Walking with the Wise #469: By Your Love

“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.”
—Proverbs 25:21-22

As long as sin remains in our fallen flesh, we will have enemies. But how are we to treat them? There are many different competing ideas as to how we are to treat our enemies—and they range from violence to blessing, from hating to helping. Are we to do unto them as they have done unto us? Using this proverb as a starting point, our Lord expands on the idea therein:

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful”—Luke 6:27-36.

Jesus’ words and today’s proverb remind us that we are to bless them—to seek their good. It’s an odd way of looking at it, but it’s the way God brought about our redemption. Yes, God is a God of wrath and judgment, but He is also the God of love. And He has ordained that mankind come to repentance by experiencing His loving kindness, goodness, grace and mercy as it was poured out on the cross. As Paul wrote,

“Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”—Romans 2:4.

God’s kindness to us is to lead us to repentance—and the same can be said for our acts of kindness to our enemies. As they see our kindness in response to their evil, they will wonder what would make us act in such a way toward them, and that will eventually, we pray, lead them to Jesus. By acting in a loving manner in the face of hate or injustice, we magnify the name of Jesus because we are responding in a way that is not natural to the flesh and can only be birthed by the Spirit of God bringing about the life of Jesus in and through us.

Are you loving your enemies? Do you seek their blessing? Are you doing good to them? It’s easy to slander, gossip or malign someone, but to bless them—that is a true act of Christlikeness. Bless your enemy, pray for them, and then watch and wait for God to work in their life to show them His loving kindness that is meant to lead them to repentance. Amen.