? Heaping Burning Coals

             In Romans 12.20, the apostle Paul quotes Proverbs 25.21-22 as he instructs his Christian readers to peacefully bless those who persecute them and to never take their own revenge. Instead, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” When we read this graphic proverb, what do we learn from it? What does it mean?

Do we learn that we can take smug satisfaction in acting kindly towards our enemies, knowing that taking care of their needs will cause them pain? If God doesn’t allow us to blatantly hurt someone who has hurt us, perhaps he lets us indirectly torment our enemies? Surely such a nasty attitude is far from God’s intention in writing those words! In Romans 12, where the proverb is used, the context is all about striving to live in harmony, aiming for peace, and overcoming evil with good. God never wants us to act kindly for the selfish purpose of causing harm. But what does He want?

He wants us to serve our enemies for the purpose of helping them to see the error of their ways. By blessing when we’re cursed and serving when we’re trampled, we prompt the consciences of our enemies to prick them, which will hopefully cause them to recognize their evil and change their ways.

This proverb reminds me of David in 1 Samuel 24, who was handed the opportunity to kill his enemy, King Saul. Instead of ending Saul’s life (which David’s men heartily encouraged) and paying Saul back for the horrible treatment he had received, David made it clear to Saul that it was not his place to take judgment into his own hands and kill the Lord’s anointed. “May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you” (1 Samuel 24.12). Although Saul was scorched by David’s coals of kindness, he unfortunately did not change and later experienced the wrath of God’s judgment. Saul died in battle with the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, and David had nothing to do with it. When we leave our enemies in the hands of God, He is sure to deal with them appropriately. Instead of worrying about vengeance, it is our job to show the love of Christ towards them and pray for their reconciliation with God.

When it comes to serving others who are unkind to us, Proverbs 25.21-22 causes us to ask some important questions of ourselves. Am I serving my enemy as this passage commands? If so, am I serving my enemy because I know it’s the rule, or worse, because I want to subtly get back at him? Or, am I serving my enemy because this is God’s plan to turn the hearts of the wicked back to Him?

Nathan Combs