Our Gemara on amud aleph discusses the ability of a courtyard to acquire objects for its owner without his awareness.  However, Shulchan Aruch (CM 269) rules that if it is an unexpected object, then it does not acquire it for him, such as hidden treasure.

In Vayikra (14:34) the Torah speaks about tozraas blemishes that will afflict your houses, “upon your entry into the land of Canaan.”  This odd phraseology sounds like it is a prediction, even good news.  Picking up on this, Rashi (ibid) quoting the Midrash, says that it was indeed good news. This is because the Emorites concealed treasures of gold in the walls of their houses during the 40 years the Israelites were in the wilderness to hide them, and the tzoraas would lead them to destroy the wall and discover them.

Based on the above ruling of Shulchan Aruch, Panim Yafos says that Hashem gave the Jews this warning and prediction so that the Jews may genuinely acquire the treasures.

Let us consider this Midrash.  How is it really positive when a house must be destroyed? True, it is ultimately for the good, but what a painful way to discover this!  And, generally tzoraas is a punishment for a variety of sins (see Arachim 16a-b), so how can this be a reward? God could have found another way to show the person buried treasure.  There are a number of answers to this question, each one carrying its own lesson.  

The Zohar on Tazria (50a) says that  certain structures that have been too much contaminated by the forces of impurity must simply be eliminated.  We might then say that God needed to have the house destroyed for the occupants’ own good, and the hidden treasure was reparations to cover the cost. Birkas Asher (Vayikra 14:34) suggests that there were two phases.  In the beginning of entry into Israel, the tzoraas was merely a sign for hidden treasure.  Subsequent to the entry phase, later on, tzoraas would come from sinful behavior.  According to this answer, we might say that it is not experienced as a major punishment or inconvenience, if just as one took possession of a home, tzoraas developed.  Machzor Vitry (Pirkei Avos 1:6) says the punishment is coming for living next to an evil person, “oy la-rasha, oy la-shecheyno woe to the evil person, and woe to his neighbor”.  That is, the righteous person shares a wall in an attached dwelling with a wicked neighbor. The wicked neighbor has the blemish, which leads to a demolition of both sides of the wall. The treasure presumably is found somehow on the righteous person’s side. 

Despite all these erudite answers, I believe the simple answer is that sometimes we are not able to merit absolute providential goodness without going through suffering. This might be due to needing expiation for sins before being worthy or able to handle the goodness.  God offers a promotion because you are close to qualifying, but you need some life lessons first in order to be on the level of benefitting from the gift.  Especially when we consider wealth, it can be as destructive as it is beneficial.  Perhaps even a relative tzaddik may need some humbling so that the wealth doesn’t destroy him or his family. As Devarim (32:15) warns, material success can lead to arrogance and denial of God:

וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ן יְשֻׁרוּן֙ וַיִּבְעָ֔ט שָׁמַ֖נְתָּ עָבִ֣יתָ כָּשִׂ֑יתָ וַיִּטֹּשׁ֙ אֱל֣וֹהַ עָשָׂ֔הוּ וַיְנַבֵּ֖ל צ֥וּר יְשֻׁעָתֽוֹ׃ 

So Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—You grew fat and gross and coarse —They forsook the God who made them And spurned the Rock of their support.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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