“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.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
(Romans 12:20–21, NASB95)
Continuing from the previous post we are considering our
response to ill treatment, recognizing that God is the One who is sovereign
over all of our lives and who knows to what ends he is working even ill
treatment in us and in the lives of those who might inflict it.
Think about this, when our enemy is at his weakest we have
the opportunity to speak into his life. When he is hungry or thirsty and
vulnerable or even receptive to being helped we have the opportunity that we
might not otherwise have to provide that help. We have the opportunity to give
to them something that they would not have given to us, but even more likely
might have taken from us. We can show them mercy, when maybe in our hearts we
might have been wishing harm or thinking they are getting exactly what they
deserve.
We can be so thankful that our God does not give us what we
deserve, because as the righteous Judge we are all guilty and deserving of
death and eternal separation from Him. But because of His great love He saved
us, not on the basis of our righteous deeds, but on the basis of His mercy. “But
when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved
us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but
according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy
Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,”
(Titus 3:4–6, NASB95)
Jesus, as we read in Matthew 5:43-48, gave us instruction on
how we are to live differently than the world where people get what they
deserve. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You
shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love
your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of
your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the
good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love
those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do
the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your
heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43–48, NASB95)
God has called us to live by a different standard, one of
mercy and grace. And Scripture tells us that when we live by that standard that
it will impact others for His glory. Romans 12:20 goes on to say, “FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON
HIS HEAD.” In our humanness we might want to do exactly that and in
effect scorch a new message into their brains. But this is not what the passage
intends.
In the ESV Study Bible we read of this phrase that it, “Refers
to an ancient Egyptian custom in which a person who wanted to show public
contrition carried a pan of burning coals on his head. The coals represented
the burning pain of his shame and guilt. When believers lovingly help their
enemies, it should bring shame to such people for their hate and animosity (cf.
Prov. 25:21–22).” John MacArthur in his study Bible goes on to add “Most
interpreters think Paul is teaching that the Christian is to do good to people
so that they will feel ashamed and repent, and that sense is possible. But in
the OT “burning coals” always represent punishment (2 Sam. 22:13; Ps. 11:6;
18:8, 12–13; 140:10), so another interpretation is that Paul is repeating the
thought of Rom. 12:19: Christians are to do good to wrongdoers, recognizing
that God will punish them on the last day if they refuse to repent.”
While we may not know exactly what the writer of Proverbs
meant by this phrase, we do know that it had the impact of emphasizing that we
are not to live as those who do evil to others, and in so doing as we respond
with kind and compassionate acts we are drawing a line which evidences the difference
Christ makes in our lives. God may lead this to soften their hearts such that
they repent or it may further prove the judgment that awaits their rebellion.
This is not within our control. What is within our control is how we live
before all men, including those who treat us harshly.
Verse 21 summarizes this for us. Don’t let the
evil things that people do toward us harden our hearts in such a way that we
think and act just as them. But actively consider these encounters as an
opportunity to trust God’s strong hands and His faithful work. Who knows whose
heart might melt when we show God’s love—God does.
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