“… This was to exact punishment from the wicked who destroy the world that was created with ten utterances, and to bestow reward upon the righteous who sustain the world that was created by ten utterances.”
The question is asked: Why does the punishment for the wicked people precede the reward for the righteous people. Various explanations are offered.
The Chidoh says that this is to illustrate that just as the reward for the tzaddikim is favorable, so too the punishment for the resho’im is equally beneficial for them.
The Chasdei Avos postulates that it is written so that one should refrain from doing an aveiroh. The objective of the tzaddikim is to do the ratzon Hashem, even if there is no promised reward.
The Me’am L’oez observes that not only do the tzaddikim guard olam hazeh but they also repair that which the wicked people have shattered.
