154. Человек попадает в яму, которую сам выкопал

It happens that a person digs a hole for the sake of some of his needs, but accidentally ends up in that hole. Thus, the evil they have prepared for their neighbors often befalls treacherous people and villains. Often they themselves drink the poison that they prepare for their neighbors and kill themselves. Often, with the sword that they raise against their neighbor, they strike and kill themselves. They often fall into greater disgrace when they plot to slander and discredit their neighbors. Often they are deprived of their land and other property when they want and try to take possession of someone else’s, and so they fall into a hole that they dig for others. We see this a lot in the world. Thus the righteous and wondrous judgment of God befalls the wicked! This is how the judgment of God befell the tormentor Pharaoh, who was chasing after Israel, freed from its slavery, and wanted to conquer it again, enslave and embitter, but instead he found his own destruction; and where he sought self-interest, there he saw his death, and in the water of the sea, as in a tomb, he was buried with all his army (See Ex. 14:28). Absalom, the son of David, wanted to take possession of the kingdom of Israel, and planned and sought to kill his holy and innocent father; but instead he hanged himself on a tree and died between heaven and earth, and so fell into the ditch that he had made for his righteous father (See 2 Samuel 18:9, 14). Haman experienced a similar trial, for he was hanged by royal command on the gallows that he prepared for the innocent Mordecai (See Esther 7:9, 10). Thus the judgment of God befalls the proud and self-willed, and they accidentally fall into the ditch that they dig for others. Similar fates befall the lawless today. Listen, treacherous people and villains! People fall into a hole that they dig for their neighbors; and they themselves drink the poison that they prepare for others; and they themselves suffer from the evil into which they want to plunge others. Be afraid and beware of doing evil to your neighbors, lest you yourself fall into evil. So he fell ill with untruth, conceived malice and gave birth to lawlessness. He dug a ditch and deepened it, but he will fall into the pit that he made: his anger will turn on his head, and his iniquity will descend on his crown (Ps. 7:15-17). You might be interested in: