“Woe to him who builds a town with blood
Habakkuk 2:12-14
and founds a city on iniquity!
Behold, is it not from the LORD of hosts
that peoples labor merely for fire,
and nations weary themselves for nothing?
For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
Wrapping up Habakkuk’s third woe, we see what the final outcome will be: all will know the glory of the Lord. What does it mean to know God? What is the glory of God?
Knowing God
In Hebrew, knowing someone isn’t (only) an intellectual experience. You could say you know a famous person simply by reading their Wikipedia entry. In reality, you only know about them. On the other hand, if you spent time with this person, then you would get to know them. Knowing a person involves a relationship.
Knowledge of the Lord is equated to being in a relationship with him. “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, / the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). Not knowing him equates to turning away from him. “For the spirit of whoredom is within them, / and they know not the LORD” (Hosea 5:4). Eli’s sons “did not know the LORD” (1 Samuel 2:12). They probably knew all the facts and what they were supposed to do. Nevertheless, their actions didn’t go in line with that.
A fairly common phrase scattered throughout Scripture says that because of some action “they will know that I am the Lord”. Israel will know he is the Lord when he brings them out of Egypt (Exodus 6:7, 10:2), when he sends manna and quail (Exodus 16:12), or when he gives victory in a battle (1 Kings 20:13, 28). Ezekiel uses this phrase dozens of times. The people will know he is the Lord when he punishes them and when he later restores them.
Jesus equates knowing God with eternal life: “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Eternal life is an eternal relationship with our Lord.
God’s Glory
Habakkuk doesn’t just say the world will be filled with knowledge about the Lord. He specifically says the world will know God’s glory. What is the glory of God?
The Hebrew word for glory is kavod. Kavod comes from a verb meaning to make to be heavy. Therefore this noun carries the idea of weight or substance. I think to the Back to the Future movies where Marty exclaims, “Whoa, that’s heavy!”
This heaviness can be literal, like Eli the priest being heavy (1 Samuel 4:18). More often it is figurative, like God’s hand being “heavy” upon the Philistines and causing plagues (1 Samuel 5:6). It can also denote something being serious, like a severe (heavy) famine (Genesis 12:10) or Sodom and Gomorrah’s sins (Genesis 18:20). A “heavy” people indicates a large number of them, like Edom’s army (Numbers 20:20) or the number of Israelites in Solomon’s day (1 Kings 3:9). Body parts can also be heavy, meaning “unresponsive”. Most prominent is a heavy heart, like that of Pharaoh (Exodus 7:14, 8:15, 32, 9:7, 34, 10:1). Finally, it also denotes honor, like the commandment to “Honor (Kabed) your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12).
We see God’s glory showing up all throughout the Bible. When the Israelites complained in the desert that they needed food, Moses told the people they would see the glory of the Lord when he sends bread (Exodus 16:7). When the people came to Mount Sinai, a thick (kaved) cloud covered the mountain (Exodus 19:16). After the tabernacle was set up and dedicated, the glory of the Lord filled it (Exodus 40:34). The same thing happened at the dedication of the Temple (1 Kings 8:11). Isaiah saw a vision of God’s throneroom with the seraphim crying out, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; / the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3).
The Whole World Will Know
While each of us individually knowing God and his glory is a good thing, that is not the ultimate goal. In the end, everyone will know.
They shall not hurt or destroy
Isaiah 11:9
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
When Jeremiah prophecies about the new covenant God would make with his people, he added, “And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more'” (Jeremiah 31:34). Elsewhere he says, “I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7). No longer will they have a “heavy” heart.
To Ponder…
Do you “know” God or just know about him? How can you grow to know him better?
What does it look like to have a “heavy” heart? What can be done to fix it?
How does your life help the world get to know the glory of God better?