A Humorous God

In spite of the austere image portrayed by many of the characterizations of God, I believe that the God of the Bible defies this stereotype through various techniques, such as the wording of certain verses. God employed human agency to present his infallible, inerrant, and eternal Word to mankind, allowing for them to use their idiosyncratic styles (2 Timothy 3:16). During my daily Bible reading today, I discovered a pertinent example of this drollery. In the twenty-seventh chapter of Acts, as Paul and his entourage navigate the treacherous waters that Euroclydon had caused, Paul prophesied that they would all arrive safely to Rome and instructed those aboard the ship to eat meat for strength. Luke, the author that penned this book that chronicles the history of the early church, humorously remarked in verse 38: "And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship." In other words, because they had eaten so much and had become portly, the captain of the ship expressed distress at the situation and ordered his passengers to jettison unnecessary burdens. Oh, what hidden humor! I'm thankful that I am serving a Creator who is interested in ensuring that I enjoy digesting his Word and receive excitement through reading it.

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