Pleading the Promises

5/28/26 Bible Thought (Isaiah 62-63)

Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

Main Idea: God’s people should plead His promises as they await the final day of His action.

A Look at the Text:

As the great book of Isaiah draws near to its close, the focus is still on the future. There is a clear hope for the people of God (Isa. 62:1-5, 10-12) and, likewise, unmistakable destruction coming for the nations (Isa. 63:1-6). That coming day is a day of both blessing and cursing. As scholar David Jackman notes, “Always, in Scripture, judgement and salvation are the two sides of the one coin, which is divine intervention.”^[1]

Though Israel was going to be facing complete and utter destruction in the near future, “Forsaken” and “Desolate” weren’t going to be the final words to describe His people. They were going to be God’s delight, married to Him (Isa. 62:4).

In light of these coming promises, watchmen were appointed to call on God:

You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, ⁷ and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth (Isa. 62:6b-7).

God had issued a promise (Isa. 62:8), and it is in light of His promise that they were to call on Him. That future day of salvation for His people and destruction for the godless was certain to come, as His people pleaded His promises.

Bringing it Home:

The Scripture continually reassures us of that coming day. There is a day when the new Jerusalem will come down from heaven above (Rev. 21:2). Yet, that day is still awaited thousands of years later.

Delays can often bring discouragement. Waiting can bring questioning, but let us know today that God’s promises are surer than the coming dawn. They simply await His appointed time.

Let us then do our part in giving God no rest until those promises are fulfilled. As our Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray, so we should pray:

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

There is a day when that prayer will finally be fulfilled. A day when Christ descends from heaven. A day of salvation and vindication. A day of judgment and destruction. A day that has been promised by our promise-keeping God.

Do we pray for that day? Do we plead God’s promises?

While it is certainly right and good to bring our personal supplications to the Lord (see 1 Pet. 5:7), let us not forget His Kingdom agenda that is much larger than ourselves. We are part of an eternal Kingdom that will one day crush all opposition (see Dan. 2:44; Rev. 11:15).

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Challenge:

Do I ever lose sight of the grandeur of God’s eternal Kingdom because I am consumed with the temporary matters of this life?

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^[1] David Jackman, Teaching Isaiah: Unlocking Isaiah for the Bible Teacher, ed. Robin Sydserff, Teach the Bible (Ross-shire, Scotland; London, England: PT Media; Christian Focus, 2010), 280.