Proverbs 26, verse 27, it will return upon him

 

Proverbs 26:27 ¶ Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

That evil that men do often comes back to get them. The web of deceit we weave is the one we become entangled in. Haman learned this;

Esther 7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.

The Holy Spirit warns us through David, the Psalmist, about the unrepentant wicked person’s fate.

Psalm 7:15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. 16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

And again, for the enemies of God.

Psalm 9:15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.

And again, for those who would persecute the innocent.

Psalm 10:2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

Psalm 57:6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

We don’t always see this happen so it can be very frustrating, as it was for the prophets of old who I’ve quoted before in their frustration at the wicked seemingly getting away with murder, but it does happen quite often.

 

We can use these verses in a rather smug and self-satisfying way in pointing to those we believe oppress us but let’s look at it from our own perspective of the three fingers pointing back at us when we point at another.

The Christian who chooses to sin, to do wrong, particularly if that wrong is done to another, can expect, by virtue of his or her having the Holy Spirit inside them, that their wickedness will come back to bite them. One of the proofs you have the Spirit of God dwelling in you by way of the new birth, of being born again (John 3:3, 7) is that a true Christian will not get away with much for long when he or she, living by the flesh, decides to do the work of the flesh. Brother or sister, you’ll get caught and that rather quickly. No one told you that when you “got saved” did they? Sort of puts a different twist on things, doesn’t it?

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

There is an old saw that God has three things that start with “c” for the Christian who insists stubbornly on sinning. First, there is conviction. You are bothered by your sin. It haunts you. Your conscience isn’t seared by it yet and you know you’re wrong.

But, you’re stubborn and pigheaded so you push on, doing your own thing, but claiming the blood of Christ to get you to heaven. “After all, we’re only human, right?” Then comes chastisement. You got caught. But, for some that isn’t even enough. They are adamant that they’re going to pursue their little dance with sin.

If you refuse to hear, to obey the Holy Spirit, then God can provide your coffin. You can be taken home to face Christ at the Judgment Seat.

Just be sure that your stab at pleasing the old man, the flesh, particularly if it involves some innocent person, will come back to haunt you. It’s almost a sure thing if you really are saved. Some of you are involved in a sin right now. I’m not talking about not coming to church six days a week or giving half your paycheck to missions. I’m talking about SIN; cruelty, maliciousness, hatefulness, bigotry, prejudice, mean-spiritedness, gossip, a vengeful attitude, disrespectful, abusive, self-righteous, materialistic, putting things other than God in the place of God, you know, the garden variety, normal human attitudes that lead to many more and much worse things.

Remember this Proverb the next time you pick up the phone and “request prayer” for some wayward, backsliding (in your estimation) brother or sister. Remember this Proverb the next time you “express your concerns” about the Pastor to a brother or sister. Remember this Proverb the next time you plot revenge or plan to get something you want that rightfully belongs to someone else. Just watch the dog you release on another turn around and bite you.