25: 21-22. If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat,
and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink,
for you will heap coals of fire on their heads,
and the LORD will reward you.
Let me tell you a strange story. There was a time when Aram, aka Syria, was looking for a way to raid into northern Israel, again. Yet when they tried to enter, they found that Israel was there first with its troops. Elisha the prophet was warning them, so the king of Aram sent soldiers to capture him. They surrounded the city of Dothan where he was staying.
In the morning, Elisha’s servant looked over the walls and panicked because the city was under siege. Elisha prayed first that God would open the servant’s eyes; and the servant saw Aram’s soldiers themselves surrounded by fierce looking angel warriors.
Next, Elisha prayed that the soldiers of Aram would be blinded, and they were. Elisha went down and pretended to help; he led them into the capital city of Samaria. Then Elisha prayed that God would open their eyes, and they found themselves captive. The king of Israel said, “Father, shall I kill them?”
“(Elisha) answered, ‘No! Did you capture with your sword and bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink; and let them go to their master’. So he prepared for them a great feast; after they ate and drank, he sent them on their way, and they went to their master. And the Arameans no longer came raiding into the land” (II Kings 6: 8-23).
Strange indeed. This is the clearest example of this proverb in action that I know, and perhaps the source of the saying.
Jesus seems to have based some of his teachings on this proverb. For example, in his Sermon on the Mount, loving one’s enemy is one of several commands that seem impossible to keep.
Matthew 5: 43-48. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The Old Testament does say, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19: 18), but there is no clear statement that one should hate one’s enemy. If people are saying it, as Jesus implies, then they have made it up themselves.
Jesus adds that we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us; certainly tall orders that I do not see many Christians, including myself, following to the letter. The reason given, though, does not immediately concern the enemy, but rather because by loving our enemy we become more like our Father God. God blesses through the bounty of the earth, and that blessing is for all, both his followers and his enemies. The result of God’s behavior is that some may notice that God is blessing them, and thus draw near to God. Paul refers to God’s universal witness in Romans 1: 19-20.
Jesus does not mention, in the Matthew passage, the effect on one’s enemy. However, the proverb has this enigmatic statement: “for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the LORD will reward you.” It is not clear what the “coals of fire” are about, nor what the Lord will reward you for.
The term could refer to the coals in the censor that accompanied the sacrifices in the tabernacle and temple (Leviticus 16: 12). In addition, several visions of God are described as featuring coals. For example, “Out of the brightness before him there broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of fire (Psalm 18: 12; see also David’s song in II Samuel 22: 13; and see Ezekiel 1: 13). So, in some sense, showing love to your enemy brings on the presence of God, and that may lead to shame and repentance, though it is not guaranteed what your enemy will make of it.
To some, the reference sounds like more than shame, it sounds like punishment. The phrase is rendered that way in Psalm 16: 11. “On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur; a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.” This reminds us of Sodom and Gomorrah where fire and sulfur rained down on those who should have been ashamed, but would not repent (Genesis 19: 24).
Texts outside the Bible help us a little. The Apocryphal book II Esdras 16: 54 says “sinners must not say they have not sinned, for coals of fire will burn on their head of everyone who says ‘I have not sinned before God and his glory’” (Craig Keener and John Walton, editors, The NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, 2019; page 1069). Keener and Walton also note that there was an Egyptian practice of carrying coals on one’s head when walking to someone’s house to apologize and ask for forgiveness.
So, the meme, ‘coals of fire’ certainly is connected to the presence of God in a context of being shamed, asking for forgiveness, or facing punishment for failing to repent.
Maybe now we can understand Paul’s use of the meme.
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Romans 12: 14-21. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be arrogant, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” Instead, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink, for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
In the ideal, God’s character demands holiness and invites forgiveness when people repent. However, when that fails, then the same ‘coals of fire’ can become a means of judgment.