36 ( O) Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. How do we apply that understanding to our lives. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Heaping coals on an enemys head is, therefore, a metaphor for providing a fire for his basic survival needs. 35 But ( K) love your enemies, ( L) do good, and ( M) lend, hoping for nothing in return and your reward will be great, and ( N) you will be sons of the Most High. 34 ( J) And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 31 ( H) And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.ģ2 ( I) “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 30 ( G) Give to everyone who asks of you. ( F) And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 29 ( E) To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. With God’s help, I got it right that morning and poured “burning coals on his head” in an intentional act of grace.27 ( B) “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 ( C) bless those who curse you, and ( D) pray for those who spitefully use you. I bet this is what Paul meant-just as Jesus meant when he said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Mt 5:45. When you do this for your enemy, you are helping rather than retaliating. By pouring coals on his head, you are helping rekindle your neighbor’s fireplace, heat his home and resume cooking. Within this cultural context, this puzzling scripture makes total sense. The neighbor would then pour hot coals into the basket to carry back home and reignite the hearth. But as the coals burned out, in order to restore heat, someone would go to a neighbor with a basket on his head. As the post explains it, in biblical times, it was a blessing to pour out hot coals on another’s head. If anything, it should harm my enemy. Proverbs 25:22 just made no sense.īut I recently read a clear explanation on a Messianic Jewish blog. This doesn’t sound like being good to our enemies. Pouring hot coals on someone’s head would logically hurt and burn our enemy. Pouring hot coals on your enemy’s head has never made sense to me, but I’ve come across it many times in reference to how we ought to treat our enemies. Now, nearly 3 years later, Proverbs 25:21-22 is crystal clear to me. I sensed it was what God wanted me to do, that it would be a lesson for me and perhaps for him. I knew I should help him despite what he had done to me. In fact, just a few months before this, I had gone through probably one of the most excruciatingly painful emotional experiences of my life having been kept out of partnership by him and his allies. What was profound about this situation was that, for several years before this, he was the chief opponent to my becoming a partner. Doctoring is one profession where you just don’t call off unless you are nearly on your deathbed. This kind of thing happens not infrequently at work. So I emailed him and offered to take the shift. I debated and struggled with whether to help or not. I happened to be up around 4AM to bring my son to the airport for his school trip. In 2010, a colleague of mine emailed the group at 1 o’clock in the morning in a last minute attempt to find coverage for his 6 AM shift because he was so sick. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,Īnd the Lord will reward you. ASV But if thine enemy hunger, feed him if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink. Romans 12:20 KJ21 Therefore: If thine enemy hunger, feed him if he thirst, give him drink. If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat
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