Psalm 2:4
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Here is God’s response to the world’s rebellion and chaos: he laughs. He laughs because his plans and power are certain. He laughs because he sits in the heavens, ruling over all. He laughs because he has set in place his Anointed King to rule.
God is not like a president who retreats to a bunker or to Camp David when the White House is threatened. He is not sheltered behind his protective walls while the world burns. Rather, the phrase “in the heavens” signifies that he is holy, utterly untouched by the craziness of this world. He is not dragged down, frazzled, marked, or stained. Notice his posture: he sits in the heavens because he is relaxed and unworried on his throne.
But does God’s laughter make him sound uncaring or heartless, or even unkind, because of his derision of his enemies? Or, like he is amused at the suffering and trouble in the world? But that’s not what God laughs at. Rather, he laughs at the audacity and pride and vanity and foolishness of the rebellion against him. God is unbothered by the threat, but not uncaring of the pain it causes. He doesn’t laugh at the chaos and suffering they cause. Scripture is filled with descriptions of God’s compassion, mercy, and defense of the vulnerable.
In fact, his laughter is not a reason to mistrust him, but a reason we must trust him. He laughs because he is unworried, and who wants a worried God? All the plots and powers and schemes and rebellions of this world do not faze him a bit. They do not derail his plans, hinder his work, or dampen his love.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.
