NO JOKE
PROVERBS 26:18-19
PROVERBS 26:18-19 NKJ
18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 Is the man who deceives his neighbor,
And says, "I was only joking!"
OBSERVATION:
I have always enjoyed humor. All kinds of humor. I can remember watching reruns of The Three Stooges with Matt, and both of us just belly laughing.
Our home has always had a humorous element. Even today, when we all get together, there is a lot of laughter.
God is not stoic and humorless. The Bible says He laughs. We must always keep in mind that we are made in His image. He is the One who gave us the ability to laugh. Clean humor can be a source of real help. Proverbs 17:22 says a merry heart does good like medicine. The literal rendering is that a merry heart makes medicine even better.
But what about this passage for today? The issue in these verses is not the presence of humor; it is the deception disguised as a joke.
God is good with humor, but He is not a fan of deception at any time. To purposely deceive someone then hide behind the lame excuse of only kidding is not good. In fact, this deceptive act in the name of joking is likened to a crazy person who causes harm and destruction.
Someone may say, hey, only joking, but God is not laughing.
Deception is of our enemy Satan. Jesus called him the father of lies. God is truth, and there is nothing false or deceptive about Him at all.
APPLICATION:
All of us have been impacted by someone who was "only joking." Maybe they hid a verbal slam in a "kidding way." Maybe they lied and, when confronted, claimed it was a joke.
These kinds of jokes cause pain. We cannot make other people do the right thing, but we can control our actions.
Make sure you are not hurting others with your humor. And most definitely never hide a lie behind a joke. Laughter is good if it's not deceptive or at someone else's expense.