The character traits of how we should act as a Christian are laid out in many different places in the New Testament, but few stand out so prominently as the Beatitudes. Jesus Himself tells us in His opening statements of His ministry that blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those hungry and thirsty for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Jesus puts these words out there like a manifesto, and a declaration of spiritual war on those of the day who would pervert the Word of God. Never in those words are a description of vengeance, wrath, or pleasure in the misfortune or discipline of others. Regardless of the time of which you are trying to understand God’s Word, one message was consistent across all dispensations of the Bible and that is to not take revenge. Romans 12:19 illustrates this idea across time: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”
The writer is quoting from Deuteronomy 32:35, so the Old versus the New Laws do not matter. This leads to a question regarding the message in Proverbs 25:21-22 which reads, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head and the Lord will reward you.”
The first half of this passage is easy to understand how it fits with the messages of peace and lovingkindness that Christ speaks of in passages like the Beatitudes, or later in His Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:38-42: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
This relationship with other people where we should care for and not do evil to one another is consistent throughout the Bible. It is the second half of the passage that is confusing to some. Why would it be a reward to heap burning coals upon someone’s head? While it is true that this is figurative and that the people of God should not be dumping heaps of burning coals upon our enemies’ heads, many have interpreted the intention of this to be a type of satisfaction; a revenge of sorts for those who have done us wrong.
But it said in Romans: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Should we get satisfaction in knowing that we have inflicted frustration and spiritual turmoil upon someone else? Should that be our motivation? Is this the one bit of vengeance — achieved through kindness — God has allowed for us?
No. The message of the Bible is one which directs all persons toward salvation and back to God’s will. Having a mindset where we shall be kind to enact revenge is inconsistent with God’s will put forth in the Bible. Instead, it is an insight into how God will deal with the evil deeds of others through the conscience. The joy and satisfaction, or reward, which we experience in doing kindness to our enemies is a godly one.
In I Corinthians, a man was engaged in a terrible sinful practice and God said, “… you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5).
The Corinthian people were able to rejoice, not in throwing the man out and making him pay for his sinful lifestyle, but by what we see his reaction after going through this disciplinary action: “For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So, I beg you to reaffirm your love for him” (2 Corinthians 2:6-8).
Imagine the joy in the Corinthian church when this man, who was engaged in this heinous sin, was welcomed back. Joy is in repentance, and the coals are in the disciplinary actions motivated, not by revenge or the will to cause pain, but in a desire to see them repent and turn back to the Lord. We must keep our motivations in check and lest that we become victims of sin as well.
Lance Byers