The Scent Of Baking Bread | When The Wicked Seem To Prosper

The sun was barely a hint on the horizon, but Sarah was already in her kitchen. The familiar, comforting rhythm of measuring flour, warming water, and kneading dough was her morning prayer. As her hands worked, her mind wandered to the conversation from the night before. Her friend, a woman who lived with little regard for Torah, had called her, ecstatic. A massive, unexpected bonus. A dream vacation. “The universe just provided!” she had exclaimed.

Sarah smiled and congratulated her, but as she hung up, a quiet sigh escaped her lips. Later that week, the repair bill for her aging car would arrive, a number that made her stomach clench. She had been faithful. She kept Shabbat, celebrated the Feasts, tried her best to walk in kindness and truth. So why did it feel like the “universe” provided for those who ignored its Creator, while she, who sought to serve Him, constantly struggled to make ends meet?

If you’ve ever felt a pang of that confusion, if you’ve ever looked at the seemingly carefree prosperity of those who live contrary to God’s instructions and whispered a weary, “Why, Adonai? How is this just?”—then know this first: you are not alone. Your feeling is not a sign of weak faith, but a deep, human cry for the world to make sense according to God’s promises. You are seen, and your heart is heard by the One who measures all things.

The Ancient Echo of Our Question

This feeling is not a modern one. It is as old as our relationship with the Almighty. The psalmist Asaph articulated this exact struggle with stunning honesty:

“For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pain in their death; their body is well-fed. They are not in trouble like other men, nor are they plagued like other people... Look, these are the wicked—always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence.” (Psalm 73:3-5, 12-13)

Can you feel the raw emotion? This is a man of God confessing that his obedience suddenly felt pointless. He saw the wicked thriving and wondered if his own purity was a waste of energy. This is the very core of our question: Is faithfulness truly worth it?

But Asaph doesn’t end his psalm in despair. He provides the key that unlocks our understanding:

“When I tried to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight— until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.” (Psalm 73:16-17)

His perspective didn’t change by looking at his bank account or his neighbor’s life. It changed when he entered God’s presence. In the sanctuary, his temporal view was exchanged for an eternal one. He saw that the path of the wicked, though smooth now, leads to a sudden and disastrous end. Their prosperity is not a sign of God’s favor, but often a form of mercy, giving them space to repent (Romans 2:4), or a fleeting reality that will not survive the world to come.

In practical life: When we feel this envy or confusion, our first step shouldn’t be to tally our good deeds versus others’. It should be to intentionally enter His presence—through prayer, worship, or reading His Word. It is there that our spiritual vision is corrected, and we remember that God’s economy values eternal treasures over temporal cash.

The Parable of the Two Sons and the Father’s Heart

Yeshua himself told a story that speaks directly to this sense of unfairness. We know it as the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), but it’s just as much about the older brother.

The younger son insults his father, squanders his inheritance on reckless living, and ends up destitute. Meanwhile, the older son stays home, works faithfully in the fields, and obeys his father’s every command. When the wayward son returns and is met with a lavish celebration, the older brother’s anger boils over. His complaint echoes in our souls:

“Look! For all these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your commands. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” (Luke 15:29-30)

The older brother’s sense of justice is offended. He measured his father’s love by what he received for his obedience. He failed to see that his greatest reward was his constant, unbroken relationship with the father. “My son,” the father gently reminds him, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” (Luke 15:31)

The father’s love for the returning son was not a rejection of the faithful son. It was a reflection of his joyful grace. The father wasn’t rewarding the younger son’s sin; he was celebrating his repentance.

In practical life: When we see someone who has lived apart from God suddenly experience a breakthrough, our “older brother” instinct might flare up. We must remember that God’s grace is not a finite resource. His blessing on another does not mean He has less for us. Our faithful obedience grants us the incredible, steady reward of His constant presence—“you are always with me”—and an inheritance that is already ours—“everything I have is yours.”

The Wisdom of Proverbs: The Full Story

The book of Proverbs, in its divine wisdom, gives us the sobering counterpoint to the temporary prosperity of the wicked.

“Do not fret because of evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked. For there will be no future for the evil person; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.” (Proverbs 24:19-20)

This verse doesn’t deny their current success. It simply asks us to trust God’s timeline. Their lamp may burn brightly now, but it is fueled by a finite resource. The lamp of the righteous, fueled by the eternal oil of the Spirit, may flicker in the wind, but it will never be extinguished. We are called to look at the entire narrative, not just the current chapter.

In practical life: This is a call to active trust, not passive worry. “Do not fret” is a command. We combat fretfulness by recalling God’s past faithfulness, by focusing on the eternal destiny of the righteous, and by trusting that God is a just judge who will ultimately right every wrong.

The Ultimate Answer: The Cross of Messiah

Where does our final answer lie? It is found at the foot of the cross. If anyone ever had a right to cry, “Unjust!” it was Yeshua ha’Mashiach. The perfectly righteous, sinless Son of God was betrayed, tortured, and murdered. Meanwhile, Barabbas, a known insurrectionist and murderer, was set free. The wicked went free, and the righteous suffered.

From a human perspective, this was the greatest injustice in history. Yet, from God’s perspective, it was the ultimate fulfillment of justice and mercy. Through that one unjust act against the Righteous One, God made a way to justify and show mercy to all who would believe—both the faithfully obedient and the recently repentant.

The cross is our guarantee that God understands our cry for justice because He Himself submitted to injustice to conquer it forever. He is not distant from our pain; He is intimately acquainted with it.

Walking in Trust Together

So, dear brother, dear sister, when the scent of your neighbor’s baking bread wafts over your fence and your own oven seems cold, remember:

1. Your feelings are valid. Bring them to God like Asaph did—honestly and rawly.

2. Shift your perspective. Enter His sanctuary through worship. His presence recalibrates our sight.

3. Remember your inheritance. You are always with Him, and all He has is yours. Don’t trade the joy of His presence for the jealousy of a temporary goat.

4. Trust the whole story. God is not finished. His justice will have the final word.

5. Look to the Cross. It is the proof that God uses what seems unfair to accomplish the most glorious redemption.

This journey of faith is not meant to be walked alone. We are a community, a body, called to bear one another’s burdens and encourage each other toward love and good deeds.

If this reflection has encouraged you today, if it has made you feel seen and strengthened in your walk, would you consider supporting this work? This community thrives through our shared mission. You can:

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However you feel called to participate, know that you are a valued part of this kehillah (community). Together, we remind each other of the truth until the day when we all see it with perfect clarity.

Baruch ha'ba b'Shem Adonai. Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. May He find us faithful, trusting, and encouraging one another until that day.