“The righteous person will be repaid on the earth.” Proverbs 11:31 is one of the many “ideal” promises in the Word of God. It was always God’s intention that people would get what they deserve in this life, and that is expressed in verses such as Proverbs 11:31. This verse would be fulfilled here on earth today if we lived in a godly world with godly people, but because there are evil people and the Devil is the god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 John 5:19), righteous and wicked people do not always get what they deserve in this life. This promise will only be fully fulfilled in the future.

[For more on promises like this, see commentary on Prov. 19:5.]