Proverbs 25:21-24 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 25:21-24, which read,

v.21, 22 - If your enemy is hungry, give him food 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.

We are instructed to love our enemies.  When you love someone and they are hungry then you feed them.  When you love someone and they are thirsty then you give them something to drink.  But your enemy is not expecting this type of response.  They are looking for just the opposite because that is what they would do to you.  The difference is that you don't look at your enemy as the enemy.  They no longer have that classification in your heart and mind.  They may oppose you but you do not want to destroy them but rather see something good happen to them.

Hot coals were put on metals to melt them to dross out the impurities.  It was a purification process.  When we show kindness to those called our enemies then we start to melt the hardness within them.  So this is not some evil plot to get them back but rather a way to soften their hearts to see the One you love who is loving them by us caring for their needs.  

Paul quotes this proverb in the New Testament in Romans 12:20 and finishes with his commentary in verse 21 which says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."  Jesus gives instruction along these lines in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:43-45 which reads, "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 sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

God loves those who oppose Him.  He offers what we call common grace to all.  They are able to live in this beautiful world that He has created.  They strive and thrive even if they don't acknowledge Him or walk in His ways.  Their eternal outcome is based on His saving grace but His common grace is given to all and so we should give common grace to all around us and provide what is needed.  The Father does this and so we as His children should do the same.  God works wonders through these acts of us acting like Him.

v.23, 24 - The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.  It is better to live in a corner of the roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

We have a cause and effect going on here.  We feel first the cold north wind and then the rain comes.  We hear the words of a backbiting tongue and then the countenance of anger comes.  Those words used to harm others will have an effect to not just those who they are about but also spread the evil unholy message to others to response inappropriately.  We can get angry about something that is not true or that should have been handled between the two parties involved without the practice of going behind the back to tell someone else.  Better yet is to not be or seen as a cold north wind bringing rain.  What kind of wind and weather are you bringing with your tongue?

The homes had roof tops that were part of the living space kind of like a patio.  Many times they might sleep up there.  It was out of the way of the active part of the home.  Maybe this would be the equivalent of the garage for the man to hide out in when things are not going well with his wife.  Here is a Jewish man hanging out on the roof in one corner in peace rather than downstairs where the food is and the comfortable chair but tension is thick in the air.  The uncomfortable or less desirable setting with peace is better than the comfortable or desirable surroundings with unrest.  

Sorry ladies about you being the object of the contentions and know that it can go both ways.  A contentious person is someone who is obstinate and argumentative.  They are irritating and unrelenting like Proverbs 19:13, "A foolish son is destruction to his father, and the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping."  This proverb is actually an echo of Proverbs 21:9 which reads, "It is better to live in a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman."  The point:  don't be that person.  You drive people away to find peace.  They will go up on the roof to find it.  Look around you.  Do you see anyone?  Or are they up on the roof or in the garage or hiding out in the bathroom or in a closet with a flashlight reading?  What kind of affect are you having on others?

Don't see your enemies as enemies but actually as people you can serve with the resources that God has given you and maybe you will see God do a great work in them.  Keep your tongue in check to speak words that honor God and His creations.  Follow His practices when conflicts arise so that you don't make more of the situation than it is.  Desire to have the house, main level, full of those wanting to be there because you are there.  It is not so much because of you but because of who you are following after.  They are feeling the effects of God through your words and actions.  Let us pray.

"Lord, again so much good wisdom to follow every day.  Change our hearts toward those who oppose us and You.  May we see ways to serve them.  May we be a warm south wind that brings up even a warm rain that is a joy to stand in even though we are getting wet.  Help us to see how we can touch people's lives to know more of You and therefore they might know You are their peace.  Amen."

Pastor Adam