"If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee."
Proverbs 25:21-22
Part 3
Yesterday:
Bible examples of real men who took care of the needs of their enemies.
Today:
Solomon gives us two reasons that we should treat our enemies kindly.
“For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head,”
Caring for your enemy is totally unexpected. To do so awakens their conscience. Jesus taught us to treat them right.
“But I say unto you, Love [agapao] your enemies, bless [eulogeo] them that curse you, do good [poiew kalos] to them that hate you, and pray [proeuchomai] for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44).
Jesus prescribes four necessary actions for us to do toward our enemies:
Love them. To your enemy, you demonstrate love.
Bless them. To those who curse you, you bless.
Do good to them. To those who despitefully use you, you treat well.
Pray for them. To those who persecute you, you pray for.
Why should we do these kind things to enemies? For the “coals of fire” effect. Part of the ministry of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement was,
“And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail,” (Leviticus 16:12).
This incense made a smell of a sweet savor around the Mercy Seat. To “heap coals of fire on the enemies head,” was a metaphor for the kind treatment he receives instead of the bad treatment that he deserves. The “coals of fire” are to produce “burning shame” in the enemy.
“The first emotion in another caused by the good done to him may be one of burning shame, but the shame will do its work and the heart also will burn, and prayer and confession and thanksgiving will rise as incense to the throne of God. Thus, “we shall overcome evil with good,”1 (Barnes).
Our goal is to help our enemy turn to our God in saving faith.
“And the LORD shall reward thee.”
Regardless of the response of our enemy, the LORD assures those who treat their enemies well a reward for their efforts.
Our kindness to our enemies is Christlike and will be rewarded.
1. Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.