Children of God laughing at sinful behavior? I’m afraid so. It’s one of the unquestionable indicators that some Christians need to step back and re-evaluate themselves. We live at a time in which it seems all too easy to let the ways of the world become our ways. Little by little Christians are becoming accustomed to the presence of sinful behavior around them, and in their desensitized state, some have even started to like it. By that I don’t necessarily mean that they are taking part in many of the world’s sins, though some are doing that. At this point I’m addressing the enjoyment that some receive from seeing or hearing of the sins of others.

For example, do you like television shows and movies that glorify sin? Do you enjoy the risqué story? Do you laugh at the “colorful” language of the world?

In Genesis 9:20-27 we read of Noah’s drunkenness and its devastating results. While the drunken Noah was lying naked on his bed, his son Ham “saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside” (v. 22). According to reputable sources, the word “saw” in that passage can include the idea of enjoyment or satisfaction. “Told” could be translated, “told with delight.” The idea is not that Ham found some lewd enjoyment in his father’s drunken stupor, but that he thought the whole situation was funny. Shem and Japheth, thankfully, did not share their brother’s feelings. That was nothing to laugh about.

We should learn from this example not to find enjoyment or satisfaction in the sins of others. Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing (1 Cor. 13:6). “Fools mock at sin” (Prov. 14:9). When Jesus saw sinful behavior, he was either angered (Mark 3:5) or moved to tears (Luke 19:41). Can you picture the Lord having a chuckle at the sinfulness of mankind?

Instead, let us adopt the attitude of the Pslamist, “Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (Psa. 119:104). It’s hard to enjoy something you hate.

Eddie Parrish