Falling into Your Own Trap

 

I Samuel 18:24 And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.” 25 Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged of the king's enemies.’” Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. Before the time had expired, 27 David arose and went, along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. 28 But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, 29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually.

The life of Saul is like a movie that is hard to watch: you know something bad is coming and your whole body cringes, even though you know it's coming. Saul made one bad choice after another.  "The writing was on the wall" for him to lose his kingship, but he grasped for every straw to keep from losing it and his successor, David, from living to receive it.  Every plot went badly, resulting in pain and suffering for himself, his family, David, and the whole nation.  What ways to we come up with to get back at others, only to find devastating results for ourselves?