It is written in the book of Romans, Chapter 12:

Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, on your part, be at peace with all men. Beloved, do not revenge yourselves, but give place to the wrath, for it has been written, “Vengeance is Mine, I shall repay,” says יהוה. Instead, if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink, for in so doing you shall heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

What in the world did the Apostle Paul mean when he said to “heap coals of fire” on the head of your enemy? I’ve heard it said that it’s the equivalent of saying “they have egg on their face.” Could it be an idiom for repentance, and that by doing good to your enemy, you lead them to repent? Or simply some token of penitence? A simple Internet search turns up all kinds of ideas about the meaning of these verses. Still others might say, “No, no, no, it doesn’t mean that! It’s all about judgment, because it says ‘Vengenence is Mine.”

I submit that heaping coals on someone’s head means that you are blessing them.

In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul – or Shaul – is referencing a few different verses from the Tanach. Particularly, Deuteronomy 32:35 (The Song of Moses), and Proverbs 25:21-22. In context of Romans, Shaul is talking about being merciful and kind towards your enemies, much as when Yeshua said, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those insulting you and persecuting you, so that you become sons of your Father in the heavens.” In this context, one of overcoming evil with good, we should avoid being too narrow-minded in saying that these verses are only referring to judgment, or are simply idiomatic. It may be deeper than that.

Vengeance belongs to YHWH, yes this is true, and we are to let Him take care of our needs, having complete trust for His will in our lives. If we are going to dig a little deeper though, let us take a look at Proverbs 25:21-22:

If your enemy is hungry give him bread to eat, And if he is thirsty give him water to drink, For you are heaping coals of fire on his head, And יהוה rewards you.

Backing-up a few verses earlier, it’s interesting that the proverb says:

A man bearing false witness against his neighbor is like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow. Trust in a treacherous man in time of distress is like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint.

So we are not to trust in treacherous men, but we are to give to them if they need, and by doing this we receive a reward. There is a concept in Biblical studies called the law of first mention that says we can gather meaning from words based-on looking at the first time that they are used in Scripture. For example, the first time that “coal,” or gechel, is used in Scripture is in Leviticus 16:12:

But the goat on which the lot for Azazel fell is caused to stand alive before יהוה, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness to Azazel. And Aharon shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall slaughter the bull as the sin offering which is for himself, and shall take a fire holder filled with burning coals of fire from the altar before יהוה, with his hands filled with sweet incense beaten fine, and shall bring it inside the veil.

So we see that Aharon took a heap of coals with incense inside the veil on Yom HaKippurim. Take note that the High Priest took a heap of coals, because the Apostle, Shimon Kepha, writes in 1 Peter 2:9:

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood.

And:

You also, as living stones, are being built up, a spiritual house, a set-apart priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Elohim through Yeshua HaMashiach.

Shaul also writes in Romans, Chapter 12 (just before he talks about “heaping coals”):

I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of Elohim, to present your bodies a living offering – set-apart, well-pleasing to Elohim – your reasonable worship.

Elsewhere, we read in Revelation, chapter 8:

And another messenger came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer, and much incense was given to him, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the set-apart ones upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the set-apart ones, went up before Elohim from the hand of the messenger. And the messenger took the censer, and filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, and thunders, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

So, the smoke of the incense is the prayers of the saints, and we as a royal priesthood are to offer ourselves up as a living sacrifice. When we love our enemies, feed them, and give them drink, we are acting as priests taking a heaping pan of coals and placing it on the altar with incense that rises up as a pleasing aroma to our Elohim. By doing so, we show the world that we are B’nei El Chai, children of the living God.

Perhaps by loving our enemies, we are able to overcome evil with good. By seeing our actions, our enemy, and those in the world, could come unto repentance. As Yaakov writes in the book of James 5:20:

He who turns a sinner from the straying of his way shall save a life from death and cover a great number of sins.

We should take note that kippur as in Yom HaKippurim means “cover” – like a kippah (those skull caps that some Jewish and Messianic believers wear). When one turns a sinner away from sinning, they cover a great number of sins.

As the Prophet Yeshayahu said, Isaiah 6:5-9:

“Woe to me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips – for my eyes have seen the Sovereign, יהוה of hosts. And one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your crookedness is taken away, and your sin is covered.”

Isn’t it interesting that the prophet’s sins were taken away – or covered – by a coal from the altar?

Of course, judgment will come to the unrepentant, and like Revelation says, the censer will be thrown to the earth, but is that really what Shaul is writing about in Romans 12? It is no coincidence that the High Priest takes coal and incense from the alter on the Day of Coverings – Yom HaKippurim – one of the most kodesh days of the year where we as a people have our sins covered.

Yes it’s true that vengeance belongs to YHWH El Shaddai, but the Apostle Shaul also says that we are to offer ourselves up as a living sacrifice. Are there multiple layers of meaning and deeper concepts that Shaul is alluding to? We can and should offer up spiritual offerings as priests to the Living Elohim by loving our enemies, so that by bringing them to repentance their sins are covered! Does “heaping coals” on the head of your enemy only mean judgment upon them? That seems like a narrow-minded way of reading the text. The ways of our loving and merciful Father in the Shamayim involve selflessness, forgiveness, and kindness in the face of adversity. We need only look to Yeshua as our example. So I encourage you to get out there and start heaping coals on people, not in judgment, but in love, covering sins with coals from the alter and bringing sinners from straying in their ways.

Shalom