Would You Show Kindness to Your Enemies?
Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who show kindness to their enemies. In Jesus’s name, amen.
To help an enemy is counterintuitive.
Solomon, in his wisdom, saw the benefit of providing food and drink for a hungry and thirsty enemy.
Proverbs 25:21-22 tells what happens to an enemy when showered with unexpected blessings.
“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.”
According to the notes for Proverbs 25-21-22 in the English Standard Version of the Bible, it says, “Although interpreters differ about the meaning of the metaphor of heaping coals on the enemy’s head, it is likely an image for leading him to repentance or shame, suggesting that he will feel inward burning pangs of guilt for his wrongdoing .”
As difficult as it might seem, when it is time to confront an enemy who is hungry or thirsty, do as the proverb says.
Tell me what you think in the comments below.
