what's so funny?

Ecclesiastes 2:1-2 "I said in my heart, go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, it is mad: and of mirth, what doeth it?"

I love to laugh, I believe that most normal people do. The Bible also does not prohibit laughter, thank the Lord. It tells us in Proverbs 17:22, that a merry heart doeth good like a medicine. That from the same man who wrote our text passage. So is Solomon contradicting himself? the answer of course is no. As always context is key to the understanding of a passage. Solomon is speaking of the mirth that he sought from the world. In other words, he is talking about seeking joy the worlds way rather than God's. Frequently God tells us to rejoice and be exceeding glad, but the world has a different view of what is fun. The rest of the chapter will begin to tell us how Solomon sought that pleasure, it began with alcohol. We will discuss that in the next post.

In Proverbs 14:9 Solomon himself made note that fools make a mock at sin. Yet as his heart departed from the Lord, he began to find it funny that they mocked the things of righteousness. Much of what passes for humor in our day is just a mockery of sin and more often than not, those who stand against it. Preachers and Bible believers are often the but of the joke, but sadly those who seek such mirth will find that it may cause a chuckle for a moment, but behold, it is vanity.