Laughter can be paradoxical

LAUGHTER CAN BE PARADOXICAL
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Proverbs 14:13 13Evenin laughter the heart may
ache, and rejoicingmay end in grief.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The tenth verse suggeststo us the serious and solemnizing fact of -
I. THE ELEMENT OF LONELINESS IN HUMAN LIFE. "The heart
knowethits ownbitterness," etc. In one aspectour life path is thronged. It is
becoming more and more difficult to be alone. Hours that were once sacredto
solitude are now invaded by society. And yet it remains true that "in the
central depths of our nature we are alone." There is a point at which, as he
goes inward, our nearestneighbour, our most intimate friend, must stop;
there is a sanctuary of the soulinto which no foot intrudes. It is there where
we make our ultimate decisionfor goodor evil; it is there where we
experience our truest joys and our profoundest griefs; it is there where we live
our truest life. We may so crowd our life with duties and with pleasures that
we may reduce to its smallestradius this innermost circle; but some time must
we spend there, and the greatdecisive experiences must we there go through.
There we taste our very sweetestsatisfactions, andthere we bear our very
heaviestburdens. And no one but the Father of spirits can enter into that
secretplace of the soul. So true is it that
"Note'en the dearestheart, and nearestto our own, Knows half the reasons
why we smile or sigh." It is well for us to remember that there is more, both of

happiness and of sorrow, than we can see;well, that we may not be
overburdened with the weight of the manifold and multiplied evils we are
facing; well, that we may realize how strong is the reasonthat, when our cup
of prosperity is full, we may have "the heart at leisure from itself, to soothe
and sympathize" with those who, beneath a smiling countenance, maycarry a
very heavy heart. For we have to consider -
II. THE SUPERFICIALELEMENT IN MUCH HUMAN GLADNESS.
"Even in laughter," etc. A man may smile and smile, and be most melancholy.
To wear a smile upon our countenance, orto conclude our sentences with
laughter, is often only a mere trick of style, a mere habit of life, cultivated
with little difficulty. A true smile, an honest, laugh, that comes not from the
lips or from the lungs, but from the heart, is a very acceptable anda very
admirable thing. But a false smile and a forced laugh bespeak a double-
minded soul and a doubtful character. Surelythe angels of Godweep almost,
as much overthe laughter as over the tears of mankind. For beneath its sound
they may hear all too much that is hollow and unreal, and not a little that is
vain and guilty. But, on the other hand, to smile with the glad and to laugh
with the merry is a sympathetic grace not to be despised(Romans 12:15, first
clause).
III. THE ISSUE OF FALSE SATISFACTIONS. "The endof that mirth is
heaviness." How often is heaviness the end of mirth! All enjoyment that does
not carry with it the approval of the conscience, allthat is disregardful of the
Divine Law, all that is a violation of the laws of our physical or our spiritual
nature, must end and does end, sooneror later, in heaviness - in depressionof
spirit, in decline of power. It is a sorry thing for a man to accustomhimself to
momentary mirth, to present pleasure at the expense of future joy, of well
being in lateryears.
LESSONS.
1. Let the necessarysolitariness oflife lead us to choose the very best
friendships we can form; that we may have those who cango far and often
with us into the recessesof our spirit, and accompanyus, as far as man can, in
the largerand deeperexperiences of our life.

2. Let the superficiality of much happiness lead us to inquire of ourselves
whether we have planted in our soul the deeperroots of joy; those which will
survive every test and trial of life, and which will be in us when we have left
time and sense altogetherbehind us.
3. Let the perilous nature of some gratifications impose on us the duty of a
wise watchfulness;that we may banish forever from heart and life all
injurious delights which "waragainstthe soul," and rob us of our true
heritage here and in the heavenly country. - C.
Biblical Illustrator
Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.
Proverbs 14:13
On a life of dissipation and pleasure
Hugh Blair, D.D.
We have much reasonto beware lesta rash and unwary pursuit of pleasure
defeatits end, lest the attempt to carry pleasure too far tend, in the issue, to
sink us into misery. It would be unjust to infer, from the serious admonition of
Scripture, that religion is an enemy to all mirth and gaiety. It circumscribes
our enjoyment, indeed, within the bounds of temperance; but as far as the
sacredlimit permits, it gives free scope to the gratifications of life. It even
heightens their relish to a virtuous man. The text is applicable only to that set
of men to whom temperance is no restraint. A mediocrity of enjoyment only is
allowedman for his portion on earth. Whatevera man's rank or station may
be, there are certainduties required of him, there are serious cares which
must employ his mind.
1. The obvious consequencesofa life of pleasure and dissipation to health,
fortune, and character. To eachof these it is an enemy, preciselyin the same

degree to which it is carried. A temporary satisfactionis admitted. But no
sensualpleasure, exceptwhat is regulated by temperance, canbe lasting.
2. The ruin which a life of pleasure and dissipation brings upon the moral
state and characterofmen, as well as on their external condition. As the love
of pleasure gains ground, with what insidious steps does it advance towards
the abolition of all virtuous principles! Without the assistance ofreflection
and of serious thought, virtue cannotlong subsist in the human mind. But to
reflectionand serious thought the men of dissipation are strangers. Men
become assimilatedto the manners of their loose associates;and, without
perceiving it themselves, their whole characterby degrees is changed. From a
characteroriginally stamped only with giddiness and levity shoots forth a
charactercompounded of dishonesty, injustice, oppression, and cruelty.
3. The disquieting sensations whichare apt to intrude upon the men of
pleasure, even in the midst of their enjoyments. Often a show of mirth is put
on to coversome secretdisquiet. At the bottom of the hearts of most men,
even amidst an irregular life, there lies a secretfeeling of propriety, a sense of
right and wrong in conduct. Though consciencebe not strong enough to guide,
it still has strength to dart a sting. Can that be reckonedsincere joy which is
liable to be interrupted and mingled with so many sensations ofthe most
disagreeable nature?
4. How unsuitable a life of dissipation and pleasure is to the condition of man
in this world, and how injurious to the interests of society. Amid the sorrows
that surround us, and in view of the brevity of life, should we be pursuing
giddy amusement and perpetual pleasure? Such persons scatterpoisonin
societyaround them. They are corrupting the public manners by the life they
live. They create discontent and indignation in the poorer classes ofmen, who
see them indulging in wastefulness andthoughtless profusion, when they and
their families are not able to earn their bread. To serve God, to attend to the
serious cares oflife, and to discharge faithfully the duties of our station, ought
to be the first concernof every man who wishes to be wise and happy.
Amusement and pleasure are the relaxation, not the business, of life.
(Hugh Blair, D.D.)

Sorrow amid laughter
J. F. B. Tinling.
A description of Mr. Opie Read, the American humorist, reveals heart-sorrow
where the reader has seennothing but mirth. "Sometimes,"says the writer,
"his work is marked by the deepestpathos. He had lost two of his children, to
whom he was devotedly attached, and these melancholy events made very
marked impressions on the man and his work. 'When one of my babies died,'
said he, in talking of the matter to me, 'I was working for a magazine, and I
was required to do just so much work every day. I was compelledto do it — it
was my only means of support. During that awful time I would frequently
rock the cradle of my dying babe for hours at the time. With one hand I
rockedthat cradle of death, and with the other I was writing stuff to make
people laugh. I sobbed and wept, and watched that angel and wrote that stuff,
and I felt every minute as if my heart would burst. And yet some people think
this funny business is all sunshine. Sometimes evennow I see articles floating
around that I wrote while under the shadow of death, and occasionallysome
editor will preface these very things with some such remark as, "The genial
and sunny-souled Opie Read says so and so," — yes, about these same things
that I penned when my babe was dying and my heart was bursting.'"
(J. F. B. Tinling.)
Hollow Laughter, Solid Joy
Alexander Maclaren
Proverbs 14:13
Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is
heaviness.' -- PROVERBS xiv.13.
'These things have I spokenunto you, that My joy may be in you, and that
your joy may be fulfilled.' -- JOHN xv.11 (R.V.).

A poet, who used to be more fashionable than he is now, pronounces
'happiness' to be our being's end and aim. That is not true, except under great
limitations and with many explanations. It may be regardedas God's end, but
it is ruinous to make it man's aim. It is by no means the highestconceptionof
the Gospelto say that it makes men happy, howevertrue it may be. The
highest is that it makes them good. I put these two texts together, not only
because they bring out the contrastbetweenthe laughter which is hollow and
fleeting and the joy which is perfect and perpetual, but also because they
suggestto us the difference in kind and object betweenearthly and heavenly
joys; which difference underlies the other betweenthe boisterous laughterin
which is no mirth and no continuance and the joy which is deep and abiding.
In the comparisonwhich I desire to make betweenthese two texts we must
begin with that which is deepest, and consider --
I. The respective objects of earthly and heavenly joy.
Our Lord's wonderful words suggestthat they who acceptHis sayings, that
they who have His word abiding in them, have in a very deep sense His joy
implanted in their hearts, to brighten and elevate their joys as the sunshine
flashes into silver the ripples of the lake. What then were the sources ofthe
calm joys of 'the Man of Sorrows'? SurelyHis was the perfect instance of
'rejoicing in the Lord always' -- an unbroken communion with the Father.
The consciousness thatthe divine pleasure ever rested on Him, and that all
His thoughts, emotions, purposes, and acts were in perfect harmony with the
perfect will of the perfect God, filled His humanity up to the very brim with
gladness which the world could not take away, and which remains for us for
ever as a type to which all our gladness must be conformed if it is to be worthy
of Him and of us. As one of the Psalmists says, Godis to be 'the gladness of
our joy.' It is in Him, gazed upon by the faith and love of an obedient spirit,

sought after by aspiration and possessedinwardly in peacefulcommunion,
confirmed by union with Him in the acts of daily obedience, that the true joy
of every human life is to be realised. They who have drunk of this deep
fountain of gladness will not express their joy in boisterous laughter, which is
the hollowerthe louder it is, and the less lasting the more noisy, but will
manifest itself 'in the depth and not the tumult of the soul.'
Nor must we forget that 'My joy' co-existedwith a profound experience of
sorrow to which no human sorrow was ever like. Let us not forgetthat, while
His joy filled His soul to the brim, He was 'acquainted with grief'; and let us
not wonderif the strange surface contradictionis repeatedin ourselves. It is
more Christlike to have inexpressibly deep joy with surface sorrow, than to
have a shallow laughter masking a hurtful sorrow.
We have to setthe sources ofearthly gladness side by side with those of
Christ's joy to be aware of a contrast. His sprang from within, the world's is
drawn from without. His came from union with the Father, the world's
largely depends on ignoring God. His needed no supplies from the
gratifications ministered by sense, andso independent of the presence or
absence ofsuch; the world's need the constantcontributions of outward good,
and when these are cut off they droop and die. He who depends on outward
circumstances forhis joy is the slave of externals and the sport of time and
chance.
II. The Christian's joy is full, the world's partial.
All human joys touch but part of our nature, the divine fills and satisfies all.
In the former there is always some portion of us unsatisfied, like the deep pits
on the moon's surface into which no light shines, and which show black on the
silver face. No human joys wait to still conscience,whichsits at the banquet

like the skeletonthat Egyptian feasters setat their tables. The old story told of
a magician's palace blazing with lighted windows, but there was always one
dark; -- what shrouded figure sat behind it? Is there not always a surly 'elder
brother' who will not come in howeverthe musicians may pipe and the
servants dance? Appetite may be satisfied, but what of conscience, andreason,
and the higher aspirations of the soul? The laughter that echoes through the
soul is the hollowerthe louder it is, and reverberates most through empty
spaces.
But when Christ's joy remains in us our joy will be full. Its flowing tide will
rush into and placidly occupyall the else oozy shallows ofour hearts, even
into the narrowestcrannies its penetrating waters will pass, and everywhere
will bring a flashing surface that will reflect in our hearts the calm blue above.
We need nothing else if we have Christ and His joy within us. If we have
everything else, we need His joy within us, else ours will never be full.
III. The heavenly joys are perpetual, the earthly joys transient.
Many of our earthly joys die in the very act of being enjoyed. Those which
depend on the gratificationof some appetite expire in fruition, and at each
recurrence are less and less complete. The influence of habit works in two
ways to rob all such joys of their power to minister to us -- it increases the
appetite and decreasesthe powerof the objectto satisfy. Some are followedby
swift revulsion and remorse;all soonbecome stale;some are followed by
quick remorse; some are necessarilyleft behind as we go on in life. To the old
man the pleasures ofyouth are but like children's toys long since outgrown
and left behind. All are at the mercy of externals. Those which we have not
left we have to leave. The saddestlives are those of pleasure-seekers, andthe
saddestdeaths are those of the men who soughtfor joy where it was not to be
found, and soughtfor their gratificationin a world which leaves them, and
which they have to leave.

There is a realm where abide 'fullness of joy and pleasures for ever more.'
Surely they order their lives most wiselywho look for their joys to nothing
that earth holds, and have takenfor their ownthe ancient vow: 'Though the
fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine.... Yet I will rejoice
in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.'If 'My joy' abides in us in
its calm and changelessdepth, our joy will be 'full' whatever our
circumstances may be; and we shall hear at lastthe welcome:'Enter thou into
the joy of thy Lord.'
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful - Many a time is a smile forced upon
the face, whenthe heart is in deep distress. And it is a hard task to put on the
face of mirth, when a man has a heavy heart.
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
Sorrow of some kind either mingles itself with outward joy, or follows hard
upon it.
The Biblical Illustrator
Proverbs 14:13
On a life of dissipation and pleasure

We have much reasonto beware lesta rash and unwary pursuit of pleasure
defeatits end, lest the attempt to carry pleasure too far tend, in the issue, to
sink us into misery. It would be unjust to infer, from the serious admonition of
Scripture, that religion is an enemy to all mirth and gaiety. It circumscribes
our enjoyment, indeed, within the bounds of temperance; but as far as the
sacredlimit permits, it gives free scope to the gratifications of life. It even
heightens their relish to a virtuous man. The text is applicable only to that set
of men to whom temperance is no restraint. A mediocrity of enjoyment only is
allowedman for his portion on earth. Whatevera man’s rank or station may
be, there are certainduties required of him, there are serious cares which
must employ his mind.
1. The obvious consequencesofa life of pleasure and dissipation to health,
fortune, and character. To eachof these it is an enemy, preciselyin the same
degree to which it is carried. A temporary satisfactionis admitted. But no
sensualpleasure, exceptwhat is regulated by temperance, canbe lasting.
2. The ruin which a life of pleasure and dissipation brings upon the moral
state and characterofmen, as well as on their external condition. As the love
of pleasure gains ground, with what insidious steps does it advance towards
the abolition of all virtuous principles! Without the assistance ofreflection
and of serious thought, virtue cannotlong subsist in the human mind. But to
reflectionand serious thought the men of dissipation are strangers. Men
become assimilatedto the manners of their loose associates;and, without
perceiving it themselves, their whole characterby degrees is changed. From a
characteroriginally stamped only with giddiness and levity shoots forth a
charactercompounded of dishonesty, injustice, oppression, and cruelty.
3. The disquieting sensations whichare apt to intrude upon the men of
pleasure, even in the midst of their enjoyments. Often a show of mirth is put
on to coversome secretdisquiet. At the bottom of the hearts of most men,
even amidst an irregular life, there lies a secretfeeling of propriety, a sense of
right and wrong in conduct. Though consciencebe not strong enough to guide,
it still has strength to dart a sting. Can that be reckonedsincere joy which is
liable to be interrupted and mingled with so many sensations ofthe most
disagreeable nature?

4. How unsuitable a life of dissipation and pleasure is to the condition of man
in this world, and how injurious to the interests of society. Amid the sorrows
that surround us, and in view of the brevity of life, should we be pursuing
giddy amusement and perpetual pleasure? Such persons scatterpoisonin
societyaround them. They are corrupting the public manners by the life they
live. They create discontent and indignation in the poorer classes ofmen, who
see them indulging in wastefulness andthoughtless profusion, when they and
their families are not able to earn their bread. To serve God, to attend to the
serious cares oflife, and to discharge faithfully the duties of our station, ought
to be the first concernof every man who wishes to be wise and happy.
Amusement and pleasure are the relaxation, not the business, of life. (Hugh
Blair, D.D.)
Sorrow amid laughter
A description of Mr. Opie Read, the American humorist, reveals heart-sorrow
where the reader has seennothing but mirth. “Sometimes,”says the writer,
“his work is marked by the deepestpathos. He had lost two of his children, to
whom he was devotedly attached, and these melancholy events made very
marked impressions on the man and his work. ‘When one of my babies died,’
said he, in talking of the matter to me, ‘I was working for a magazine, and I
was required to do just so much work every day. I was compelledto do it--it
was my only means of support. During that awful time I would frequently
rock the cradle of my dying babe for hours at the time. With one hand I
rockedthat cradle of death, and with the other I was writing stuff to make
people laugh. I sobbed and wept, and watched that angel and wrote that stuff,
and I felt every minute as if my heart would burst. And yet some people think
this funny business is all sunshine. Sometimes evennow I see articles floating
around that I wrote while under the shadow of death, and occasionallysome
editor will preface these very things with some such remark as, “The genial
and sunny-souled Opie Read says so and so,”--yes, aboutthese same things
that I penned when my babe was dying and my heart was bursting.’” (J. F. B.
Tinling.)

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
"Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful;And the end of mirth is heaviness."
"Like many other Proverbs in our English version, this one cannotbe taken
as universally true. The first clause is often rendered, and perhaps should be,
"Even in laughter the heart may sorrowful."[13]"There are two kinds of
laughter and mirth. There is an innocent and proper mirth; and there is an
guilty and sinful mirth."[14] There is also sometimes a heavy and disconsolate
heart that disguises its sorrow by a show of joy and laughter.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful,.... As Belshazzar's was in the midst of
his feastand jollity, when he saw the writing on the wall; so sin may stare a
man in the face, and guilt load his conscienceand fill him with sorrow, amidst
his merriment; a man may put on a merry countenance, and feign a laugh,
when his heart is very sorrowful; and oftentimes this sorrow comes by sinful
laughter, by mocking at sin and jesting at religion;
and the end of that mirth is heaviness:sometimes in this life a sinner mourns
at last, and mourns for his wickedmirth, or that he has made himself so
merry with religious persons and things, and oftentimes when it is too late; so
the end of that mirth the fool in the Gospelpromised himself was heaviness,
when his soul was required of him; this was the case ofthe rich man who had
his goodthings here, and his evil things hereafter.
(h) He shows the allurement to sin, that it seems sweet, but the end of it is
destruction.
Keil & DelitzschCommentary on the Old Testament
13 Even in the midst of laughter the heart experiences sadness;

And to it, joy, the end is sorrow.
Every human heart carries the feeling of disquiet and of separationfrom its
true home, and of the nothingness, the transitoriness of all that is earthly; and
in addition to this, there is many a secretsorrow in every one which grows out
of his own corporealand spiritual life, and from his relationto other men; and
this sorrow, whichis from infancy onward the lot of the human heart, and
which more and more depends and diversifies itself in the course of life,
makes itself perceptible even in the midst of laughter, in spite of the mirth and
merriment, without being able to be suppressedor expelled from the soul,
returning always the more intensely, the more violently we may have for a
time kept it under and sunk it in unconsciousness. Euchelcites here the words
of the poet, according to which 13a is literally true:
“No, man is not made for joy;
Why weephis eyes when in heart he laughs?”
(Note:“ Nein, der Menschist zur Freude nicht gemacht, Darum weint sein
Aug' wenn er herzlich lacht .”)
From the fact that sorrow is the fundamental condition of humanity, and
forms the backgroundof laughter, it follows, 13b, that in generalit is not good
for man to give himself up to joy, viz., sensual(worldly), for to it, joy, the end
(the issue)is sorrow. That is true also of the final end, which according to that
saying, μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες νῦν ὅτι γελάσετε , changes laughter into
weeping, and weeping into laughter. The correction ‫אירחא‬ ‫החמּׂשה‬ (Hitzig)
presses upon the Mishle style an article in such cases rejected, and removes a
form of expressionof the Hebr. syntaxis ornata , which here, as at Isaiah 17:6,
is easilyobviated, but which is warranted by a multitude of other examples,
vid ., at Proverbs 13:4 (also Proverbs 5:22), and cf. Philippi's Status Const. p.
14f., who regards the secondword, as here ‫הראא‬ , after the Arab., as accus.
But in caseslike ‫אנמ‬ ‫הקהּׂש‬ , although not in casessuchas Ezra 2:62, the accus.
rendering is tenable, and the Arab. does not at all demand it.
(Note:Regarding the supplying ( ibdâl ) of a foregoing genitive or accus.
pronoun of the third person by a definite or indefinite following, in the same

case as the substantive, Samachscharîspeaksin the Mufassal, p. 94ff., where,
as examples, are found: raeituhu Zeidan , I have seenhim, the Zeid; marartu
bihi Zeidin , I have gone over with him, the Zeid; saraftu wugûhahâ awwalihâ
, in the flight I smote the heads of the same, their front rank. Vid ., regarding
this anticipation of the definite idea by an indefinite, with explanations of it,
Fleischer's Makkarî, Additions et Corrections , p. xl. col. 2, and Dieterici's
Mutanabbi , p. 341, l. 13.)
In the old Hebr. this solutio of the st. constr . belongs to the elegancesofthe
language;it is the precursor of the vulgar post-bibl. ‫הּהיהרחא‬ ‫החמּׂשּׂשל‬ . That the
Hebr. may also retain a gen. where more or fewerparts of a sentence
intervene betweenit and its governing word, is shown by such examples as
Isaiah48:9; Isaiah49:7; Isaiah 61:7.
(Note:These examples moreover do not exceedthat which is possible in the
Arab., vid ., regarding this omission of the mudâf , where this is supplied from
the preceding before a genitive, Samachscharî's Mufassal, p. 34, l. 8-13.
Perhaps ‫ךרחּה‬ , Obadiah 1:7, of thy bread = the (men) of thy bread, is an
example of the same thing.)
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible
This shows the vanity of carnalmirth, and proves what Solomonsaid of
laughter, that it is mad; for, 1. There is sadness under it. Sometimes when
sinners are under convictions, or some greattrouble, they dissemble their
grief by a forced mirth, and put a goodface on it, because they will not seem
to yield: they cry not when he binds them. Nay, when men really are merry,
yet at the same time there is some alloy or other to their mirth, something that
casts a damp upon it, which all their gaiety cannotkeepfrom their heart.
Their consciences tellthem they have no reasonto be merry (Hosea 9:1); they
cannot but see the vanity of it. Spiritual joy is seatedin the soul; the joy of the
hypocrite is but from the teeth outward. See John16:22; 2 Corinthians 6:10.
2. There is worse after it: The end of that mirth is heaviness. It is soonover,
like the crackling of thorns under a pot; and, if the conscience be awake,all
sinful and profane mirth will be reflected upon with bitterness;if not, the

heaviness will be so much the greaterwhen for all these things God shall bring
the sinner into judgment. The sorrows ofthe saints will end in everlasting joys
(Psalm 126:5), but the laughter of fools will end in endless weeping and
wailing.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
In laughter — The outward signs of joy are often mixed with realsorrow.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
Proverbs 14:13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that
mirth [is] heaviness.
Ver. 13. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful.]Nulla est sincera voluptas.
Labor est etiam ipsa voluptas. Of carnal pleasures a man may break his neck
before his fast. "All this avails me nothing," said Haman. Omnia fui, et nihil
profuit, said that emperor. "Vanity of vanity, all is vanity," said Solomon;and
not vanity only, but "vexation of spirit." Nothing in themselves, and yet full of
powerand activity to inflict vengeance andvexation upon the spirit of a man;
so that even in laughter the heart is sorrowful. Some kind of frothy and flashy
mirth wickedmen may have; such as may wet the mouth, but not warm the
heart; smooth the brow, but not fill the breast. It is but ‘a cold armful,’ (a) as
Lycophron saith of an evil wife. As they repent in the face, [Matthew 6:16] so
they rejoice in the face, not in the heart. [2 Corinthians 5:12] Rident et
ringuntur. They laugh and snare. There is a snare or a cord in the sin of the
wicked- that is, to strangle their joy with; but the righteous sing and are
merry; [Proverbs 29:6] others may revel, they only must rejoice. [Hosea 9:1]
And the end of that mirth is heaviness.]Theydance to the timbrel and harp,
but suddenly they turn into hell; [Job 21:12-13]and so their merry dance ends
in a miserable downfall. "Woe be to you that laugh now." [Luke 6:25] Those
merry Greeks, that are so afraid of sadness that they banish all seriousness,

shall one day wring for it. Adonijah’s guests had soonenough of their good
cheerand jollity; so had Belshazzarand his combibones optimi. Thou mad
fool, what doestthou [Ecclesiastes2:1-26]saith Solomonto the mirth monger,
that holds it the only happiness to ‘laugh and be fat’; knowestthou not yet
there will be bitterness in the end? Principium dulce est, sedfinis amoris
amarus. The candle of the wickedshallbe put out in a vexing snuff. Their
mirth - as comets - blazeth much, but ends in a pestilent vapour; as lightning,
it soonvanisheth, leaveth a greaterdarkness behind it, and is attended with
the renting and roaring thunder of God’s wrath.
The Popular Commentary by Paul E. Kretzmann
v. 13. Even In laughter the heart is sorrowful, that is, a person may hide a
deep sorrow under a superficial joyousness;and the end of that mirth is
heaviness, for trouble will invariably cut short such outward manifestations of
joy and bring sorrow in the end.
Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae
DISCOURSE:785
THE VANITY OF CARNAL MIRTH
Proverbs 14:13. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful;and the end of that
mirth is heaviness.
WE are apt to imagine, that whateveris sanctionedby the approbation and
practice of the world at large, must be right: but we cannot have a more
erroneous standard than popular opinion. This is sufficiently evident from the
estimation in which mirth and laughter are generallyheld: they are supposed
to constitute the chief happiness of man; whereas they are far from producing
any solid happiness at all. To this mistake Solomonrefers, in the words

preceding the text; and in the text itself he confirms the truth of his own
position.
We shall,
I. Demonstrate the vanity of carnal mirth—
We mean not to condemn all kinds and degrees of mirth: there certainly is a
measure of it that is conducive to good, rather than to evil; “A merry heart
maketh a cheerful countenance,”and “doeth goodlike a medicine.” But
carnalmirth is distinct from cheerfulness ofdisposition; inasmuch as it argues
a light frivolous state of mind, and indisposes us for serious and heavenly
contemplations. Of this mirth we affirm, that it is,
1. Empty—
[Let us examine the mirth which we have at any time experienced;let us
weighit in a balance;let us compare it with that sobriety of mind which
results from scenesofwoe, and with that tenderness of spirit which is the
offspring of sympathy and compassion;and we shall confess, with Solomon,
that “it is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting
[Note:Ecclesiastes7:1-3.]:” yea, the more we examine it, the more shall we be
constrained, like him, to “sayof laughter. It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth
it [Note: Ecclesiastes2:1-2.]?” Itmay be justly called, “a filling of our belly
with the eastwind [Note: Job 15:2.].”]
2. Fictitious—
[The gaietywhich is exhibited in worldly company is often assumed, for the
purpose of concealing the realfeelings of the heart. They who appearso
delighted to see eachother, have frequently no mutual affection:even the
nearestrelatives, who seemto participate eachother’s joys, have so little real
cordiality at home, that they can scarcelyendure eachother’s conversation;
and would be heartily glad, if the knot which binds them togethercould be
dissolved. Truly “in their laughter their heart is sorrowful;” their pride, their
envy, their jealousy, their private piques, their domestic troubles, or their
worldly cares, make them inwardly sigh, so that they can with difficulty
prevent the discovery of the imposture which they are practising. The very

emptiness of their pleasure fills them often with disgust; and they are
constrainedto acknowledge, that“they are feeding on ashes, and that they
have a lie in their right hand [Note:Isaiah 44:20.].”]
3. Transient—
[Suppose it to have been for more substantial than it has, yet how speedily has
it vanished away! What trace of it remains? It is like a dream when one
awaketh:in our dream we thought of satisfaction;but when we awoke,we
found ourselves as unsatisfied as ever [Note:Isaiah 29:8.]. If we thought by
repeatedparticipation to protract the pleasure, we weakenedthe zestwith
which we had partakenof it; and thus diminished, rather than increased, the
sum of our enjoyment.]
4. Delusive—
[We hoped that the ultimate effectof all our mirth would be an easy
comfortable frame: but has it always been so? Has not the very reverse been
often experiencedby us? Has not “the end of our mirth been heaviness?”An
excessive elevationof spirit is naturally calculatedto produce depression.
Besides, we cannotalways shake offreflection: and the thought of having so
foolishly wastedour time, instead of improving it in preparation for eternity,
will sometimes produce very uneasy sensations. Suchwarnings as Solomon
[Note:Ecclesiastes11:9.], and our Lord [Note:Luke 6:25.], have given us, will
frequently obtrude themselves upon us, and make us almostweary of life,
while at the same time we are afraid of death: so justly is this mirth compared
to “the crackling of thorns under a pot [Note: Ecclesiastes7:6.];” the one,
after an unprofitable blaze, terminating in smoke and darkness, the other,
after a senseless noise,expiring in spleen and melancholy. In fact, there are no
people more subjectto lowness ofspirits, than they who spend their time in
vanity and dissipation.
What will be “the end of their mirth” when they come into the eternalworld,
is inexpressibly awful to consider. Fearful indeed will be the contrastbetween
the festivities of their present, and the wailings of their eternal state [Note:
Amos 6:1-6.]! Would to God that man would learn this from a parable [Note:

Luke 16:19; Luke 16:24-25.]!but, if they will not, they must realize it in their
own experience.]
That we may not appear as if we would deprive you of all happiness, we
shall—
II. Shew how we may attain more solid mirth—
There is evidently a contrastintended in the text: for when it is said that “the
end of that mirth is heaviness,” it is implied, that there is another species of
mirth that shall end in a very different manner.
The Gospelis a source ofmirth to all who embrace it—
[The Gospelis called“gladtidings of greatjoy to all people.” It proclaims
salvationto a ruined world; nor can it fail of creating the liveliestemotions of
joy whereverit is received[Note: Isaiah51:3; Isaiah 51:11;Isaiah 65:18 and
Jeremiah31:4. with Acts 8:8; Acts 8:39.] — — —]
And the mirth resulting from it, is the very reverse of carnal mirth—
[It is solid.—Beholdthe change wrought in the first converts!see them turned
from darkness to light, and from the powerof Satan unto God! see them
enjoying peace with God and in their own consciences!see them filled with
love to eachother, and with admiring and adoring thoughts of their beloved
Saviour! Can we wonder that they ate their bread with gladness and
singleness ofheart, blessing and praising God? Yet precisely the same
grounds of joy has every one that truly believes in Christ [Note:Jeremiah
31:11-14.]. The Prodigalfanciedthat he was in the road to joy, when he was
wasting his substance in riotous living: but he never tastedreal happiness till
he returned to his father’s house: then “he began to eat, and drink, and be
merry.”
It is permanent.—It will consistwith trials and tribulations; yea, it will even
arise out of them [Note:Romans 5:3. James 1:2.]: we may be “sorrowful, yet
alwayrejoicing [Note:2 Corinthians 6:10.].” And, as it is not interrupted by
the occurrencesoflife, so neither will it be terminated by death: it will then be

augmented a thousand-fold: and continue without interruption to all eternity
— — —]
Address—
1. The young and gay—
[Follow your careerof pleasure as long as you will, you will be constrainedto
say at last, with Solomon, not only that it was all “vanity,” but also “vexation
of spirit.” Yet think not, that in dissuading you from these lying vanities, we
would deprive you of all happiness:we wish only that you should exchange
that which is empty and delusive, for that which will afford you present and
eternal satisfaction[Note:Isaiah55:2.]. Even your past experience may suffice
to shew you, that “in the fulness of your sufficiencyyou have been in straits
[Note:Job 20:22.]:” try now what the service and enjoyment of God can do
for you; and you shall find that religion’s “ways are indeed ways of
pleasantness andpeace.”]
2. Those who profess godliness—
[In avoiding carnalmirth, you must be careful not to give occasionto the
world to representreligion as sour and morose. There is a cheerfulness which
recommends religion, and which it is both your duty and privilege to
maintain. Yet, on the other hand, beware of levity. Live nigh to God, and you
will easilyfind the proper medium. “Godhas certainly given you all things
richly to enjoy [Note:1 Timothy 6:17.]:” yet it is in himself alone, and in the
light of his countenance, thatyou must seek your happiness. There you are
sure to find it [Note:Psalms 4:6-7.]; and while you find it in him, you will
shine as lights in a dark world, and recommend the Gospelto all around you.]
Alexander MacLaren's Expositions ofHoly Scripture
Proverbs
HOLLOW LAUGHTER, SOLID JOY

Proverbs 14:13. - John 15:11.
A poet, who used to be more fashionable than he is now, pronounces
‘happiness’ to be our being’s end and aim. That is not true, except under
greatlimitations and with many explanations. It may be regarded as God’s
end, but it is ruinous to make it man’s aim. It is by no means the highest
conceptionof the Gospelto say that it makes men happy, howevertrue it may
be. The highest is that it makes them good. I put these two texts together, not
only because they bring out the contrastbetweenthe laughter which is hollow
and fleeting and the joy which is perfect and perpetual, but also because they
suggestto us the difference in kind and object betweenearthly and heavenly
joys; which difference underlies the other betweenthe boisterous laughterin
which is no mirth and no continuance and the joy which is deep and abiding.
In the comparisonwhich I desire to make betweenthese two texts we must
begin with that which is deepest, and consider-
I. The respective objects of earthly and heavenly joy.
Our Lord’s wonderful words suggestthat they who acceptHis sayings, that
they who have His word abiding in them, have in a very deep sense His joy
implanted in their hearts, to brighten and elevate their joys as the sunshine
flashes into silver the ripples of the lake. What then were the sources ofthe
calm joys of ‘the Man of Sorrows’? SurelyHis was the perfect instance of
‘rejoicing in the Lord always’-anunbroken communion with the Father. The
consciousnessthatthe divine pleasure everrested on Him, and that all His
thoughts, emotions, purposes, and acts were in perfectharmony with the
perfect will of the perfect God, filled His humanity up to the very brim with
gladness which the world could not take away, and which remains for us for
ever as a type to which all our gladness must be conformed if it is to be worthy
of Him and of us. As one of the Psalmists says, Godis to be ‘the gladness of
our joy.’ It is in Him, gazed upon by the faith and love of an obedient spirit,
sought after by aspiration and possessedinwardly in peacefulcommunion,
confirmed by union with Him in the acts of daily obedience, that the true joy
of every human life is to be realised. They who have drunk of this deep

fountain of gladness will not express their joy in boisterous laughter, which is
the hollowerthe louder it is, and the less lasting the more noisy, but will
manifest itself ‘in the depth and not the tumult of the soul.’
Nor must we forget that ‘My joy’ co-existedwith a profound experience of
sorrow to which no human sorrow was ever like. Let us not forgetthat, while
His joy filled His soul to the brim, He was ‘acquainted with grief’; and let us
not wonderif the strange surface contradictionis repeatedin ourselves. It is
more Christlike to have inexpressibly deep joy with surface sorrow, than to
have a shallow laughter masking a hurtful sorrow.
We have to setthe sources ofearthly gladness side by side with those of
Christ’s joy to be aware of a contrast. His sprang from within, the world’s is
drawn from without. His came from union with the Father, the world’s
largely depends on ignoring God. His needed no supplies from the
gratifications ministered by sense, andso independent of the presence or
absence ofsuch; the world’s need the constantcontributions of outward good,
and when these are cut off they droop and die. He who depends on outward
circumstances forhis joy is the slave of externals and the sport of time and
chance.
II. The Christian’s joy is full, the world’s partial.
All human joys touch but part of our nature, the divine fills and satisfies all.
In the former there is always some portion of us unsatisfied, like the deep pits
on the moon’s surface into which no light shines, and which show black on the
silver face. No human joys wait to still conscience,whichsits at the banquet
like the skeletonthat Egyptian feasters setat their tables. The old story told of
a magician’s palace blazing with lighted windows, but there was always one
dark;-what shrouded figure satbehind it? Is there not always a surly ‘elder
brother’ who will not come in howeverthe musicians may pipe and the
servants dance? Appetite may be satisfied, but what of conscience, andreason,
and the higher aspirations of the soul? The laughter that echoes through the
soul is the hollowerthe louder it is, and reverberates most through empty
spaces.

But when Christ’s joy remains in us our joy will be full. Its flowing tide will
rush into and placidly occupyall the else oozy shallows ofour hearts, even
into the narrowestcrannies its penetrating waters will pass, and everywhere
will bring a flashing surface that will reflect in our hearts the calm blue above.
We need nothing else if we have Christ and His joy within us. If we have
everything else, we need His joy within us, else ours will never be full.
III. The heavenly joys are perpetual, the earthly joys transient.
Many of our earthly joys die in the very act of being enjoyed. Those which
depend on the gratificationof some appetite expire in fruition, and at each
recurrence are less and less complete. The influence of habit works in two
ways to rob all such joys of their power to minister to us-it increases the
appetite and decreasesthe powerof the objectto satisfy. Some are followedby
swift revulsion and remorse;all soonbecome stale;some are followed by
quick remorse; some are necessarilyleft behind as we go on in life. To the old
man the pleasures ofyouth are but like children’s toys long since outgrown
and left behind. All are at the mercy of externals. Those which we have not
left we have to leave. The saddestlives are those of pleasure-seekers, andthe
saddestdeaths are those of the men who soughtfor joy where it was not to be
found, and soughtfor their gratificationin a world which leaves them, and
which they have to leave.
There is a realm where abide ‘fullness of joy and pleasures for ever more.’
Surely they order their lives most wiselywho look for their joys to nothing
that earth holds, and have takenfor their ownthe ancient vow: ‘Though the
fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine. . .. Yet I will
rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.’If ‘My joy’ abides in
us in its calm and changelessdepth, our joy will be ‘full’ whateverour
circumstances may be; and we shall hear at lastthe welcome:‘Enter thou into
the joy of thy Lord.’
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible

The outward signs of joy are commonly mixed with or end in realand hearty
sorrow. The design of the proverb is to declare the vanity of all worldly joys
and comforts, and to teachmen moderation in them, and to persuade us to
seek formore solid and durable joys.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
13. Sorrowful — That is, may be so.
And the end of that mirth — The expressionis the same as in the preceding
verse, where it is rendered, the end thereof. There is in the original an artistic
arrangementof the words difficult to imitate, but very expressive;like, and
the end of that gladness, sadness. The idea appears to be, that they are so close
togetherthat it is difficult to mention them apart, or to separate in expression
the antecedentand consequent, “so swifttrod sorrow on the heels of joy.” —
Pollok. Comp. Proverbs 14:10;Ecclesiastes2:2; Ecclesiastes7:6.
JosephBenson's Commentaryof the Old and New Testaments
Proverbs 14:13. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful — Do not think that
every one that laughs is happy, or that profuse and immoderate joy is true
pleasure, for the outward signs of it are often mixed with, or end in, real
sadness:nay, such is the vanity of this presentlife, that there is no joy without
a mixture of sorrow, which often immediately follows upon it.
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
Laughter. Septuagint, "with his counsels," enjoying the content of a good
conscience, anda heavenly reward; while the wicked, with all his self-
approbation, shall be punished.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful - (cf. Proverbs 14:10.)The Hebrew for
"is sorrowful" [ yik
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.;Fausset,A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on
Proverbs 14:13". "CommentaryCritical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
- Unabridged". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/proverbs-
14.html. 1871-8.
return to 'Jump List'
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(13) Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful.—Bythis God would teachus that
nothing can satisfythe soul of man but Himself, and so would urge us to seek
Him, who is the only true objectof our desires. (Comp. Psalms 36:8.)
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro
TRUE AND FALSE MIRTH
This proverb, as it stands in our English version, cannotbe takenas
universally true. The first clause is rendered by some translators—"Evenin
laughter the heart may be sorrowful" (see Critical Notes), andexperience and
Bible teaching both necessitateour giving a limitation to the secondclause
also.
I. Whether mirth will end in heaviness depends upon its character—therefore
upon the characterofthe man who is mirthful. There is an innocent and right
mirth, there is an ill-timed, guilty mirth. The end of lawful mirth is not
heaviness. It is goodfor the body. A physician is glad to see his patient
mirthful. He knows that it will act most beneficially, and assisthis recoveryto
health. A mirthful man will not suffer so much physical injury from the wear
and tear of life as one who is always sombre and melancholy. Lawful mirth is
goodfor the mind. It is the unbending of the bow which breaks if it is kept

always at its extreme tension. A man who is naturally mirthful—who is ever
disposedto see men and things in their brightest colours, must be a creature
of hope, and hope has power to surround those who possess herwith a
paradise of their own creation, which is very independent of outward
circumstances. Natural, wholesome mirth will make a man much strongerto
do and to bear all the duties and trials of life. But natural, lawful mirth is only
proper to godly men. Christians are the only people in the world who have
reasonto be glad. All those who are worthy of the name ought to be able,
amidst all the saddening influences of life, to hold fast such a confidence in
God as shall leave room for the play even of mirth. But the man who is in a
state of alienation from God has no reasonto be mirthful, his mirth must be
either feigned or the result of a thoughtless disregard of his own relations to
God and eternity. The "end" of such mirth must be "heaviness."
II. Laughter is not always an index of feeling. There is doubtless much that
passes formirth among the ungodly that is merely a blind to conceal
intentions or feelings deeply hidden in the soul. The seducerlaughs at the
fears and misgivings of his victim, but his laugh is not the laugh of the light-
hearted, God-fearing man. Its very ring tells any unprejudiced hearerthat
there is a flaw somewhere, andit is only assumedto enable him to effecthis
purpose. In such laughter there may not be present actualsorrow, but there is
an entire absence ofgladness ofheart. But laughter often veils the deepestand
most heartfelt misery. The poor drunkard will laugh at the debauchery of the
past night while he feels a bitter consciousnessofhis degradation. Many a
man laughs with his gay companions, and all the while sees a dread future
rising up before him which he trembles to meet. The characterofhim who
laughs will afford the best clue by which to determine whether or not the
laughter is the outcome of genuine mirth.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Already the wise king was beginning to experience what he more fully states
in Ecc ; Ecc 7:6. Men's very pleasures turn into their opposites.—Fausset.

Not of its own nature, of course;for a proverb has alreadysaid that there is a
"joy" which is not our foe. Not this is always the case;but there is such a case.
Becausethe wickedgetnothing really but their "ways" (Pro ).—Miller.
The sun doth not ever shine: there is a time of setting. No day of jollity is
without its evening of conclusion, if no cloud of disturbance prevent it with an
overcasting. FirstGod complains, men sing, dance, and are jovial and
neglectful; at last man shall complain, and "God shall laugh at their
calamity." Why should God be conjured to receive that spirit dying which
would not receive God's Spirit living?—T. Adams.
As soonmight true joy be found in hell as in the carnalheart. As soonmight
the tempest-tossedoceanbe at rest as the sinner's conscience(Isa ). He may
feastin his prison, or dance in his chains.… But if he has found a diversion
from present trouble, has he found a coverfrom everlasting misery? It is far
easierto drown conviction than to escape damnation.… But the end of that
mirth implies another with a different end. Contrast the prodigal's mirth in
the far country with his return to his father's house when "they began to be
merry."—Bridges.
Every human heart carries the feeling of disquiet and of separationfrom its
true home, and of the nothingness, transitoriness of all that is earthly; and in
addition to this, there is many a secretsorrow in everyone which grows out of
his owncorporealand spiritual life, and from his relation to other men; and
this sorrow, whichfrom infancy onward is the lot of the human heart, and
which more and more deepens and diversifies itself in the course oflife, makes
itself perceptible even in the midst of laughter, in spite of the mirth and
merriment, without being able to be suppressedor expelled from the soul,
returning always the more intensely, the more violently we may for a time
have kept it under, and sunk it in unconsciousness. Fromthe fact that sorrow
is the fundamental condition of humanity, and forms the back-ground of
laughter, it follows that it is not goodfor man to give himself up to joy, viz.,
sensual(worldly), for to it the issue is sorrow.—Delitzsch.
There are two sorts of joys—the joy natural and the joy spiritual; the joy of
vanity and the joy of verity; a joy in the creature and a joy in the Creator;a

joy in a mutable thing and a joy in a matter immutable. The spiritual joys are
the joys of the palace. The natural joys are the joys of prisoners. These are to
worldlings that are without God seeming joys, because they know no better.
They cannot getPenelope, they will be suitors to her maidens.… The godly are
like the ant, they are first weary, then merry; but the ungodly are like the
grasshopper, first they sing and then they sorrow.—BishopAbernethy, 1630.
END OF STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Proverbs 14:13
Play Audio
The world laughs itself to hell. Jokes, cartoons,comedians, sitcoms,parties,
drunkenness, and mood-altering chemicals are the rage. Laughter is used to
coverinward emptiness and deceive others that all is well. But the loneliness
after such frivolity is crushing.
Life is not amusing. Dying is a terrible prospect. Hell is not funny. A party or
drunken folly cannot eliminate the painful reality of dysfunctional living,
unfulfilled expectations, the certainty of death, and the possibility of eternal
damnation. Men cannot do enough to forget their pain and trouble. When the
laughter ends, the heart feels evenheavier grief.
What laughter has sorrow underneath? What mirth ends in heaviness? This
cannot be the laughter and mirth of the righteous, for their happiness flows
from a heart that is filled with contentment, hope, joy, and peace. The proverb

must be dealing with the laughter of the wicked, who are described in the
preceding and following proverbs (Pr 14:12,14).
Considera fool’s life. Solomonanalyzed the best that life on earth canoffer,
and he summarized it all as vanity and vexation of spirit (Eccl1:14). Life is
too short; it never meets expectations;it is filled with trouble and sorrow;the
soul is not contentwith any amount of anything; death is sweetcomparedto
the judgment that follows (Ec 12:13-14).
No wonder the world invented amusement parks. Musing is considering and
thinking. To amuse is to replace those soberactivities with frivolity and
nonsense. So they spend a fortune to engage in folly to find fulfillment, but
they must go to sleepthat night knowing that it was an expensive and
ridiculous diversion that did not work at all. They are empty.
No matter what unbelievers say, they are unhappy. It is easyto tell. The ones
with the bestcircumstances, the ones the world admires the most, have the
greatestmisery. ConsiderHollywood’s so-calledstars. Theirsorry lives of
divorce, suicide, drunkenness, drugs, and other symptoms of dysfunction tell
the truth. They are empty, miserable, and searching. The Bible calls them
“raging waves ofthe sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to
whom is reservedthe blackness ofdarkness for ever” (Jude 1:13).
When your heart is sorrowfulfor conviction, self-examination, or loss, turning
to laughter is not the solution, for outward cackling orchuckling does no good
for such a soul. In fact, Solomonsaid that singing songs to a man with a heavy
heart is an actof cruelty (Pr 25:20). A convictedor troubled heart should find
its comfort in God, not foolishlaughter, for such false and pretended mirth
will result in even greatersadness and disappointment.

The author of “Amazing Grace” also wrote, “Fading is the worldling’s
pleasure, all his boastedpomp and show;solid joys and lasting treasure none
but Zion’s children know.” Reader, do you know the truth of his words? Seek
the Godof heaventhis day. Those who have tried both ways of living swearby
the righteous life (Ps 73:25-26;Eccl12:13-14).
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/commentaries/14_13.php''
Proverbs 14:13
Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And the end of mirth may be grief.
a. Even in laughter to heart may sorrow:The person who often laughs is not
always happy. The outward expressionof laughter may be used to mask great
sorrow in the heart.
i. “The designof the proverb is to declare the vanity of all worldly joys and
comforts, and to teachmen moderation in them, and to persuade us to seek
for more solid and durable joys.” (Poole)
b. The end of mirth may be grief: Laughter and mirth may do more than
mask sorrow;they may very well end in grief. We are gratefulfor laughter
and godly mirth, but not if they keepus from the fear of the LORD and the
wisdom associatedwith it. https://enduringword.com/bible-
commentary/proverbs-14/
Prayer for Proverbs 14:13 ►
“Evenin laughter a heart may be sad, and joy may end in grief.”

Prayer ForLoss And DeepGrief
O God, I come to You filled with hurt and sadness andeven anger because of
my greatloss. Lord I know that You have a plan for eachof our lives – but I
am in such pain and grief that it is hard to focus on the truth that You do care
and that You have had to face deepgrief and loss too. Lord my hurt and pain
runs deep and I feelthat my heart is breaking – I ask you to touch my hurting
heart.
I know Lord that You are the God of comfort and that You have been with
me every step of the way and ask You to draw ever closerto me at this time
for I feel that my whole world has been shattered.
I find it hard when people who don’t understand try to saywords that they
think are comforting but sometimes it makes the hurt even worse and I feel
hurt and so very, very alone.
Lord I know it is true that in time the pain will lessenbut please be with me –
hold me close and steadme, for I know that without You I could not face
another day – another hour.
I keepthinking about that song we used to sing when I was younger, never a
heartache, and never a groan, never a teardrop, and never a moan, ever a
danger but there on the throne, moment by moment He thinks of His own.
Hold me Lord I pray, and keepme moment by moment…
Moment by moment I am kept in Your love,
Moment by moment I’ve life from above,

Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine
Thank You Lord that You are my God,
AMEN https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/Proverbs/14/13
Failing to Live by The Truth of God’s Word
Proverbs 14:13–17
» View this passagein NIV (Bible Gateway)
A revival always includes the conviction of sin on the part of the church...In a
true revival, Christians are always brought under such convictions, they see
their sins in such light, that often they find it impossible to maintain a hope of
their acceptancewith God...Backslidden… More
Backslidden
Man is constantly striving to getahead in this life and often leaves God out in
the process.It may seemgoodat the time but in the end it will be death and
eternal separationfrom God forever (v. 12). By his laughter a person may give
the impressionthat he is enjoying life when actually his heart is hurting (v.
13). This verse is so important that it is repeated againin (Prov. 16:25).
A backslideris one who has given up ground once takenfor God (v.14). There
is a big difference betweena person who is backslidenand one who has gone
apostate. The backslideris one who fails to carry out the truth of God’s Word.

The apostate is a person who gives up the truth entirely and denies the Lord
that he once professedto believe in. No true believer everbecomes an
apostate. Peter was anexample of a backslider.
A contrastis made betweenthe simple and the prudent (vv. 15-17). The simple
is easilyinfluenced and the prudent thinks things through before he acts. The
prudent man knows that he can’t trust himself and therefore puts his trust in
the word of the living God. The simple on the other hand refuses to listen to
anyone and led by his own lustful desires he rushes on in self-confidence that
often brings his own destruction. He is often hated by others because ofhis
scheming and underhandedness in order to gethis way.
Application
Have you ever met people who fit the description given in (vv. 12-13)? I never
want to be in a backsliddencondition. It is my desire to always have a heart
for God.
Proverbs 14:13-17 (English Standard Version)
Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. The
backsliderin heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a goodman
will be filled with the fruit of his ways. The simple believes everything, but the
prudent gives thought to his steps. One who is wise is cautious and turns away
from evil, but a fool is recklessand careless. Aman of quick temper acts
foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated. https://www.family-
times.net/commentary/failing-to-live-by-the-truth-of-gods-word/
The Wisdom of God, Proverbs 14:13-14

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The book of Proverbs makes many observations, and these scriptures speak of
a laughter that contains sorrow. Verse 13 speaks ofa heart that is sorrowful,
even though that personmay be laughing. Since laughter is an emotion, it
proceeds from the soul of man. When a man's soul has not been redeemed, he
may laugh temporarily at certainthings that are funny to him, while deep in

his heart he is most miserable. Until we are "born again" we cannot know real
happiness and joy because these things only come from a relationship with
Jesus Christ. The world has always been amazed at how true Christians could
maintain a spirit of joy even in great trials and suffering. This is possible
because the Lord gives His joy to His saints and it is not dependant on
circumstances, but rather upon abiding in Christ. The powerof the Holy
Spirit can sustain us in our deepesttrials.
Verse 14 states that those who are backsliders (those who slide back from
God) have no reserves to lean on as they are not filled with the Holy Spirit,
but rather are filled with their own ways. They have no inner strength to
bring them through their trials. Consequently, many of God's own people are
destroyedfor lack of faith, when under attack of the devil. This is why it is so
important to use our time wisely. When things are going goodin life we need
to use that time to study God's Word and store up the truths of God in our
hearts. We canbe ashamedin our Christian walk if we do not know God's
Word.
2 Timothy 2:15: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workmanthat
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Many Christians are perplexed as to why one Christian is walking in the favor
and victory of God, while others are suffering and cannotseemto obtain the
victory. The devil tries to tell men that God loves the apparent favoredone
more, while He has failed the one who is deep tribulation. This is a lie of the
devil. God loves all of His children equally. He is not a respecterofpersons.
However, God is a respecterofone thing, and that one thing is -- He honors
His Word. Therefore, Godhonors and respects all of those who practice the
Word of God. This means that the only advantage one Christian has over
another is their knowledge ofthe Word of God, and their obedience to it. That
is why we are told to study the Word of God, as a lack of knowledge canlead
to our downfall. In the following verse, God declares that His people are
destroyedbecause they lack knowledge.
Hosea 4:6a: "My people are destroyedfor lack of knowledge."

We canunderstand how a lack of knowledge canbe detrimental in the things
in this life, but when it comes to the things of God, many seemto think that it
does not matter. Ignorance is a cause ofmuch suffering in this world, in the
natural, as well as the spirit. I can think of a perfect example of this truth. A
number of years ago when Bud and I made a missionary journey to India, we
visited a small church that had much sickness anddysentery in every family.
When we ask the mothers who had children with fever to bring them forward
for prayer, almostthe whole church came forward. We stretched our hands
out over the crowd and prayed and rebuked the fever in the name of Jesus
and instantly the children who were hot with fever were restoredto their
normal temperature. The Holy Spirit healedthem all. We were rejoicing in
the goodnessofGod to these people, as we had remembered how Jesus in the
New Testamenthad prayed and rebuked devils and people were healed.
Matthew 8:14-17:
14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid,
and sick of a fever.
15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and
ministered unto them.
16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed
with devils: and he castout the spirits with his word, and healed all that were
sick:
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spokenby Esaias the prophet, saying,
Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
The next day we were in the home of the pastorand one of his children had a
fever again, after being healed the night before. When we beganto pray about
this, the Holy Spirit began to speak that we neededto dealwith the root of the
sickness. We were not aware that the waterin that neighborhood was
contaminated and that the fevers and dysentery was causedby impure
drinking water. After quizzing the pastor and asking severalquestions, we
found out that the water pipes to the houses and the sewerpipes were laid side
by side and because the pipes were old and leaking and the joints were not

sealedproperly, the sewagewaterwas contaminating the waterin the water
pipes. We told the pastorto begin at once to boil all their drinking water, and
to tell the church families to do likewise. Throughthis word of knowledge the
families were spared illness causedby water-borne bacteria.
Lack of knowledge is causing disease in the whole church. Lack of spiritual
knowledge canalso cause spiritual sicknessin one's life. We must study and
obey the Word of God so that we canovercome the problems in this life and
walk victoriously in the Lord.
Prayer for the Day:
DearHeavenly Father, I thank You for the joy that You have given me. I do
not want to take the fruit of the Holy Spirit for granted. I am blessedto
experience Your love, joy and peace, especiallyin the middle of my trials.
Truly You give us peace that passes allunderstanding. Father, give me a
continued love for Your Word and a desire to study it faithfully. I also need
the grace to apply it in my daily life. Help all of Your people to esteemYour
Word and honor You by keeping it. May we all declare as David did in Psalm
119:11, "Thyword have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against
thee." I ask in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
https://www.crossmap.com/devotionals/the-wisdom-of-god-proverbs-14-13-
14-1565
Proverbs 14:13
Solomonwas the wisestman who ever lived blessedby God with boundless
wisdom. There's a joke in the wrestling world of this. "He wouldn't know a
wrist lock from a wrist watch." Solomonwould definitely know. About 3
months ago we visited my parents church Lakeview BaptistChurch and at the
beginning of Sunday schoolmy dad said something that stuck with me. "You
can either teacha sectionof Proverbs or you can have a sermon on just one

verse." Tuesdaynight I found that one verse concepthe referred to. For a
day and a half this verse has had my attention because it's as deep as the
Mariana Trench. Foralmost all but one study I have used the New Living
Translationof the Bible and this verse is phrased so well.
"Laughter canconceala heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief
remains." Proverbs 14:13
I was reminded of a song that very much reflects this verse. "And if you make
me laugh well I know I could make you like me, cause whenI laugh I canbe a
lot of fun, but when we can't do that I know that it is frightening. What I
don't know is why we can't hold on we can't hold on." Rich Mullins
ReadProverbs 14:13 "Whenthe laughter ends the grief remains." Where do
you go when the laughter ends and the grief remains? It's a hard question.
When you've done all you can as a hero and you remove the mask and only
Bruce Wayne or Barbara Gordon remains who are you? Where do you turn
when your own reflectionis all you see in the mirror?
I rarely reference secularmusic in this but I think a desperate thought fits
here and really gets the point across.
"What do you got, if you ain't gotlove? Whateveryou got, it just ain't
enough. You're walking the road, but you're going nowhere. You're trying to
find your way home, but there's no one there. Who do you hold in the dark of
night? You wanna give up, but it's worth the fight to have all the things that
you've been dreaming of."

When the laughter is gone and the grief remains where does one turn. As a
human we do have options not all of them good. Robin Williams took his life.
Some turn to drugs, sex, work, alcohol, orother things to dull the grief and
pain.
About 5 years ago the laughter in a relationship ended for me I found myself
on my knees in my living room with tears pouring down my face and my dogs
crawling on me. I turned to God. in Psalms 147:3 it speaks ofGodmending
the brokenheartedand binding their wounds. You see there is love to be
found in God's presence and healing for our griefs and pains. Proverbs 14:13
is not a question but it causesquestions if you stop and think. The answers to
these questions are found in 1 Peter5:6-11. There's people around you
concealing a heavy heart with laughter point them to God to deal with the
grief!
This study is about getting real and Honest and removing the mask and facing
God and so is the music that goes with it.
The Stage is Bare/I need thee every hour by Sandi Patti
Even in Laughter (Proverbs 14:13)
Life often puts us in situations where two very different experiences are
juxtaposed. Proverbs 14 insightfully observes, “Evenin laughter the heart
may ache.” In blended families, a child may enjoy new siblings or a stepparent
and still ache oversomeone who isn’t there or a widow may thank God for her
secondhusband, but quietly lament the first. Is there something wrong with
this? No. We can experience many things at the same time. And love those
who do the same.
http://familylifeblended.com/program/even-in-laughter-proverbs-14-13/

The Tag Teamof Sorrowand Grief (Proverbs14:13)
What isit aboutsorrow andgrief that isso powerful?Eveninthe happiestof times,bothhave the ability
to overshadowthe good.
"Eveninlaughterthe heartis sorrowful,andthe endof mirthisheavinessandgrief."Proverbs14:13,
Amplified
It isso true thathappy timesmayjustleadbackto sorrow andgrief.But why?Whyis itthat sorrowand
grief cause us to forgetaboutthe goodtimesthat we have experiencedinourlives?How isitthat a
wonderful marriage canendwithacrying wife thatisleftbya husband?Or that the endof a greatlife
endswitha sorrowful funeral?
The answeris simple.We liveinafallenworldwhere happinessandmirthdono necessarilybelong.At
the pointof ourconversion toChristianity,we are instructedtoreadthe "Good Book"(or the Bible)
everyday.The Bible isriddledwithlivessurroundedbysufferingandturmoil.The Apostle Paul wasjailed
and beatenandshipwrecked.The ApostleJohnendedhislifeexiledonanisland.All the disciplesthat
followedChristsufferedpersecutionanddeath(astheywere promised).KingDavid,amanafterGod's
ownheart,ran from hisownson whodesiredtokill him.These men,aswell asmanyothershadtimes
of greatjoyin theirlives,butinthe end,sorrow andgrief seemedtoalwaysfindthem.
We live inafallenworldwhere sinandthe devil have freereign.Whatonce belongedtothe Lordwas
takenfromHim and nowHe isjustan invitedguestinthe heartsof Hischildren.There will be aday
whenHe reclaimswhatHe hasmade,but for now,sinandthe devil have control of thisworld.
God had createda utopiaforAdam andEve, a wonderful Gardenforthemtolive in.Twocommands
were giventothem.Donot eat fromthe tree in the middle of the gardenandbe fruitful andmultiply.
Evenbefore theycouldbe faithful tothe Lordon the secondcommand,theytransgressedandate from
the tree.A curse was laiduponmanand thisearth."Cursedisthe groundforyour sake;intoil youshall
eat of it all the daysof your life.Boththornsandthistlesitshall bringforthforyou,andyou shall eatthe
herbof the field.Inthe sweatof yourface you shall eatbreadtill youreturnto the ground,for outof it
youwere taken;fordust youare and to dustyou shall return."(Genesis3:17b-19,NKJV)

What beganas a time of greathappinesswassuffixedbyacurse of sorrow andgrief.Sinand the devil
had everythingtodowithit,as well asthe free will of man.Soenjoythose happytimesinourlivesand
restassuredthat the happiesttime still awaitsusinheavenwhere sorrow andgrief willnot anddo not
exist.
WrittenbyJeffreyFosterat5:07 AM https://redletteraddition.blogspot.com/2010/01/tag-team-of-
sorrow-and-grief-proverbs.html
Laughterand Sorrow
Proverbs14:13
I. The differencebetweenoutwardandinwardlife.
Evenin laughter,saysSolomon,the heartissorrowful.He isthinkingof the dualityof life.
You will notgraspthe influence of Jesus,inall itswonderfulimpact onmankind,unlessyoubearinmind
thisstrange duality.Underall outwardseemingourLorddiscernedthe struggle of the heart;He was
nevermisledbylaughterorbyspeech;He neverignoredall thatwe cannotutter.
II.Sorrow andjoy are strangelyknittogether.Eveninlaughterthe heartissorrowful.There isamystical
unionbetweenoursmilesandtears.
We see thisinthe livesof ourgreatestmen,forinstance.Itisone of the lessonswe learnfromgreat
biographies.The greatestare veryseldom solemn,andcertainlytheyare almostneverjoyless.True joy
isnot the mere escape fromsorrow.It may be that the capacity forgladnessisbutthe otherside of the
capacityfor pain.
We findthisalsoinour owngreatestmoments,whenthe fire of life flashesupinsome fierce intensity.
Whenthe heart throbs,andfeelingisenkindled,andeverynerve isquiveringwithemotion,we scarcely

knowif we are sorry or glad.It isa master-touchof ourmasterdramatistthat inthe veryheart of his
tragediesyouwill have some foolorjester.Itmeansfarmore than a mere relief fromthe agony;it
meansthat the lightandthe shadoware akin.There have come momentstoeveryone of us,when
sorrowand joywere strangelyknittogether.
Anddo younot thinkthat istrue of JesusChrist?Itis one of the mysteriesof thatperfectlife.He wasa
Man of sorrowsand acquaintedwithgrief;Hissoul wasexceedingsorrowful,evenuntodeath.Yet
throughit all,andin the midstof it,our adorable Lord istalkingof Hisjoy.
III.Sorrowliesnearertothe heartof life thanjoy.Eveninlaughterthe heartis sorrowful:atthe back of
all there isthe heart's unrest.
I thinkthat evenlanguage bearsthisout;andlanguage becomesveryilluminativewhenwe studyit.We
nevertalkabouta heavyjoy:we onlytalkabout a heavygrief.Happinessbubblesuporripplesover;
there issome suggestionof the surface init.But sorrow isheavy,andwhat that impliesisthis,that
whenGod castsit intothe sea of life itsinks byitsown weightintothe deeps.
Unlessthisproverbof Solomonprove itself true,the crossisnotlife'strue interpretation.Inthe centre
of historystandsthe crossof Calvary,andthe cross is the epitome of woe.Andif life'sdeepestsecretbe
gladnessandnotsorrow,if laughterrunsdeeperintothe heartthantears,thenthe cross,that professes
to touch the deepestdepths,canbe nothingbuta tragical mistake.Ido not thinkthatwe have foundit
so.I donot thinkthat the cross haseverfailedus.The deepestmusicthatour hearteverutteredhas
blendedandchimedwiththe sadstrainof Calvary.
—G. H. Morrison,Sun-Rise,p.43.
CHARLES SIMEON
THE VANITYOFCARNALMIRTH
Proverbs14:13. Eveninlaughterthe heartis sorrowful;andthe endof that mirthis heaviness.

WE are apt to imagine,thatwhateverissanctionedbythe approbationandpractice of the worldat
large,mustbe right: butwe cannot have a more erroneousstandardthanpopularopinion.Thisis
sufficientlyevidentfromthe estimationinwhichmirthandlaughterare generallyheld:theyare
supposedtoconstitute the chief happinessof man;whereastheyare farfrom producinganysolid
happinessatall.To thismistake Solomonrefers,inthe wordsprecedingthe text;andinthe textitself he
confirmsthe truthof hisownposition.
We shall,
I. Demonstrate the vanityof carnal mirth—
We meannotto condemnall kindsanddegreesof mirth:there certainlyisameasure of itthat is
conducive togood,ratherthan to evil;“A merryheart maketha cheerful countenance,”and“doeth
goodlike a medicine.”Butcarnal mirthis distinctfromcheerfulnessof disposition;inasmuchasitargues
a lightfrivolousstate of mind,andindisposesusforseriousandheavenlycontemplations.Of thismirth
we affirm,thatit is,
1. Empty—
[Letus examine the mirthwhichwe have atanytime experienced;letusweighitina balance;letus
compare it withthatsobrietyof mindwhichresultsfromscenesof woe,andwiththattendernessof
spiritwhichisthe offspringof sympathyandcompassion;andwe shall confess,withSolomon,that“itis
betterto go tothe house of mourningthanto the house of feasting[Note:Ecclesiastes7:1-3.]:”yea,the
more we examine it,the more shall we be constrained,like him,to“sayof laughter.Itismad; and of
mirth,What doethit[Note:Ecclesiastes2:1-2.]?”Itmay be justlycalled,“afillingof ourbellywiththe
eastwind[Note:Job15:2.].”]
2. Fictitious—
[The gaietywhichisexhibitedinworldlycompanyisoftenassumed,forthe purpose of concealingthe
real feelingsof the heart.Theywhoappearsodelightedtosee eachother,have frequentlynomutual
affection:eventhe nearestrelatives,whoseemtoparticipate eachother’sjoys,have solittle real
cordialityathome,thattheycan scarcelyendure eachother’sconversation;andwouldbe heartilyglad,
if the knot whichbindsthemtogethercouldbe dissolved.Truly“intheirlaughtertheirheartis
sorrowful;”theirpride,theirenvy,theirjealousy,theirprivate piques,theirdomestictroubles,ortheir
worldlycares,make theminwardlysigh,sothattheycanwithdifficultypreventthe discoveryof the
imposture whichtheyare practising.The veryemptinessof theirpleasurefillsthemoftenwithdisgust;
and theyare constrainedtoacknowledge,that“theyare feedingonashes,andthattheyhave a lie in
theirrighthand [Note:Isaiah44:20.].”]
3. Transient—
[Suppose ittohave beenformore substantial thanithas,yet how speedilyhasitvanishedaway!What
trace of it remains?Itislike a dreamwhenone awaketh:inourdreamwe thoughtof satisfaction;but
whenwe awoke,we foundourselvesasunsatisfiedasever[Note:Isaiah29:8.].If we thoughtby

repeatedparticipationtoprotractthe pleasure,we weakenedthe zestwithwhichwe hadpartakenof it;
and thusdiminished,ratherthanincreased,the sumof our enjoyment.]
4. Delusive—
[We hopedthat the ultimate effectof all ourmirthwouldbe an easycomfortable frame:buthasit
alwaysbeenso?Has notthe veryreverse beenoftenexperiencedbyus?Hasnot “the endof our mirth
beenheaviness?”Anexcessive elevationof spiritisnaturallycalculatedtoproduce depression.Besides,
we cannot alwaysshake off reflection:andthe thoughtof havingsofoolishlywastedourtime,insteadof
improvingitinpreparationforeternity,willsometimesproduce veryuneasysensations.Suchwarnings
as Solomon[Note:Ecclesiastes11:9.],andour Lord [Note:Luke 6:25.], have givenus,will frequently
obtrude themselvesuponus,andmake usalmostwearyof life,while atthe same time we are afraidof
death:so justlyisthismirthcomparedto“the cracklingof thornsundera pot[Note:Ecclesiastes7:6.];”
the one,afteran unprofitable blaze,terminatinginsmoke anddarkness,the other,afterasenseless
noise,expiringinspleenandmelancholy.Infact,there are no people more subjecttolownessof spirits,
than theywhospendtheirtime invanityanddissipation.
What will be “the endof theirmirth”whentheycome intothe eternal world,isinexpressiblyawfulto
consider.Fearful indeedwillbe the contrastbetweenthe festivitiesof theirpresent,andthe wailingsof
theireternal state [Note:Amos6:1-6.]!WouldtoGod that man wouldlearnthisfroma parable [Note:
Luke 16:19; Luke 16:24-25.]! but,if theywill not,theymustrealize itintheirownexperience.]
That we may not appearas if we woulddeprive youof all happiness,we shall—
II.Shewhowwe may attainmore solidmirth—
There isevidentlyacontrastintendedinthe text:forwhenitissaidthat“the endof that mirthis
heaviness,”itisimplied,thatthere isanotherspeciesof mirththatshall endina verydifferentmanner.
The Gospel isa source of mirthto all whoembrace it—
[The Gospel iscalled“gladtidingsof greatjoyto all people.”Itproclaimssalvationtoa ruinedworld;nor
can it fail of creatingthe liveliestemotionsof joywhereveritisreceived[Note:Isaiah51:3; Isaiah51:11;
Isaiah65:18 and Jeremiah31:4.withActs 8:8; Acts 8:39.] — — —]
Andthe mirth resultingfromit,isthe veryreverse of carnal mirth—
[Itis solid.—Beholdthe change wroughtinthe firstconverts!see themturnedfromdarknesstolight,
and fromthe powerof Satanunto God! see themenjoyingpeace withGodandintheirown
consciences!see themfilledwithlove toeachother,andwithadmiringandadoringthoughtsof their
belovedSaviour!Canwe wonderthattheyate theirbreadwith gladnessandsinglenessof heart,
blessingandpraisingGod?Yetpreciselythe same groundsof joyhaseveryone thattrulybelievesin
Christ[Note:Jeremiah31:11-14.].The Prodigal fanciedthathe wasin the road to joy,whenhe was
wastinghissubstance inriotousliving:buthe nevertastedreal happinesstill he returnedtohisfather’s
house:then“he beganto eat,and drink,andbe merry.”

It ispermanent.—Itwill consistwithtrialsandtribulations;yea,itwillevenarise outof them[Note:
Romans5:3. James1:2.]: we may be “sorrowful,yetalwayrejoicing[Note:2Corinthians6:10.].”And,as
it isnot interruptedbythe occurrencesof life,soneitherwill itbe terminatedbydeath:itwill thenbe
augmentedathousand-fold:andcontinue withoutinterruptiontoall eternity — — —]
Address—
1. The youngand gay—
[Followyourcareerof pleasure aslongas youwill,youwill be constrainedtosayat last,withSolomon,
not onlythatit was all “vanity,”butalso“vexationof spirit.”Yetthinknot, thatindissuadingyoufrom
these lyingvanities,we woulddeprive youof all happiness:we wishonlythatyoushouldexchange that
whichisemptyand delusive,forthatwhichwill affordyoupresentandeternal satisfaction[Note:Isaiah
55:2.]. Even yourpast experience maysuffice toshew you,that“inthe fulnessof yoursufficiencyyou
have beeninstraits[Note:Job20:22.]:” try now whatthe service andenjoymentof Godcan do for you;
and youshall findthatreligion’s“waysare indeedwaysof pleasantnessandpeace.”]
2. Those who professgodliness—
[Inavoidingcarnal mirth,youmustbe careful notto give occasiontothe worldtorepresentreligionas
sour andmorose.There isa cheerfulnesswhichrecommendsreligion,andwhichitisbothyourdutyand
privilegetomaintain.Yet,onthe otherhand, beware of levity.Live nightoGod,andyouwill easilyfind
the propermedium.“Godhas certainlygivenyouall thingsrichlytoenjoy[Note:1Timothy6:17.]:” yet
it isinhimself alone,andinthe lightof hiscountenance,thatyoumustseekyourhappiness.There you
are sure to findit[Note:Psalms4:6-7.];and while youfinditinhim, youwill shineaslightsina dark
world,andrecommendthe Gospel toall aroundyou.
THE VANITYOFCARNALMIRTH
Proverbs14:13. Eveninlaughterthe heartis sorrowful;andthe endof that mirthis heaviness.
WE are apt to imagine,thatwhateverissanctionedbythe approbationandpractice of the worldat
large,mustbe right: butwe cannot have a more erroneousstandardthanpopularopinion.Thisis
sufficientlyevidentfromthe estimationinwhichmirthandlaughterare generallyheld:theyare
supposedtoconstitute the chief happinessof man;whereastheyare farfrom producinganysolid
happinessatall.To thismistake Solomonrefers,inthe wordsprecedingthe text;andinthe textitself he
confirmsthe truthof hisownposition.
We shall,
I. Demonstrate the vanityof carnal mirth—

We meannotto condemnall kindsanddegreesof mirth:there certainlyisameasure of itthat is
conducive togood,ratherthan to evil;“A merryheart maketha cheerful countenance,”and“doeth
goodlike a medicine.”Butcarnal mirthis distinctfromcheerfulnessof disposition;inasmuchasitargues
a lightfrivolousstate of mind,andindisposesusforseriousandheavenlycontemplations.Of thismirth
we affirm,thatit is,
1. Empty—
[Letus examine the mirthwhichwe have atanytime experienced;letusweighitina balance;letus
compare it withthatsobrietyof mindwhichresultsfromscenesof woe,andwiththattenderness of
spiritwhichisthe offspringof sympathyandcompassion;andwe shall confess,withSolomon,that“itis
betterto go tothe house of mourningthanto the house of feasting[Note:Ecclesiastes7:1-3.]:”yea,the
more we examine it,the more shall we be constrained,like him,to“sayof laughter.Itismad; and of
mirth,What doethit[Note:Ecclesiastes2:1-2.]?”Itmay be justlycalled,“afillingof ourbellywiththe
eastwind[Note:Job15:2.].”]
2. Fictitious—
[The gaietywhichisexhibitedinworldlycompanyisoftenassumed,forthe purpose of concealingthe
real feelingsof the heart.Theywhoappearsodelightedtosee eachother,have frequentlynomutual
affection:eventhe nearestrelatives,whoseemtoparticipate eachother’sjoys,have so little real
cordialityathome,thattheycan scarcelyendure eachother’sconversation;andwouldbe heartilyglad,
if the knot whichbindsthemtogethercouldbe dissolved.Truly“intheirlaughtertheirheartis
sorrowful;”theirpride,theirenvy,theirjealousy,theirprivate piques,theirdomestictroubles,ortheir
worldlycares,make theminwardlysigh,sothattheycanwithdifficultypreventthe discoveryof the
imposture whichtheyare practising.The veryemptinessof theirpleasurefillsthemoftenwithdisgust;
and theyare constrainedtoacknowledge,that“theyare feedingonashes,andthattheyhave a lie in
theirrighthand [Note:Isaiah44:20.].”]
3. Transient—
[Suppose ittohave beenformore substantial thanithas,yet how speedilyhas itvanishedaway!What
trace of it remains?Itislike a dreamwhenone awaketh:inourdreamwe thoughtof satisfaction;but
whenwe awoke,we foundourselvesasunsatisfiedasever[Note:Isaiah29:8.].If we thoughtby
repeatedparticipationtoprotractthe pleasure,we weakenedthe zestwithwhichwe hadpartakenof it;
and thusdiminished,ratherthanincreased,the sumof our enjoyment.]
4. Delusive—
[We hopedthat the ultimate effectof all ourmirthwouldbe an easycomfortable frame:buthasit
alwaysbeenso?Has notthe veryreverse beenoftenexperiencedbyus?Hasnot “the endof our mirth
beenheaviness?”Anexcessive elevationof spiritisnaturallycalculatedtoproduce depression.Besides,
we cannot alwaysshake off reflection:andthe thoughtof havingsofoolishlywastedourtime,insteadof
improvingitinpreparationforeternity,willsometimesproduce veryuneasysensations.Suchwarnings

as Solomon[Note:Ecclesiastes11:9.],andour Lord [Note:Luke 6:25.], have givenus,will frequently
obtrude themselvesuponus,andmake usalmostwearyof life,while atthe same time we are afraidof
death:so justlyisthismirthcomparedto“the cracklingof thornsundera pot[Note:Ecclesiastes7:6.];”
the one,afteran unprofitable blaze,terminatinginsmoke anddarkness,the other,afterasenseless
noise,expiringinspleenandmelancholy.Infact,there are no people more subjecttolownessof spirits,
than theywhospendtheirtime invanityanddissipation.
What will be “the endof their mirth”whentheycome intothe eternal world,isinexpressiblyawfulto
consider.Fearful indeedwillbe the contrastbetweenthe festivitiesof theirpresent,andthe wailingsof
theireternal state [Note:Amos6:1-6.]!WouldtoGod that man wouldlearn thisfroma parable [Note:
Luke 16:19; Luke 16:24-25.]! but,if theywill not,theymustrealize itintheirownexperience.]
That we may not appearas if we woulddeprive youof all happiness,we shall—
II.Shewhowwe may attainmore solidmirth—
There isevidentlyacontrastintendedinthe text:forwhenitissaidthat“the endof that mirthis
heaviness,”itisimplied,thatthere isanotherspeciesof mirththatshall endina verydifferentmanner.
The Gospel isa source of mirthto all whoembrace it—
[The Gospel iscalled“gladtidingsof greatjoyto all people.”Itproclaimssalvationtoa ruinedworld;nor
can it fail of creatingthe liveliestemotionsof joywhereveritisreceived[Note:Isaiah51:3; Isaiah51:11;
Isaiah65:18 and Jeremiah31:4.withActs 8:8; Acts 8:39.] — — —]
Andthe mirth resultingfromit,isthe veryreverse of carnal mirth—
[Itis solid.—Beholdthe change wroughtinthe firstconverts!see themturnedfromdarknesstolight,
and fromthe powerof Satanunto God! see them enjoyingpeace withGodandintheirown
consciences!see themfilledwithlove toeachother,andwithadmiringandadoringthoughtsof their
belovedSaviour!Canwe wonderthattheyate theirbreadwithgladnessandsinglenessof heart,
blessingandpraisingGod?Yetpreciselythe same groundsof joyhaseveryone thattrulybelievesin
Christ[Note:Jeremiah31:11-14.].The Prodigal fanciedthathe wasin the road to joy,whenhe was
wastinghissubstance inriotousliving:buthe nevertastedreal happinesstill he returnedtohisfather’s
house:then“he beganto eat,and drink,andbe merry.”
It ispermanent.—Itwill consistwithtrialsandtribulations;yea,itwillevenarise outof them[Note:
Romans5:3. James1:2.]: we may be “sorrowful,yetalwayrejoicing[Note:2Corinthians6:10.].”And,as
it isnot interruptedbythe occurrencesof life,soneitherwill itbe terminatedbydeath:itwill thenbe
augmentedathousand-fold:andcontinue withoutinterruptiontoall eternity — — —]
Address—
1. The youngand gay—

[Followyourcareerof pleasure aslongas youwill,youwill be constrainedtosayat last,withSolomon,
not onlythatit was all “vanity,”butalso“vexationof spirit.”Yetthinknot,thatindissuadingyoufrom
these lyingvanities,we woulddeprive youof all happiness:we wishonlythatyoushouldexchange that
whichisemptyand delusive,forthatwhichwill affordyoupresentandeternal satisfaction[Note:Isaiah
55:2.]. Even yourpast experience maysuffice toshew you,that “inthe fulnessof yoursufficiencyyou
have beeninstraits[Note:Job20:22.]:” try now whatthe service andenjoymentof Godcan do for you;
and youshall findthatreligion’s“waysare indeedwaysof pleasantnessandpeace.”]
2. Those who professgodliness—
[Inavoidingcarnal mirth,youmustbe careful notto give occasiontothe worldtorepresentreligionas
sour andmorose.There isa cheerfulnesswhichrecommendsreligion,andwhichitisbothyourdutyand
privilegetomaintain.Yet,onthe other hand,beware of levity.Live nightoGod,andyouwill easilyfind
the propermedium.“Godhas certainlygivenyouall thingsrichlytoenjoy[Note:1Timothy6:17.]:” yet
it isinhimself alone,andinthe lightof hiscountenance,thatyoumustseekyour happiness.There you
are sure to findit[Note:Psalms4:6-7.];and while youfinditinhim, youwill shineaslightsina dark
world,andrecommendthe Gospel toall aroundyou.]
http://web.archive.org/web/20150511205251/http://thirdmill.org/studybible/note.asp/id/45526
Shouldn’tIbe happy?
January21, 2019 / No Comments
I’ma Christian,aren’tI?Shouldn’tIbe happy?Jesusdiedforme.He tookmy sinsaway.I have eternal
life.Depressionshouldn’taffectme at all!
Let me laughfor a moment.
Look,the Gospel givesjoy.Itreallydoes.Paul says,“Rejoice inthe Lordalways!Iwill sayitagain:
Rejoice!”CheckoutPhilippians4:4.Paul wrote that at a time he thoughthe mightsoonbe executedfor
the faith.He knewhowtorejoice eveninhardship.
We are freedfromour sins.We are made childrenof God.We have a home inheaven.Andyes,the
response toall thisisjoy.But joyis notthe same thingas happiness.
What isjoy?
Joyis a reactionto reality.We are saved.Jesushasdiedforus.Nothingcan change these facts.Nothing
can shake whatis real.Joyis a fruitof the Spiritandgrowsthroughthe Gospel.
How isthat differentfromhappiness?

Happinessisa reactiontocircumstances.Thatsmile youfeel whenthingsare goingwell?That’s
happiness.It’snotasin.Praise God forthe giftof happiness!(LookupEcclesiastes5:19 if you don’t
believeme.Goddoesn’twantyoutobe frowningall the time!) Butnowhere doesGodtell ustogo
aroundgrinninglike idiots.If he had,Jesushimself wouldhave sinned.Remember,Jesusweptandwas
familiarwithsorrows.(CheckoutJohn11:35 andIsaiah53:5 formore onthat.)
It ispossible toknowjoyandnot feel happy.Itisalsopossible tofeel happyandnotknow joy.Proverbs
expressesthatthoughtwell:“Eveninlaughterthe heartmayache,and joymayend ingrief.”(Proverbs
14:13)
But I’mChristian.
Doesbeinga ChristianmeanIneedtobe happy,or at leastfake happiness?Notatall.While there are
certainlytimeswhenwe needtocontrol ouremotions,Iwouldargue that“fakinghappiness”atleast
approachesgivingfalse testimonyaboutourselves.We dowantto speakthe truth inlove,andwhile
that love maymeansettingaside emotionsforashort time,we certainlydon’twanttodeceive.
What aboutme? I’ma pastor. Shouldn’tIlive inthatjoyevenmore?
Titusdoesn'tlist“alwayshappy”inthe qualificationstobe a minister.
ClickTo Tweet
Paul doesn’tcall usto exhibita“positive attitude”nordemanda“chipperpersonality.”(CheckoutTitus
1:7-9 to see whathe doessay.) If youfeel pressure toalwayslookhappyona Sundaymorning because
goodChristiansalwayssmile,letme release thatpressure foryou:if it’sokfor Jesus,it’sokforyou.
Jesuswept.He didn’talwayssmile.
Evenwhenyou’re notsmiling.
It isnot your jobto be happy.
You have permissiontobe broken.
Don’tfindcomfortin fakinghappiness.
Instead,findreal comfortforreal hurt inJesus.
Take your veryreal hurt to a veryreal Saviorwho knowswhatit’slike toexperience sorrow.Hearhimas
he says to you,“I knowyourpain,and I grieve withyou.Know thatyoursorrow will end.Ihave borne all
the guiltof thisworld,all the shame — all yourshame,too.I love you,evenwhenyou’re notsmiling.”

Maybe rightnowyou're not happy.That's ok.Your joy,though,cannotbe takenaway -- because Jesus
standswithyou,evennow. https://www.breadforbeggars.com/2019/01/shouldnt-i-be-happy/
Paradoxical Laughter
02-18-17, 04:50 AM
"They're laughing" - that'senoughfora conspiracynutjobtoignore all the evidence,toignore all the
blood,toignore all the bodies.
Paradoxical laughter,too,fitsthe pattern:laughterupontragicnewstakenseriouslybythe subject,or
nervousfitsof gigglingunaccountable tothe subjecthimself.Suchlaughtercanbe seenasdefensive
actionto postpone the helplessnessinvolvedinfull realizationof the eventandtodoso by escaping
fromcommitmenttothe situationinvolved - The EmotionsbyByNicoH. Frijda
Most of the paperson paradoxical laughterfocusonbrainpathologyorinjurysowhile PLdue to
emotional traumalacksscholarlyscrutinyitiswell documented.Enoughthatwe know emotional
trauma,tragedies,evenhorrible situationscanbe metwithlaughter;oftenuncontrollable tothe
subject.
"Kids& Adultslove FairyTale Arkexhibit" - KenHam
Tags: None

nmanning
SecularForumsMember
JoinDate:Jan 2012
Posts:21894
#2
02-20-17, 11:10 AM
Sure,butif someone ata false flag - I mean,a tragedy - doesnotreact the way i thinktheyshould,then
OBVIOUSLYit isbecause theyare crisisactors and the whole thingwasa hoax.Because myideasof how
people shouldactare universallytrue.
"YECismis a collectionof tall talesandnonsenseandnoscience" - me
HOSEA 13:16
"One mechanismisthe odds." - YEC

Promethean
SecularForumsMember
JoinDate:Dec 2009
Posts:30419
#3
02-20-17, 05:13 PM
OriginallypostedbynmanningViewPost

Sure,butif someone ata false flag - I mean,a tragedy - doesnotreact the way i thinktheyshould,then
OBVIOUSLYit isbecause theyare crisisactors and the whole thingwasa hoax.Because myideasof how
people shouldactare universallytrue.
Sillyme.
Promethean
SecularForumsMember
JoinDate:Dec 2009
Posts:30419

#4
02-22-17, 07:56 PM
OriginallypostedbyPrometheanViewPost
fromcommitmenttothe situationinvolved - The EmotionsbyBy NicoH. Frijda
trauma,tragedies,evenhorrible situationscan be metwithlaughter;oftenuncontrollable tothe
subject.
WhenI laughat the tragedyof trutherbeliefsisitparadoxical laughterorsimplyschadenfreude?

Promethean
SecularForumsMember
JoinDate:Dec 2009
Posts:30419
#5
03-08-17, 07:07 PM
fromcommitmenttothe situationinvolved - The EmotionsbyBy NicoH. Frijda

trauma,tragedies,evenhorrible situationscan be metwithlaughter;oftenuncontrollable tothe
subject.
Nothingfromthe SandyHook denyingmonsters...
Promethean
SecularForumsMember

JoinDate:Dec 2009
Posts:30419
#6
03-08-17, 09:26 PM
Paradoxical laughter,too,fitsthe pattern:laughter upontragicnewstakenseriouslybythe subject,or
subject.
The cowards won'taddressthis.

Promethean
SecularForumsMember
JoinDate:Dec 2009
Posts:30419
#7
03-12-17, 08:20 PM

actionto postpone the helplessnessinvolvedin full realizationof the eventandtodoso by escaping
subject.
Anyof the SandyHook nutjobsoutthere care to tell ushow laughter"proves"amassmurderdidn't
happen?
nmanning
SecularForumsMember

Laughter can be paradoxical

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