The Ohr Hachaim explains this Possuk in light of the previous Pessukim, that teach us that learning Torah is a reason for Hashem to produce rain and dew for Klal Yisroel.
Now the possuk is dealing with a person who has learned Torah, yet finds his sustenance extremely limited. He is poor, his family suffers hunger and privation, and he does not understand why. Alternatively, we sometimes see people who don’t bother learning and even denigrate those who do learn, yet are wealthy and have sufficient food for themselves, and they even throw out much of what they have. Why is this so?
The Talmid Chacham should be careful not to rebel due to this question. He should understand that Hashem’s judgment is true and correct. The possuk is now telling us that Hashem is the צור – the rock. This is an expression of strength, that Hashem is strong and His judgment is sometimes felt with great power and wrath in a person’s life.
A person should still say and feel תמים פעלו – His actions are perfect. This refers to Hashem’s general practice of distributing bounty with an open hand, when he digresses and only grants with a limited hand. This also refers to Hashem’s general practice of limiting His difficult decrees to their bare minimum. If Hashem grants a person a greater measure of difficulties, a person should appreciate that His actions are complete and perfect. No Tzadik was punished and no Rasha was rewarded, unless they fully deserved it for something that they had done.
The rest of the possuk קל אמונה ואין עול is referring to that which Chazal explained. Hashem is an קל אמונה – a trustworthy G-d – who will repay Tzadikim in the next world, and אין עול – without iniquity – who repays Resha’im in this world. This is based on a possuk in Tehillim נָׁתַתָׁה שִׁמְחָׁה בְלִׁבִׁי מֵּעֵּת דְגָׁנָׁם וְתִׁירוֹשָׁם רָׁבוּ - You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their corn and their wine increase. The Medrash explains that Dovid Hamelech was saying that when he sees the wicked flourishing, with their calm lives, he deduced that his portion in the World to Come would be even greater – if those who defy His will are treated this way, how much more so will those who follow His will receive their just word.
This is the meaning of the Torah when it says קל אמונה ואין עול – When the Tzadiks sees the wicked man’s enjoyment of life, he will deduce that Hashem is a trustworthy G-d, who will certainly reward Tzadikim in the World-to-come.
