I was reading Proverbs this morning and since I didn’t used to understand this section, I figured there might be some other folks who would be interested in it’s true meaning:
Proverbs 25:21-22
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.

Many American might read that and think “Yes! I can love my enemies like Matthew says and they’re still going to get burned by God!”

But that’s not the actual meaning of this verse. To gain a true understanding, one must understand the customs in biblical times. They used fires daily for cooking and let it burn at night to have for the next day. If a family awoke and found that their fire had completely gone during the night, they would go to one of their neighbors and request some coals with which to rebuild their fire.

They carried the coals on top of their head in a clay pot of sorts. It was cold out in the morning, so besides allowing them to restart their own fire, the coals warmed the carrier also.

“Heaping coals of fire upon his head” was a loving and friendly thing to do. It was neighbors being good neighbors. This is what brings the LORD to reward a person.