April 23 Click on verses for Full Scripture

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Today's Pathway: Romans 12:17-21 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Paul finishes off this chapter with instructions on dealing with those who mistreat us. He begins by stating that we should not do evil things to others even if they have done evil things to us. It is certainly tempting to change the Golden Rule (Luke 6:31) into "do unto others as they have done unto you", but this is not what the Bible says. If we respond to those who have sinned against us by sinning against them, we have not only disobeyed the Lord, but we have lowered ourselves to their level, and are no better in this regard than they are. Why would we want to become just like those people whose behavior we find offensive? That doesn't make any sense, and it is forbidden by God. Paul then says that we should "provide things honest". The word "provide" means "to think ahead". "Honest" is a translation of a word which means "beautiful" or "valuable", and is often translated "good". Kenneth Wuest defined it this way:

"Goodness that is seen on the exterior of a person, the outward expression of an inward goodness."

Verse 18 teaches that we should try to get along with everyone. This is not confined only to those who treat us well, but it extends to those who have mistreated us as well. Paul understood that sometimes others will not want to live peaceably with us, and there is nothing that we can do about that. We can not make people do what they should, but we can choose to be peaceful towards them. I can only control what I can control, and what I can control is my own attitude, speech, and actions. According to verse 19, I am not to seek revenge on those who have harmed me. I need to learn to control my wrath. Rather than avenge myself, I need to "give place" to God to avenge me in His way and in His time. The Bible tells us that God will take vengeance on those who deserve it (Deuteronomy 32:35), and He can "repay" them in a way that is far superior to anything that I can think of.

Because of this, in verse 20, I need to start doing good to those who have offended me. Notice that it is insufficient to simply not retaliate. We should not seek revenge, but we should also find ways to be a blessing to that person in spite of his actions. We need to find out what his needs are and meet them. By doing so we will "heap coals of fire on his head". This phrase has been interpreted several different ways. Some believe that this means that our kindness will "burn" him and hurt him. The context does not seem to fit that explanation. Others think that it refers to lending coals to a man whose home fire has gone out so that he can restart it. These coals would have been carried in a container on the individual's head. It would be like our expression "killing someone with kindness". Still others think that it means that his conscience will begin to burn because of his sin and he will be more likely to repent. Whichever of these views is correct, the principle remains the same: do what is right to others regardless of what they may have done to you, and let God handle the rest. In verse 21 Paul sums up this entire section. Don't let the wrong that other people do wreck your Christian life. Don't let Satan win the victory in your life because of your improper response to the things that were done to you. Instead, choose to overcome their evil, and any evil that you might have in your own heart, by doing good. Then you will have the true victory that comes to those who have trusted and followed the Lord's direction.