“Heap Coals of Fire”

“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

How many of you have read this verse before? We probably all have. At first glance, these verses sound as though you are gaining revenge on your enemies by “killing them with kindness,” don’t they? I remember the first time I ever heard these verses explained. I was listening to a preacher on the radio in the car years ago and after hearing his explanation, I said to myself, “that can’t be right.” So I set out to check it out and sure enough, he was right.

Ok, so be honest, how many have people in their lives that just rub you the wrong way? Not only rub you the wrong way, but go out of their way to be, ok let’s just say it, mean! Sometimes we run across people who, for no apparent reason, want to make your life as miserable as they can. I have heard new converts tell how when they shared their new-found faith with their families, have been attacked by the very ones who supposedly “love” them. Why is that? What would be your reaction?

“See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.”

1 Thessalonians 5:15

If you are like most humans, our first instinct is to extend the claws, pull out the artillery, and prepare for war. So at first glance, looking at these verses, it sounds as though you do all these kind gestures to or for your enemy, but the end result of doing them will cause them pain and burn

up their heads. (My paraphrase.) Not so. Yes, the Bible does tell us to love our enemies. There are many, many verses that emphasize and reemphasize these commands from the Lord Himself.

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for the which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

Matthew 5:44

“Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.”

Romans 12:14

In order for these verses to say what we (I) thought they meant, would be to disregard the Lord’s teachings and commands because we wouldn’t be doing these “kind” things to be kind and forgiving, we would be doing them to make sure they got what was coming to them. Am I right? So what is the deal here? What is it really saying?

In Bible times, almost everything was carried on their heads – water jars, baskets of fruit, vegetables, fish or just about anything else that they would have to carry. They were really adept at carrying things on their heads and rarely ever touched it with their hands. They would walk

through crowded streets and among the throngs very easily. In their homes the only fire they had was kept in what was called a brazier. This provided not only warmth for the home but also provided a place for cooking. They guarded this fire and tried to never let it go out, but when and if it would, they would go to a neighbor’s home and borrow fire. Most likely it would be the woman of the home. She would then lift this brazier to the top of her head and carry it home. If her neighbor was especially kind and generous, she would “heap” the brazier full of coals to the very top. So in those days, to feed an enemy or give them something to drink was just like “heaping coals of fire on their head.” Almost giving life itself to your enemy. A gift of highest price and value.

So you see, the picture we envision when we read the phrase “heap coals of fire upon their head,” (vengeance) is far different than its true meaning. So the next time you want to set someone’s head on fire or say “Sic ‘em Lord,” remember that ALL of Christ’s teachings tell us to return evil with good. Not always easy to do, but what Christ commands.Who do you need to practice these commands on?

“Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing;”

1 Peter 3:9