“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you” (25:21-22). Yesterday we learned that “a gentle tongue can break a bone”. Today’s proverb continues in the same theme. The greatest way to repay an evil word or action against you is with kindness. If you pay back evil with evil, then the other person will go away feeling justified in what they have said or done to you. But if you repay evil with kindness the other person will go away carrying a clear sense of their own wrong and this is hard to bear. The Apostle Paul says of God that “it is his kindness that leads us to repentance” (Romans 2:4). God repays our evil with kindness, and this is what awakens our consciences and leads us to life. We are to reflect this order of things in how we respond to other people. Our kindness may lead others to turn to God. And if not then we can walk away from a situation without having been drawn into the anger and bitterness of our attackers. The apostle Paul quotes the above proverb in Romans 12 saying: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” That’s good advice.
Reflect on how this may apply in your life.
Read Proverbs 25:19-28
