Daily Word: Dealing With Opposition

Proverbs 25:21-22 says: If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon his head, And Jehovah will reward thee. (ASV) The JPS Study Bible comments: "Rather than seeking vengeance, treat a vulnerable enemy kindly. Then he will be ashamed and God will reward your kindness. Amenemope advises that when the wicked man is in trouble, 'Fill his belly with bread of your own, that he be sated and weep.'" Who or what is Amenemope? It is book of writings similar to Proverbs from Egypt. Amenemope’s text was a collection of maxims and admonitions setting forth practical instructions for living. In particular, many parallels have been drawn between the form and content of portions of Amenemope’s work and the Book of Proverbs found in our Bible, although the interrelationship between the two books has been debated. The point to emphasize is that the idea of helping those that oppose you was not such a new concept that would have been resisted. Yet, how often do we resist the idea of helping those that oppose us?

Jesus said in Matthew 5:44: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.... (KJV) Certainly, the verses in Proverbs would have been foundational to Jesus' words. When we see the Hebrew word picture for bless, the words of Paul in Romans 12:20 become even more powerful: 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. (KJV) One of the words for bless in Hebrew is a-shar and it means to place fire on the head. When we are kind to our enemies, we place fire on their heads, i.e. we bless them.

Today, consider how you do with opposition. However, remember that the verse deals with a "vulnerable enemy." You are not required to assist the enemy that still seeks and has the ability to destroy you. The verse applies when the enemy is no longer a threat to you. Understanding this point makes the verse clear and applicable to our lives. It does not require one to be a "super saint," only an obedient one. (Is there any other type?)