12:20
Instead we are to feed our enemy, or give him a drink. I.e. we are to act well towards him. This will “heap burning coals on his head”. This last bit can be taken in various ways. It could mean that his ire is softened and he comes to repentance, or that our refusal to repay evil with evil really annoys him and ultimately makes him suffer more. Either outcomes are possible.
12:21
This final verse of the chapter sums up the teaching. We are to overcome evil with good, not be overcome by evil. Note that there is a recognition that there is evil. There is bad behaviour and we are not to pretend that everyone is good really. Also it does not mean that we never use the judicial process. Acting properly, the judicial system is an instrument of God’s justice. Of course, no human justice system is ever perfect, and sometimes they are downright corrupt, but we must not take on responsibilities that are not rightly ours.
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