תהלים, פרק י״א, פסוק ה׳

The suffering of the righteous and the peaceful lives of the wicked often cause confusion. However, divine providence operates through a deep system of purpose and examination. When God brings troubles and hardships upon the righteous, it shows that He is paying close attention to them [מצודת דוד, המאירי, שטיינזלץ]. These struggles are not punishments for past wrongs, nor do they mean God has abandoned them, even if their enemies claim otherwise. Instead, these hardships are tests designed to see if they will remain strong in their goodness without questioning His ways [רש״י, מצודת דוד, המאירי].

Because God already knows everything, He does not need to test people to discover what is hidden in their hearts. The true purpose of these trials is to reveal their inner goodness and make it visible to the entire world [רד״ק, אלשיך, המאירי, שטיינזלץ]. This concept is compared to everyday trades: a flax worker only beats high-quality flax that will not break under pressure, a potter taps on a sturdy clay pot to prove its quality to buyers, and gold is evaluated using a testing stone. In the same way, God challenges the righteous to display their spiritual strength [רש״י, אלשיך].

The situation is completely different for those who do wrong and love violence, whether they commit hidden sins against Heaven or actively seek to harm other people [אלשיך]. The fact that they live without suffering is not a sign of God's favor. On the contrary, He completely rejects them. Because of this rejection, He denies them the opportunity to be tested and corrected. They are not tested because they are not worthy of gaining the respect of others, and they would not accept moral correction anyway [רד״ק, אלשיך]. The primary approach among commentators is that God allows the wicked to experience temporary peace and delays their consequences, only to bring about their complete downfall and punish them in the end [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד].