Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried
and chosen you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I do it [I refrain and do
not utterly destroy you]; for why should I permit My name to be polluted and profaned [which it would be if the Lord completely
destroyed His chosen people]? And I will not give My glory to another [by permitting
the worshipers of idols to triumph over you]. Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called [ones]: I am He;
I am the First, I also am the Last. Yes, My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My
right hand has spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth
together [to execute My decrees]. Come near to me and listen to this: I have not spoken in
secret from the beginning; from the time that it happened, I was there. And now the
Lord God has sent His Spirit in and with me. (Isaiah 48:10-13, 16 AMP)