“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Romans 12:20 (NASB)
I remember today’s verse from my younger days when I would put into action with fervor against those who were nasty to me. I must own up, I thought of it as a suitable revenge… not what God had in mind when this was first written in Proverbs 25:21-22, and then quoted in Romans. But our text today misses out on the last line from Proverbs; “And the LORD will reward you“ – pointing to doing something worthy of a Godly reward. So, it is definitely not an action of revenge, but rather an action to benefit our enemy.
The hurt we experience at the hands of enemies is a temporary affair; it will pass, but this scripture refers to eternal matters of the soul that require repentance. The generous actions of one being persecuted will reflect the love of God in their life, a testimony that exhorts enemies to consider the Godly way. We are not to go about pouring burning coal on our enemy’s head … that would be wrong, and definitely get us in trouble. The coals are symbolic of encouraging repentance in our enemies when they see our Christ-likeness – the pricking of their conscience and conviction of the evil done. The touching of the conscience leads to repentance of the heart, and the reward we receive for leading someone closer to Christ – the approval of Father God.
Dear Reader, may we endeavor together to restrain our anger when others hurt us – applying the command of Christ to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-45). We are disciples of the Great Commission called to save lost souls for God’s Kingdom, and that includes those who hurt us.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
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