| “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee” (Proverbs 25:21-22). |
| “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head” (Romans 12:20). |
| God thought that this verse was so important that He put it in both the Old and the New Testaments. But have you ever wondered what it means to heap coals of fire on someone’s head? Does it really mean to put hot coals on someone’s head, and burn them? No, that is not what it means. |
| Back before matches were invented, it was important for people to keep their fires burning constantly, so that they did not go out. Some people knew how to make a fire by rubbing two dry sticks of wood together, but many did not know how to do this. If they allowed their fire to go out, most people had to go to the nearest neighbor and get some hot coals to restart their fire. Usually the hot coals were carried in a container on the head of the person, for most people in the east carry loads on their heads. The container with the hot coals would rest on a special roll of cloth, shaped like a big donut, so that it did not burn the person who was carrying it. |
| If a neighbor came for some hot coals to restart his or her fire, some people would give out only a very few, and then he or she would have to hurry home before the coals went out. But a generous neighbor would give plenty of coals, heaping them up, so that they would stay hot. If someone was your enemy and had not been nice to you, it would be tempting to give him just a few coals. But the Lord tells us to do good to our enemies, for this is the way God has treated us. He has sent His Son to save us when we were His enemies. Now we are to show the character of God in dealing with our enemies. Then perhaps they will want to listen to the gospel and get saved! |
