The Lord Will Reward You

           If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22)

It seems as though some people look at this passage as a means to an end. They want to send a lunch to their enemy and have $10,000 show up by dinner. As a bonus, they want their enemy to stand in awe and proclaim to all who will listen what a wonderful person you are, while everyone else sees what a louse he is (including him.)

Kosuke Koyama wrote an essay entitled, “The 3.5 Mile an Hour God,” in which He explains that while God can perform miracles in the blink of an eye, most of the time, He works at about the same pace that a person walks. He also seems content to work toward long-term goals in day-sized units. The reward we gain from doing good may be a long time coming.

There’s another consideration. We tend to see rewards as wealth, power, fame, or at least victory. But if you look through Scripture, you’ll find that God considers Himself the greatest reward. A second reward is our becoming “like the Most High.” The act of showing compassion, care, or hospitality to one’s enemies builds a Christlike character in us, if we don’t do it for the reward. That means that, ultimately, the act of giving food and water to an enemy is the victory or reward that we should seek.