When I listen to many politicians, I picture arrogance prancing right before me, like mischievous children who think they will not get caught. We are told God hates arrogance. “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance” (Prov. 8:13).  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines arrogance as “an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions.”  It is the height of arrogance when someone seems to have total disregard for the Creator of the universe who has invited us to call him, “Father.”  The Psalmist cries out, “Why does the wicked man revile God?  Why does he say to himself, ‘He won’t call me to account’?” (Ps. 10:13).

We have become complacent in our own wisdom, thinking we know better than our heavenly Father. “You were complacent in your evil deeds; you thought, ‘No one sees me.‘ Your self-professed wisdom and knowledge lead you astray when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!'” (Is. 47:10 NET).

In at least two instances, the prophet Isaiah calls out the arrogance of those who think God does not see.  First, Isaiah 29:15 says, “Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, ‘Who sees us?  Who will know?'” The second is Isaiah 47:10, “You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.‘  Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none beside me.'” 

The first passage is directed to the leaders of Judah and “probably alludes to political alliances made without seeking the Lord’s guidance…There seems to be a confidence that their deeds are hidden from others, including God.” (NET).  In danger of an invasion from the Assyrians, the leaders of God’s people were planning to seek help against Assyria from Egypt.  Instead of publicly putting their trust in God, “the leaders of Judah are reduced to the secrecy of underhanded human politics.  For them, the sovereign God might as well not exist” (ESV).

The second passage is directed at the Babylonians. “The Babylonians gave great attention to cataloging all the possible omens that might occur and what they would mean when they did; it was a great but vain intellectual effort.  When disaster came, their magical wisdom was useless to either foretell it or prevent it” (NIVZSB).  We read in Is. 47:11, “But disaster will happen to you; you will not know how to avert it.” (CSB). Babylon’s wisdom was actually foolishness; it would fall because it was wise in its own eyes rather than trustful of God.  

In all of the prancing that is being done today, we need to always remember how God has dealt with the pain of our fallen world. “”For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” ( Col. 1:19-20).    

Men, we are Jesus followers.  We need to humbly keep our eyes on Jesus.  He will make a way for us through this modern wilderness.  John tells us, “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands” (John 3:35).  As the good shepherd, Jesus will lead us through this present wilderness.  “But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert” (Ps. 78:52). 

While others prance, stay humble – and keep your focus on Jesus and the cross. 

My temperament is that of an extroverted, sanguine male.  Because I’m also intuitive, I often feel on the outside looking in when it comes to male camaraderie.  Yet God, by his grace and mercy, has allowed me to feel secure in my maleness even in the company of men very different from me.  In fact, I have found that joshing and joking with men has given me an inside track into their lives. 

I say this just as a segue to expressing my appreciation for The Babylon Bee: “Your Trusted Source for Christian News Satire.”  The Babylon Bee “was created ex nihilo on the eighth day of creation week, exactly 6.000 years ago.  We have been the premier news source through every major world event, from the Tower of Babel and the Exodus to the Reformation and the War of 1812.  We focus on just the facts, leaving spin and bias to other news sites like CNN and Fox News.”

Men, when we can no longer laugh at life, nor get along with people who think differently than we do, we are in trouble.  Many of the leading comedians of our time admit it is harder to do standup comedy today, because people are too easily offended.  This is not good for our emotional and even spiritual health. 

Because of this, I release you as a man to joke, poke fun, and josh with other men. When the people of Israel came back from captivity in Babylonian, Psalm 126:2 tells us, “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.”  When we can no longer laugh at ourselves and enjoy good, clean joshing as men, we are still slaves in captivity.  Men, in Christ we can live in freedom and joy. 

I write about The Babylon Bee for two reasons.  First, I recommend their website to you if you have not already discovered it.  You will be surprised at the insight they provide into our culture through satire.  Second, I want to point out how they are in the crosshairs of the popular media. It only shows how oversensitive we have become to opposing positions.  When satire is misconstrued, then we are in real trouble as a culture.

Recently The Babylon Bee was able to force the New York Times to remove its defamatory characterization of The Bee as trafficking misinformation and fake news.  However, the battle against The Bee continues: recently Facebook announced it would be moderating satire to make sure it doesn’t “punch down.”  Essentially, Facebook posits that it can judge what qualifies as “true satire” – which also means it can judge jokes that “punch down” to be hatred disguised as satire.  

Seth Dillon, CEO of The Babylon Bee, noted: “Having failed in their effort to lump us in with fake news, the media and Big Tech… now hope to discredit us by saying we’re spreading hatred – rather than misinformation – under the guise of satire.”

I appreciate how Dillion responded to the attacks on The Bee.  “But we’re not ‘punching down.’ We’re punching back.  Conservatives have been on the ropes in the culture war for a long time… the left’s new prohibition of “punching down” is speech suppression in disguise.  It’s people in positions of power protecting their interests by telling you what you can and cannot joke about.” 

Men, I encourage you to use satire to lighten your load.  It seems like we can no longer laugh.  Remember the people of Israel when they came back to Zion: “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy” (Ps 126:2).