Have you thought about plucking out your eye or cutting off your hand?
God speaks through human authors who use different literal genres. It is important to realize that. Men write with different styles, sometimes as narratives, sometimes in parables, sometimes in poetry. Yes, we look at the literal first, but sometimes, we understand that the human writer didn't mean something literally.
We are told that some will not repent (Revelation 16:9 & 11) That does not mean that God has wasted anything.
Yet God still offers forgiveness and His expiating death on the cross for those men who CHOOSE not to use it. Of course it was not wasted. But men have free will. In the end, these men will have no one but themselves to blame, since God gave them sufficient graces and opportunity to come to Him. Thus, His efforts are not wasted. They are sometimes not appreciated, though.
Regards
Seven