Reading… and Thinking

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

— Habakkuk 2:14 (all quotes ESV)

What do we make of this statement? Is it wishful thinking on the part of the prophet – nice idea but hardly likely? Is it allegorical – suggesting only that the gospel will be available in all languages? Or is it a promise?

I take it as a promise. It’s not the first time this promise has been made!

When the Israelites who left Egypt got to the border of the land God had promised them, they sent in spies to have a look. Ten of the spies came back telling tales of woe – there were giants in the land! They couldn’t possibly conquer them! Sadly, all but faithful Caleb and Joshua were overcome with fear. Never mind that God had delivered them from the Egyptians not so long ago!

God’s response to this faithlessness was to tell them that they would spend 40 years in the wilderness, and all those with no faith would die. He said, “But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers.” (Numbers 14:21-23)

Just as surely as God lives, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord!

And the promise was made again, through Isaiah. He saw a vision in which a spectacular being proclaimed, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3). And later, in the great Kingdom prophecy of chapter 11, Isaiah writes: “They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)

The earth full of God’s glory. The earth full of knowledge of God. The earth full of the knowledge of the glory of God. We’ve never seen such conditions…yet. But it’s a promise: it will happen!

When? How? At the coming of Christ. Much of the prophetic parts of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, are devoted to describing the coming of Messiah, conquering a rebellious world, and ruling over the Kingdom of God in righteousness and peace, from Jerusalem. We will just quote one of many such passages in closing:

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

— Isaiah 2:2-4