Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him

"Backfired!"

No one will dispute the fact that Scott Kemery had a problem. The story carried by "Newsday" tells of how this 44-year-old resident of Eastport, NY discovered bed bugs in a rental car he was driving. He decided he had to take action.

I'm happy to report that I've never experienced bed bugs (knock on wood!), but from all reports they are a painful nuisance. But if I had to choose between bed bugs and being burned by fire, I think I know which I would choose.

Somehow Kemery got the message that dousing these fiery critters with alcohol would kill them. That's what he did, splashing rubbing alcohol generously in the car. If only he had not lit up a cigarette while sitting in that vehicle! Now he is recovering from first and second-degree burns.

The incident reminds me of a skit on the old "Amos 'n Andy" radio program. Amos was complaining to Andy about a fellow who always slapped him on his chest when they met. "I'm going to fix him," Amos declared. "I'm going to strap some dynamite on my chest, and he's going to get it the next time he slaps me!" That plan, if ever carried out, was sure to backfire.

Vengeance is our attempt to retaliate for annoying "bed bugs" in our lives. Someone says something insulting to us; perhaps they cut us off in traffic; maybe they have won the hand of the young man or woman we secretly admired - there are hundreds of reasons people seek revenge. But they're all liable to backfire in one way or another.

The wise man spoke about the dangers of seeking retribution: "Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him" (Proverbs 26:27). Those who do evil are often caught up in their own devices.

The best illustration in the Bible is Haman, the sinister villain in the book of Esther (we recommend you read this book!). Long story short, Haman's anger toward Mordecai was so intense he had a gallows built upon which to hang this annoying fellow. But in the end, guess who was hanged? "So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai" (Esther 7:10).

Each of us have "bed bugs" in our lives that we'd like to get rid of. The Bible teaches us the better way to live: "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:19). Deal with the annoyances with patience and with confidence that God will set things right in His own time.

Timothy D. Hall.