It’s no secret that the wicked revile and mock the righteous. When believers teach that Jesus is the sole Savior of sinners, or that the wicked should repent of their evil deeds and hope in Christ, they can incur the wrath of the unrighteous. When believers hold forth the goodness of God’s commands about life, marriage, sexuality, children, dignity, and integrity, they can provoke the ire of evildoers.
The biblical authors recognize this reality, so we shouldn’t be surprised when it happens. Wicked people love the darkness, so they scorn those who walk in the light.
But this scorn is temporary. The biblical authors see further down the road, and they tell what the future holds. Our mourning shall turn to dancing. Our sorrow shall turn to joy. Our lament shall turn to laughter. And I don’t mean frivolous, lighthearted, or occasional laughter. I mean the kind of laughter that’s deep, lasting, and gratifying.
Sober Warning of Judgment
According to Proverbs 29:2, “When the wicked rule, the people groan.” And that groaning is understandable. When the wicked are in power, life becomes difficult. God’s ways are ignored, sinful deeds are pursued, and God’s people are opposed. When the wicked rule, people get hurt, the vulnerable are oppressed, the poor are exploited, and the defenseless get overlooked. When the wicked rule, foolishness reigns. When the wicked rule, the situation doesn’t feel like blessing; it feels like misery.
When the wicked rule, the situation doesn’t feel like blessing; it feels like misery. But their rule is temporary.
But their rule is temporary. Despite how intractable and invincible the wicked seem, God will bring them down. Sometimes we live to see it happen. Other times we must remember that the final judgment will make all things right. The Bible’s warning to the wicked, nevertheless, is that their plans will fail and their judgment is certain.
In Psalm 52:5, David says to the wicked, “God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living.” The imagery is jarring, isn’t it? The words communicate suddenness and permanency.
If the people groan when the wicked rule, how do they respond when the wicked are removed? In particular, how will the righteous respond when the wicked face the final judgment?
Laughter of Relief and Joy
The righteous will praise God’s justice, and they’ll exult in his righteous judgment. David says, “The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, ‘See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!’” (Ps. 52:6–7).
We shouldn’t imagine some sick or twisted glee. We shouldn’t imagine some out-of-place delight that revels in violence or indulges in hatred. Laughter signals an explosion of relief, a delight in vindication. This laughter is like the positive twist in a film or book—the evil plots come undone while the opposed and afflicted person experiences a rush of felicity and strength.
Laughter signals an explosion of relief, a delight in vindication.
This laughter is holy and righteous. It isn’t out of place; it’s altogether fitting. Revelation 19 echoes that response: When the new Babylon (the world system) falls, the multitude in heaven cry out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood his servants” (vv. 1–2). They cry out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever” (v. 3).
The laughter in Psalm 52:6 is a hallelujah—an exultation in God’s righteousness and a celebration of his avenging acts. It arises from the comfort that the wicked shall no more rise against God’s people, and it recognizes that the longed-for day of perfect justice has arrived.
Join God’s Laughter
Remember, too, that God himself laughs. In Psalm 2, the nations plot in vain against Yahweh and against the Messiah (vv. 1–3). What is God’s response to this earthly plotting and scheming? “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision” (v. 4). In Psalm 2, the Lord laughs at the futility of the wicked; in Psalm 52, the righteous laugh at the fall of the wicked.
A divine reversal is coming. Jesus himself says so:
Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. (Luke 6:21–23)
Jesus’s promise will come true. We shall laugh and leap. Our joy will be full and lasting. Evil will fall, justice will reign, and God’s kingdom will be ours forever.
Because of the wicked’s words and ways, the righteous will face unwarranted hardships and suffering. But lift your eyes and tune your ears. Do you hear that sound? The Lord in heaven laughs at the foolish schemes of man. We may not be laughing yet, but we’ll join in soon.
The Gospel Coalition