It takes two hands to think Hebraically.

It has been stated that it takes two hands to think Hebraically.

In other words, the Bible can represent what appears to be two opposing viewpoints.

On the one hand, God declares that He "forgives wickedness, rebellion, and sin…"

Yet on the other hand, He goes on to warn that "He does not leave the guilty unpunished…" (Exodus 34:7b)

How can God be both merciful and just? How can He forgive and punish at the same time? How can He be a God whose anger flares against the wicked, and yet also be a God who does not want any to perish? (Ps 5:4; 2 Peter 3:9)

Well, on the one hand …, and yet, on the other hand…

Sometimes it's better to let both viewpoints stand and not try to explain away the tension. If the Bible sees no need to answer all the questions, I don't see why we think we need to do so.

Those are not the only tension points in Scripture; there are others.
The hardening of Pharaoh's heart during the Exodus. Who ultimately is responsible and why? Free will versus predestination. Arguments throughout the millennia have been put forward for both. I'm not about to settle the debate once and for all. On the one hand, there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. On the other hand, there is much we are called to do in response to our salvation. There is a certain way of living to which God calls us.

When we come to something we can't explain or doesn't completely make sense, it's a good reminder that the Bible wasn't merely written by men. There is a God who is Author over all of it, and He is able to make sense of it all. I don't have to. Learning to sit in the tension is sometimes all that is required of me.

Let God be God. Let His Word speak. And may our lives be changed in the process.