(4) The Rock!—God's deeds are perfect, Yes, all God's ways are just; A faithful God, never false, True and upright is God.
... הֲלוֹא־הוּא֙ אָבִ֣יךָ קָּנֶ֔ךָ ה֥וּא עָֽשְׂךָ֖ וַֽיְכֹנְנֶֽךָ׃
... God is the Source who created you, Fashioned you and made you endure!
(לט) רְא֣וּ ׀ עַתָּ֗ה כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י אֲנִי֙ ה֔וּא וְאֵ֥ין אֱלֹהִ֖ים עִמָּדִ֑י אֲנִ֧י אָמִ֣ית וַאֲחַיֶּ֗ה מָחַ֙צְתִּי֙ וַאֲנִ֣י אֶרְפָּ֔א וְאֵ֥ין מִיָּדִ֖י מַצִּֽיל׃
...God wounds and heals...
(מא) אִם־שַׁנּוֹתִי֙ בְּרַ֣ק חַרְבִּ֔י וְתֹאחֵ֥ז בְּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט יָדִ֑י אָשִׁ֤יב נָקָם֙ לְצָרָ֔י וְלִמְשַׂנְאַ֖י אֲשַׁלֵּֽם׃
...Those who reject God will be punished.
...Those who harm Israel will be punished.
(ד) אל תיחסו אליו השתנות על מה שיסופר בשירה מהעתידות לישראל ושיהפך לכם לאויב כי ידעתם במופתי תורתו שהוא הצור בלתי משתנה לא קצרה ידו מהושיע ולא ככדה אזנו משמוע וגם כן לא תיחסו אליו עול אחרי שידעתם במופתים כי תמים פעלו במציאות. עליו אין להוסיף וממנו אין לגרוע.
(4) Do not relate to Him differently on account of what you hear in my song about Israel’s future. Do not come to the mistaken conclusion that G’d will ever change and that the experiences that will befall the Jewish people during the course of history, and which I am about to foreshadow, are evidence of His changing and possibly becoming the Jewish people’s enemy. You are very well aware through the variety of miracles He has performed on your behalf that הצור, He remains the Rock and His actions are always motivated by pure motives. This being so, if at times He does not appear to help you, save you, this is not due to a weakening on His part, neither is He hard of hearing so that He did not hear your pleas; never ascribe any injustice to Him;
- even when we have gone through horrible things as a people, Jews have believed that God is ultimately just.
Balance
- God's justice is tempered with God's mercy. -- God cares and loves for all creatures, but also judges them.
- World cannot endure without this balance -- the world would be destroyed.
Mercy
- God favors mercy over justice when balancing them -- Hillel
- When we see that mercy is higher than justice, then we can understand God to be perfect and just.
-We can't understand God and God's ways. If we take this to heart then we won't doubt God.
- Rabbi Robert Gordis agrees with this.
Mystics:
- "God created the world out of a clash between the powers of mercy and judgment. In that collision, sparks of light and love were lodged into dark shells that make up all the substance of the world....The human responsibility is to liberate the light, to free goodness and healing. God's will is for justice, truth, and mercy. God, dependent upon human beings, is waiting for them to break the dark shells and release God's power for mercy and love."(Rabbi Isaac Luria)
- Martin Buber also believes this and explains that as humans it is our job to reduce evil and its suffering in the world. God depends on us.