Proverbs 11:31 Our reward_

If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, How much more the wicked and the sinner! Proverbs‬ ‭11:31‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬‬‬

Rotherham is more literal: Lo! the righteous…

“Lo” is a Hebrew interjection, sometimes expressing surprise. Often translated as behold! or lo! It draws attention to what follows. “Will be rewarded” or “Shall be recompensed” is an interesting word, shalam. Strong says: it is a root word meaning to be safe, to reciprocate or make amends, be at peace with, recompense, make restitution, restore.

This word is key to understanding the verse. The predominant sense is that there are two different conditions or positions (i.e. before and after, hot and cold, vindicated or judged) and shalam is what it takes for them to be at peace with each other, or to be restored to a previous state. If I break your possession or take something that belongs to you, shalam is what I do to satisfy your loss. If there is hot water in one glass and cold water in another, it’s the action I perform to make them the same temperature (chill the one, heat the other, or mix the two). If something is unfinished, it is what I do to finish it. But most often, it is used in the sense that one has hurt another and it is the steps required to make it right or recompense for the hurt.

Solomon lumps the righteous and the sinner together as recipients of shalam. He declares that they both will come to a state of peace, but with who? By inference God, who establishes right and wrong or good and evil. He is the one that makes us accountable to that moral code we know in our conscience or has decreed by law. The righteous, his children, understand the importance of aligning with good. At first read it looks like “shall be recompensed” means rewarded — in a positive way. And Jesus spoke of our reward in heaven — it is a source of hope! But in this proverb Solomon applies it equally to the wicked and the sinner, so the meaning is more stark: everyone is responsible for what he or she has done, and there will be an accounting or a shalam, an action to bring us back into a state of peace with God.

Looking at it further, there are two meanings. The second will stretch the heart…

First, when this proverb’s meaning is reflected in the New Testament, the believer is told that there is an accounting that each of us must make for our words and actions. Those that know God’s goodness and have his favor have a very high bar set for living. We have been given much so much will be required. Because we understand that God is impartial and shows no favoritism, his kids get no free pass for raunchy behavior. We have a reverence for God, for good, for the right way, and if that path of justice is a sword that cuts, it will slice me just as easily as anyone. If law and judgement apply to me who acknowledges and respects it, then lo! (or better, whoa!) to those who ignore it. Peter writes about the topic:

For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? 1 Peter‬ ‭4:17-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

Another way to look at it is through the lens of grace. God’s grace is incredible, and I have enjoyed his “amazing grace” for many years. Even so, today I’m keenly aware of my shortcomings and lack of vision. I daily reach out for grace in anticipation of a day that is sure to be filled with my foibles. I’m quite convinced there is a day when every person must stand before God and give an account of what he or she has done, and “shalam” will take place.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. Revelation‬ ‭20:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So today, with all my past and future failures, I receive incredible grace from God who loves me and offers me an escape. I realize that I am accountable for what I have done. And every one that has been hurt by me would love to see me squirm in that knowledge and gloat and glory over me for the pain that I’ve caused them. Our sense of justice is strong. But mercy is stronger. The thing that is amazing about this grace is that God, my father, Papa, has laid all of these failures on one that had none. He wrote my stay of execution. By his own law, I am now released. The only pang I feel isn’t that of death or impending doom, but in regret — when I begin to understand how much Jesus and his daddy loved each other, and yet his Papa asked him to do something that was unthinkable: pay for my debt with his life. This. Is. A. Steep. Cost. And it undoes me when I think about it.

So, if I am recompensed in such a way for my deed, then what about the wicked and sinner who have no regard for God or his law? The most hardened, irascible, intransigent heart. Can grace reach them?

God, who does the impossible, can do anything.