Isaiah 25-27

We're reading thru Isaiah in our house church.
It's a very long book.
God tells various nations, including His Own, that He is going to squish them like a bug. Then, after long chapters of this, He talks about the Glorious Day when all will be right and beautiful.

I was thinking that this pattern of destruction and rebuilding is very like my own life, though on a smaller scale. God has spent a lot of time smashing me down, only to rebuild. Then He smashes me again. You'd think that He'd want to do the job just once, and be done with it. He is God, after all, He could totally wave a magic wand and make me all perfect. Somehow He seems to delight in the process. Maybe, like a parent, He likes to watch me learn. It sure seems to take a long time, though.

Isn't it odd how God deals in opposites and dichotomy and paradox?
For instance, I am often afraid that God is going to humiliate me to make me humble. But He seems more likely to exalt me,
so that I am made aware of my own unworthiness,
and therefore made grateful,
then I end up a little humble.

I was reading this morning about this Lavish Feast with Aged wine that I am invited to. Isn't that funny? Here we have this Great Big God Who commands legions of angels, and He's thinking of setting the table to delight me. It's that picture of Jesus washing feet again. This God of the ages condescends to meet my very human needs and wants.
This same passage was talking about Him "swallowing up death." He ingests it, thereby rendering it powerless.

He's really an enigma, this God.
How can He be Holy, and still genuinely like me?
How can He ruthlessly eradicate whole people groups, yet shelter me in the Shadow of His Wing?
How can He Absolutely Command Unseen Armies, yet be concerned with my petty wishes?
How can you not be moved to your knees before such a God as this?