Loving God's Enemies

"If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; ²² for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you."

Proverbs 25:21-22

This proverb was repeated by Paul in Romans in the context of not avenging oneself and followed by Romans 12:21:  "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."  Jesus commanded His disciples to love their enemies, to do good to those who hated them, and to pray for those who spitefully used them.  We can show love by meeting the needs of others in practical ways, by providing food and drink when needed.  Doing so would bring burning shame upon adversaries for being enemies of those who are kind and compassionate, and God promises to reward those who show love even for enemies.  God is faithful to provide for our needs, guide our steps and will reward us by His grace.

Recently I was encouraged to consider this passage from a spiritual perspective.  There are people in the world who are enemies of God (who may not even realise it), who deny His existence and goodness, and oppose and scorn the truth of His word.  In their condition they are spiritually starving from a lack of Jesus who is the Bread of Life and the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.  What a blessing it is for God to supply wisdom from His word to speak the truth concerning Jesus on the authority of the word of God, for man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).  Man, in his natural state, drinks sin like water and has a spiritual thirst no amount of pleasure, fame or riches can satisfy.  Christians have the privilege to offer the Living Water of the Holy Spirit so people can drink through receiving the Gospel and live forever.

The spiritual implications of Proverbs 25:21-22 are held in tension with the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:6:  "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  There are times when enemies of God will hear and receive His word, and others will disregard the treasures of God's wisdom and attack us like enraged feral boars.  Jesus said of Pharisees He deemed blind leaders of the blind, "Let them alone.  When the blind lead the blind they will both fall into the ditch." (Matt. 15:14)  We need discernment provided by the Holy Spirit to love our enemies by speaking the truth and also to express our faith in God by remaining silent until He bids us speak.  We are called to give an answer for the hope that is in us to those who ask and contend for the faith, but we are not called to be contentious (1 Peter 3:15).

Another important point Solomon made is in Proverbs 26:4-5:  "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. ⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes."  These verse compliment one another:  we are not to engage in foolish disputes and stoop to the low level of personal attacks and insults, but at the same time we are to speak the wisdom of God's word to reveal the folly of falsehoods and contradictions of worldly wisdom--which is foolishness with God.  When we speak, let us do so lovingly with the wisdom of the Bible, not haughtily spouting our own opinions or condemning others as if we are without fault.  May we speak the truth of Jesus as we follow the example of our Saviour who was humble, gentle, patient and kind.  Let us feed on God's word and drink deeply of the fullness of the Spirit so God's glory and grace will shine through us.