God Is Laughing (Psalm 2:4)

I have been watching what is happening around the world, and I have to admit that it makes me uneasy.

China. Iran. Russia. The United States.

Every day there seems to be another warning, another military maneuver, another threat, another reason to wonder whether something much bigger is about to happen. I know I shouldn’t be afraid. But sometimes I am. Maybe that is because I am looking at history from the wrong end.

When we read about Assyria today, it is just Assyria. A chapter in a history book. But imagine living in Israel when the Assyrian army was approaching. There was nothing academic about Assyria then. These were real armies destroying real cities and carrying real people away from their homes. In 722 B.C., the northern kingdom of Israel fell to them.

If I had been living there, I doubt I would have calmly said, “Don’t worry. Assyria will eventually disappear.” I probably would have been terrified. And yet Assyria did disappear. Then came Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem. The temple was destroyed. Judah was carried into captivity. Babylon probably didn’t look temporary either. But it was. Persia replaced Babylon. Greece replaced Persia. Rome followed Greece. Egypt had already had its day.

One after another, the great powers of the ancient world rose, dominated their neighbors, and eventually became the subjects of history books and museum exhibits. Which makes me wonder: Are we really seeing something so different today? The weapons are different. The countries are different. The consequences of modern warfare are frightening in ways the ancient world could never have imagined.

But human nature hasn’t changed very much. Nations still want power. Leaders still make threats. Countries still form alliances. Armies still move. And people like me still watch all of it and worry about what happens next.

David saw the same thing thousands of years ago.

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed.
Psalm 2:1–2 (ESV)

That sounds surprisingly current. But then comes the verse that stopped me.

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
Psalm 2:4 (ESV)

God is laughing. But at whom? At Assyria? At Babylon? At China? At Iran? At Russia? At the United States?

Maybe the more uncomfortable answer is this: At us.

Not because our suffering is funny. Not because wars are funny. Not because the death of innocent people means nothing to Him. God is laughing at the absurdity of human beings thinking we are in control. That is what Psalm 2 is about. Kings gather together and make their plans as though history belongs to them. Nations build armies and weapons and begin to believe that power makes them sovereign. Governments negotiate, threaten, invade, sanction, retaliate, and maneuver. And for a little while, they can look enormously powerful. Assyria did. Babylon did. Rome certainly did. But every one of them eventually discovered the same thing. They were never really in control. 

That thought makes Psalm 2:4 almost startlingly direct. God isn’t laughing only at ancient rulers who thought too highly of themselves. He is laughing at something that still exists in us. We still think we can control history. We still think the right leader, the right military strategy, the right alliance, the right treaty, the right weapon, or the right election will finally secure the future. And when those things don’t go the way we expect, we become afraid.

I do too. I look at China and wonder what China will do. I look at Iran and wonder what Iran will do. I look at Russia and wonder what Russia will do. I look at my own country and wonder what the United States will do.

But people living three thousand years ago were asking what Assyria would do. Later they asked what Babylon would do. Then Persia. Then Greece. Then Rome. Those questions mattered. Their decisions changed lives. But none of them had the final word. Neither will we.

Once again, God gives us the answer.

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
Psalm 2:4 (ESV)

There is something else in that verse that I almost missed. God sits. While everyone else is maneuvering, God is sitting. He isn’t pacing. He isn’t nervous. He isn’t waiting to see what China does before deciding what He will do. He isn’t surprised by Iran. He isn’t threatened by Russia. He isn’t dependent on the United States. He has seen Assyria. He has seen Babylon. He has seen Egypt, Persia, Greece, and Rome. He watched them rise. And He watched them fall. And He was still there.

That doesn’t mean what nations do is unimportant. It matters greatly. Wars matter. Leaders matter. Elections matter. Foreign policy matters. The decisions of governments affect millions of people. But there is a difference between saying these things matter and believing these things ultimately control history. They don’t.

Maybe that is why God is laughing. We keep acting as though the world is ours to control. We keep behaving as though everything depends on us. We keep forgetting how many powerful men and powerful nations came before us and thought exactly the same thing. History repeats itself. The names change. The borders change. The weapons change. The empires change. But mankind’s desire to control the future doesn’t seem to change at all. And neither does God. 

So the next time I read a frightening headline, maybe the question isn’t simply: 

“What is China going to do?”

Or: “What is Iran going to do?”

Or: “What is America going to do?”

Maybe the more important question is: “Who do I really believe is in control?”

Because perhaps God isn’t only laughing at the nations. Perhaps He is laughing at us whenever we forget the answer.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #Psalm2:4 #godislaughing

YouTube@theBereansblog