S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Sarcasm is the use of irony (saying one thing while meaning another) or other rhetorical devices in a biting, hurtful way. There is a difference between sarcasm and satire, although they are relate...

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July 01 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

I once heard a sermon decades ago, I think, at Scottsdale Bible Church (AZ), about Elijah’s gibe directed at the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:27. 

1 Kings 18:27 Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB)

27 “And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, Cry aloud, for he is a god; peradventure he is talking or he had to go to the latrine, or he is on a journey, or he sleeps and will awake.”

I couldn’t believe this translation until I looked it up for myself. What sarcasm! But Elijah could get away with it because these false teachers were entrenched in falsehood and lies! We must be careful in using sarcasm as Elijah did, and we must use it very rarely if at all, in my opinion. In marriage and family, it can and does really hurt, for one example. 

Amos 4:1 This is certainly a colorful and sarcastic section. Women are normally sensitive and compassionate but note the contrast here. The women are compared with the fat cows living on the lush pastures of Bashan. The idea here is that these spoiled women demanded luxury from their “masters” (not the typical word for a husband--more sarcasm and reversal of roles) and the only way their husbands could meet their demands was by oppressing the poor (economic exploitation.)

November 28 2020 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report