Posted on 10/13/2022 8:22:21 PM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness” (Proverbs 14:13).
“Even in laughter,” this is linked back to verse 12. These are the people that “think” they are going in the right way, because it “seems” like the right way but there is no certainty. “Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful,” because they have no inner peace. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21).
Their cry is “Make me laugh! Make me forget what is going on inside my heart! Let’s drink the night away!” What they are saying is, “Help me get rid of this empty feeling. This pain, this sorrow, this darkness, this lack of inner peace.” When a man stands against God, is in rebellion against God, and is at enmity with God—he may laugh, but he is sad. Until he gets right with God, that fight will continually go on.
“. . . and the end of that mirth is heaviness,” that thing where they keep going out night after night, trying to hide their sin, and their lack of peace, and their inner turmoil—is heaviness. It just leads to a big burden. It leads to nothing but frustration. People think that if they just drink, and party, and if I just do this, I’ll be happy. After awhile they just lose hope. When they find that the celebrating only leads to more sadness, they often end their existence.
They realize that the drinking, the parties, and the drugs, and the relationships isn’t really salving their conscience and isn’t doing for them what they for them what they had hoped—and then—what is there? Heaviness. The burden of all of life. They begin to realize that there is no way out. Solomon reached this crisis in his own life when he penned, “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow” (Ecclesiastes 1:14-18).
Solomon knew all that mirth could give, but he then knew all of sorrow.
William E. Gladstone wrote:
“If I am asked what is the remedy for the deeper sorrows of the human heart, I must point to something which in the well-known hymn is called “the old, old story,” told of an old, old Book and taught with the old, old teaching, which is the greatest and best Guide ever given to mankind.”
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Old , old book. best gift ever given to mankind. All glory to God and his word.
Bump.
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