The exact thing these guys said they were going to do – “lie in wait for” and “waylay” others (:11) – is precisely what verse 18 said they wound up doing to themselves. Sounds like an episode of Wiley E. Coyote and the Road Runner!
Yet such scenarios happen all too frequently in real life and offer a couple of insights. First, these guys are really not that smart. Their best thinking not only didn’t work out, but it actually backfired on them and produced the exact opposite results.
While desiring “all sorts of valuable things” and “plunder” (:11) – and willing to do whatever necessary to get it – in the end, they were not able to appreciate or enjoy the stuff. On just the human level, the process of “going after ill-gotten gain” (:19) takes its own toll on us.
Secondly, while God isn’t mentioned in this section at all (:10-19), I suggest its a reminder to us that He is there, watching and He keeps score. In the end, we really don’t get away with anything!
If this passage reflects reality at all, the best I can do is quite making my own plans – let alone do things that will hurt others. God, being who He is, has a better plan for me and my life.