Scripture – Romans 12:20

The Old Testament provides many examples of revenge, getting even or payback time. The “eye for eye” principle was an all-too-common practice, to return to your enemy what he had done to you. This meant keeping books so the revenge could be exact. This is good for civil courts, but the believer is shown a more excellent way to deal with enemies. Vengeance belongs to God, not to believers (Romans 12:19).

In the New Testament the believer is shown a superior plan to the Old Testament one. If your enemy is hungry – feed him; thirsty, give him a drink. While doing this, “coals of fire are being heaped upon his head.” His resistance towards you is softening and being broken down. Metal workers put coals on metal to break down or thaw it. The same can happen to our enemy when we return good for evil. Our acts of kindness can thaw his attitude towards us and show him the true character of Christ.

The metaphor used in this passage is a man with coals of fire in a basin carried on his head and going from house to house in the village providing hot coals to villagers to light their early morning fire. This is a great relationship builder, such as missionaries use today to build bridges to the unsaved. I personally saw an example of this in India with our missionary who allowed the Hindu neighbors to come and draw water from his personal well each day. As a result, it opened the door for personal evangelism.

Scholars remind us that in Egypt a person put coals in a basin, placed it on his head and stood at the street corner, showing a repentant attitude and change of mind.

We aren’t to destroy our enemy, but show kindness when such was not shown to us. The believer may suffer wrongfully and hurt because someone took advantage of him, but must always remember, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov 16:7).  ”Heaping coals of fire on his head” is one of the ways to please the Lord.

Mar 24th by admin