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"If your enemy is hungry, feed him..."

Text: Romans 12:20

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

Paul did not believe in aggression that is fueled by evil thoughts. Neither did he teach mere passivity in the face of evil. His stance was not a new idea at all. His approach was drawn from the Scriptures of great antiquity.

“Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Romans 12:20

1. The Book of Proverbs

a) Paul cited the text from the Book of Proverbs.

The actual text is as follows:

“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the LORD will reward you.”
Proverbs 25:21-22

b) Practical wisdom may be drawn from Proverbs

i) Feed the enemy

ii) Quench the thirst of an enemy

iii) It is the humane thing to do!

c) Profound wisdom is to be found from Proverbs too

i) Coals of fire is a reference to Divine Justice

ii) There must be trust that God will uphold divine justice

iii) He will punish the wicked in due time

iv) He will reward the good and righteous person who practices benevolence

2. The Relevance of Proverbial Wisdom

a) The wisdom of ancient days transcends time

b) The believer is urged to practice his faith in the hardest of circumstances