God’s Sense of Humor
It may surprise many people, but God does indeed have a sense of humor.
We see a glimpse of this humor in Elijah’s encounter with the prophets of Baal in the 18th chapter of the Book of I Kings. There we find Elijah mocking the 450 prophets of Baal. They had been fruitlessly praying unto their god from the morning until noon to answer their prayers.
Elijah had sarcastically stated to them that maybe their god was off somewhere on a journey. Or possibly even relieving himself (I Kings 18:27).
We must always remember that, although to some this dialogue may seem to be a little bit crass, it is nonetheless still a part of the inspired Word of God (II Timothy 3:16).
God’s Humor Expressed in World Politics
Another instance of humor to be found in Scripture concerns the world’s political structure.
God in His omniscience always knew that the world would eventually become divided into two opposing political camps. One of these factions would become known as the Political Right. The other the Political Left.
He also knew that the Political Right would seek to uphold traditional Godly moral values. The Political Left would attempt to undermine those same values.
Therefore, long before there was a Political Right or Left, God inspired Solomon to write in the Book of Ecclesiastes:
“A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart is at his left.”
Eccl. 10:2
Later, He would prompt Matthew to write:
“When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him,
then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory:
And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one
from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.”
Matthew 25:31-33
While the Political Left proudly goes about doing their daily business, believers should recognize that both their mental state and eventual fate had long ago been coyly spelled out by God within the pages of His Word.
God’s Humor Meets Artificial Intelligence
An additional exhibition of God’s sense of humor may also be found subtly hidden within the Book of Joshua. The book records the events that occurred to the Hebrew people as they entered into their Promised Land.
But first, a little backdrop to the story.
Moses and the Promised Land
We are told in Scripture that the primary reason that Moses could not lead the Hebrew people into the Promised Land was that he had misrepresented God at the waters of Meribah (Numbers 20:12).
There is, however, another seldom discussed explanation as to why God chose this form of disciplinary punishment for Moses.
In the context of understanding and viewing Scripture as a “unified whole,” it would have been inappropriate for God to have Moses lead the Hebrew people into the Promised Land.
Moses was deeply associated with the Law in Scripture. He was the human agency through whom God had first presented His Law to the Hebrew people, and thereby to the world.
Moses was therefore the true human “Archetypical Face of the Law.”
Therefore, it would have been improper for God, on a typological basis, to have Moses lead the people into the Promised Land. This could easily be misconstrued as a representation that, “A person could get into the Promised Land (id est Heaven) by simply following the Law.”
For a related examination of Moses as a biblical type of Christ, see Moses as a Type of Christ: Biblical Prophecy, the Rapture, and the Second Coming.
God’s Sovereignty Over History
We must always remember that a key component of interpreting and understanding Scripture is the fact that God has sovereignly arranged the events of world history from the moment of Creation:
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am
God, and there is none like Me.
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from the ancient times the things
that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My
pleasure.”
Isaiah 46:9-10
Within His Sovereign control of mankind’s history, we are also told that God has arranged the events of history in such a way that, “History does indeed ‘repeat itself,’ as ‘there is no new thing done under the sun’” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
This truth is the basis for the numerous instances openly hidden within God’s Word that constitute the phenomenon of what we term as Biblical Typology.
This is God’s way of demonstrating to mankind that He does indeed have control over the events of the history of mankind.
For a related discussion of the biblical concept of history repeating itself, see History Repeats Itself: The Biblical 7-Day Millennial Prophetic Timeline.
Joshua as a Type of Christ
Therefore, rather than having the human archetypical representative of the Law (Moses) lead the Hebrew people into the Promised Land, God ordained that this job would be accomplished by Joshua.
Joshua is presented to us within Scripture as being a “Type of Christ.”
Therefore, by having Joshua bring the Hebrew people into the Promised Land, God was teaching us typologically that the Law only reveals to mankind his sinfulness, and of his need for a Savior.
The Law was never meant to be a means of salvation:
“Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we
might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:24-27
It is “Only through the work of Jesus the Christ” that one is able to successfully enter into the Promised Land, (id est Heaven), not by following the Law.
For a related discussion of salvation by grace rather than works, see Salvation by Grace, Not Works: The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is the background for what happens next in Scripture.
We shall see that this may indeed be quite an expression of God’s subtle sense of humor through His incorporating the usage of a little “play on words.”
Joshua, Jericho, and Ai
For after God had miraculously delivered the City of Jericho into the hands of the Hebrew people, He then instructed Joshua to go and conquer the people and the land of Ai.
This Joshua did.
For we are told that “…Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap forever, even a desolation unto this day” (Joshua 8:28).
Ai and Artificial Intelligence
When we view this event on a typological basis, we can surmise that in the future, “When Jesus returns to the earth to set up His Millennial Kingdom, that He too will also be leading His people back into the Promised Land (Jeremiah 29:14).”
One of the first things that He most certainly will do, will also be to utterly destroy Ai.
This time, however, the Ai will not be a certain group of paganistic people living within the Promised Land.
Rather, it will be the means by which Satan had maintained control over the whole earth through his “Beast System.”
That being, Satan’s usage of a new form of Ai, “Artificial Intelligence”!!!
In God’s Word, nothing is accidental.
Here we see God’s way of coyly and humorously displaying His Sovereignty over the events of World History.
This extends right down to the dotting of every “i” and the crossing of every “t”!!!
“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
Matthew 5:18
As they say, “You can’t make this sort of thing up!”
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How
unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counselor?
Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory
forever. Amen.
Romans 11:33-36
For another study concerning Jesus Christ, His identity, and His relationship to the Old Testament, see Who Is Jesus Christ? His True Identity From Genesis to Revelation.
For another related examination of biblical prophecy and Jesus Christ, see 2030 Prophetic Time Table 5 – The Examination of the Passover Lamb.
God’s Heavenly Humor and the Promised Land
What a wise, never changing, and forever interesting Savior we serve.
And what a great reminder that in eternity, that we will indeed continue to experience the joys of God’s “heavenly humor” when we enter our eternal permanent abode in the “Promised Land” of Heaven.
Read Rob’s book “PARADIGMS TOSSED”, Debunking Faulty Christian Beliefs and learn how best to hear “Well Done” after your life is over and you’re face to face with Jesus someday!
