:13). But unhindered, unending laughter will be our experience in the age to come. Jesus says, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh” (Luke 6:21).
In that day, we will laugh. We will laugh with, and we will laugh like, our fiercely happy God.
