“To the contrary, ‘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.'” – Romans 12:20
To The Contrary
It is not in our nature to love our enemies. We would rather practice an eye for an eye. You knock out my tooth I’ll knock out yours! Vengeance is mine declares our pride!! “Vengeance is mine.” God reminds us. To the contrary…Heap burning coals on your enemies heads! I can live with that. That sounds more like our flesh speaking. Or does it?
God tells us that vengeance is His. He will repay our enemies. Our command is to meet their needs. If they are hungry we are to feed them. If they are thirsty we are to give them something to drink. It is difficult to set aside our pride to meet the needs of others. Especially those we deem our enemies. In our society, not many of us probably encounter a lot of people who are in dire need of food or drink. But how about meeting the needs of those with spiritual hunger and thirst? Our enemies may have the greatest needs. Where do burning coals come into play?
Burning Coals
Some believe that by caring for our enemies, we will shame them and hence the term heaping burning coals on their heads. I prefer another interpretation. In the ancient world, a fire in the home was critical. It was necessary as a source of heat and for cooking. If your fire went out you could be in a desperate situation. Quickly starting a fire was not an option. Instead you were at the mercy of your neighbors. Apparently, the practice in such a situation was to carry a clay urn on your head and go to your neighbors asking for burning coals from their fires to carry home for the hearth. To fulfill such a request was to do them a great favor. Both interpretations are possible, but I believe the second fits the context better. How does it look in practice?
Starting a Fire
Working with a Pregnancy Care Center years ago I remember reading a very touching story. Day after day a certain doctor would make his way to work showered with jeers and threats. He worked at an abortion clinic and the protesters let him know what they thought of his profession. Among the crowd of protesters stood a pastor. He did not shout at or threaten the doctor. Vengeance wasn’t his objective. To the contrary, each day as the doctor walked past him the pastor would simply tell this doctor, whom spiritually would definitely be his “enemy”, that God loved him, and so did he. In time the pastor gained the trust of the doctor and the two agreed to meet for lunch. Eventually, the abortion doctor became a born again Christian and left his practice. Spiritual enemies became spiritual brothers. Not only did the doctor quit taking the lives of babies, but he would become a great voice in the battle to protect the unborn. The doctor had a great need. The pastor heaped burning coals on his head.
Genuine Love
Let’s go back to Romans chapter twelve. Most of us are familiar with the first two verses about offering our bodies as a living sacrifice and being transformed by the renewing of our minds. But how does this flesh out? Look at verse nine. “Let love be genuine.” Do you think the motive of this pastor in regards to the abortion doctor was to shame him? Or did he see a man who needed his (spiritual) fire lit and therefore chose to heap burning coals on his head from the fire of Christ’s love? That is not to say that our enemies won’t be shamed. Godly sorrow leads to repentance. Obviously that is a good thing. But some of us may be more concerned about the shame than the repentance. My concern is not just the action but the motive. To serve with a desire to shame feels a little like a tinge of vengeance. To serve because we see the needs of our enemies and to meet their needs without a shadow of self pride feels more like genuine love. I can’t be too dogmatic, but it is food for thought.
Vengeance and conviction belong to God. Our calling is to love. Genuinely.
Fire Starters
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:31-32
“See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:15
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:35-36
Have an enemy in need? Worried about revenge? Let love be genuine. Be a contrarian. Heap burning coals on their heads and let God take care of the rest.
“Let love be genuine…Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘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.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:9, 17-21