# 473 The Proverbs – ‘A manual for living’ (MSG). Proverbs 25 (4) “A tsunami of hate…”

Has anyone ever said to you, “I hate you”? Or have you ever said this to someone or about someone? Similar to all human emotions that express themselves in words, they can also then express themselves in action, and the expression of hatred can lead to violence and other dire consequences. If the world needs less of anything right now (and I can think of quite a few things), it certainly could do with less hatred. One tragic report says:

“Around the world, hate – acts of hostility, prejudice or discrimination towards individuals or groups – has been steadily on the rise. In May 2020, the United Nations raised the alarm about a “tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scaremongering around the world” during the COVID-19 pandemic.” And sadly, this has not decreased since then. Reach 2025: The Cycle of Hate – CIFAR

So, Proverbs has something to say about this problem and gives a revolutionary solution and this verse is then repeated in the New Testament (NT). It says:

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

Nielson comments:

“This is not only a call to restraint in taking vengeance [fired by hatred] on our enemies, more than that, it is a call to do good [motivated by love] to them, giving bread and water – hopefully awakening their consciences, which will burn in them – and waiting on the Lord for justice. 20:22 told us not to repay evil, but to ‘wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.’”  (# 55)

In the NT we find this repeated in the letter of Paul to the Romans. The context is Paul exhorting the believers in Jesus to wholehearted commitment to Him and a turning away from the ways of the world around us as follows:

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (13:1-2 NLT)

Paul then goes on to teach what being transformed looks like practically in all our relationships and activities in our communities. He says:

⁹ Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. ¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.  (13:9-10 NLT)

And then to our topic today:

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 

¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”
    says the Lord.    [Deuteronomy 32:35)

²⁰ Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”  (Proverbs 25:21-22)

²¹ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.  (13:14, 17-21 NLT)

So, as we read the NT we see that this was also the teaching of Jesus who said:

²⁷ “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. ²⁸ Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. ²⁹ If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. ³⁰ Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. ³¹ Do to others as you would like them to do to you…

³⁵ “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. ³⁶ You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. (Luke 6:27-31, 35-36)

And these were not just nice words, but Jesus also lived this truth out in his life, as Peter wrote:

²¹ For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

²² He never sinned,
    nor ever deceived anyone.
²³ He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
    nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
    who always judges fairly.
(1 Peter 2:21- 23)

Father, our world is overwhelmed by hatred in so many ways – verbally and on social media in the form of hate speech, in our own nations with discrimination and animosity to people from different cultures to our own, overseas with violence amongst ethnic groups, opposing political parties, and even full-scale war and killing. We are in desperate need of your intervention in our broken world. Have mercy, Lord, and help us, your people to not just pretend to love others. [but to] Really love them. [to] Hate what is wrong. [and to] Hold tightly to what is good.  In the wonderful name of Jesus, who loved us and gave his life for us. Amen.