Isaiah 48:18,19 - Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments

48:18

If Israel had paid attention to the Lord, if only she has listened to Him and followed Him the disasters that befell her would not have happened. Likewise, our society would have saved itself much grief if it had stuck with God’s ways. Peace and well-being would have been Israel’s lot, as they would for us. Instead we encounter an endless stream of problems, with each “solution” leading only to more problems.

48:19

God had promised to Abraham, a promise repeated at later times as well, that his descendants would have been like the grains of sand in the desert. No destruction would have come their way. But things had not happened that way, for destruction had come. There are some very interesting things to note here. First is that just because God had made a promise, that did not mean that Israel’s actions were of no consequence. They most definitely were of consequence. Likewise the fact that God has chosen us before the beginning of time does not mean that our actions are of no consequence. The second thing is that despite Israel’s actions God’s promises would still be fulfilled.