If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. – Proverbs 25:21

Today’s Scripture Reading (January 9, 2026): Proverbs 25

On September 2, 2025, the US military carried out an attack on a Venezuelan boat suspected of carrying drugs. The first US attack destroyed the ship. However, that attack left survivors who were struggling to stay alive in the ocean. It was at that point that the United States military leadership, how high this was chased up the chain of command is still an open question, did something that has been the subject of much disagreement. It ordered a second strike to kill the survivors who were left in the water. The second strike was considered problematic because it targeted vulnerable individuals who posed no harm. At the very least, they could have been picked up and questioned, an act which would have provided information that might have helped the military plan future attacks in the war on drugs.

In my view, there was much that was wrong with these attacks. The U.S. attack on Venezuela has been a one-sided affair. To my knowledge, the September 2 attack was the only attack that had left survivors. The U.S. leadership claims that these boats are carrying drugs, but because everyone is dead, that is the only information we have available. Some clearly accept the U.S. military command's explanation. Others are more skeptical. But regardless of which side you are on, one of the problems with the second attack on September 2 was that it silenced possible witnesses to the crime, whether that crime was the movement of drugs or the murder of innocent people on the boat. If the U.S. attacks are on drug boats, these witnesses might have been able to support the story of the U.S. government. However, the second strike ensured that any potential evidence was never presented to either a U.S. or an international court.

Part of the story of Solomon is that he was supposed to be the King of Peace. I don’t think that was completely possible in this era, where Kings went to war to expand their territory, something that is against international law today. But Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem because his father had too much blood on his hands, even though the Temple was the dream of David, not Solomon. So, this King of Peace instructs that we should give food to the hungry enemy and water to the thirsty enemy. We are to care even for those who oppose us. It is a revolutionary idea, and one that Jesus built on in the Sermon on the Mount. 

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that (Matthew 5:43-47).

That probably means that if your enemy is drowning, don’t send a second strike, but rather a boat to save them.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 26