Knowledges

 
Knowledges-Fellowship-Bible-Church-Palmyra-WI

Habakkuk 2:14 says, "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord like the waters cover the sea."  What does it mean by, "knowledge"?

To know a fact about a person is different than knowing a person.  To know from a book is different than knowing from experience.  To know how is different than to know how and why.  To be able to teach is different than to know enough to ace the test. 

What is known in Hab 2:14?  "The glory of the Lord."  Not just "knowledge of the Lord."  And even that is not just, "knowledge of facts and attributes of the Lord."  See, you can know that God is holy and strong and good.  And you can know God to be holy and strong and good, in your life.

But now it's not just facts, and not just personal encounters, but knowing that the Lord is glorious.  How is this different?  You can know someone is pretty without wanting to get to know them, smart without asking them to help you, or rich without wanting to have them over for supper.  So to know that the Lord isn't just His facts, and isn't just His facts useful in your life, but is glorious...?  That means to know the Lord as someone you absolutely want involved in as many aspects of your life as possible.  It means that you know the Lord as someone you want to be involved with as much as possible.  You want to praise Him, naturally.  You want to be closer to Him, naturally.  You want Him beside you, always, naturally.

Here's another angle on this: the goal stated in Habakkuk 2:14, to know the Lord as glorious, is the same goal the Spirit inspired Paul to accomplish in his letter to the Romans.  Listen to what he writes, twice:  to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name (Rom 1:5)  +to bring about the obedience of faith (Rom 16:26)

The "obedience of faith" is the knowledge Hab 2:14 is talking about.  Know who the glorious Lord is so clearly that you trust Him enough to obey Him no matter what.  Just as if you really knew how to do a job, you'd also take care of your tools and prep the area well and follow the recommended steps, so also when you really know the Lord's glory, you listen to His Word in everything, and trust Him to be light and love in everything He does and says, and so you honor Him in every command and prohibition, and return to Him after every failing.  

This entire chain reaction is...real knowledge.  To know Him, personally, as glorious, is to look to Him in everything, for everything: and that is faith.  To know Him as glorious is also to involve Him in every facet of your life, and get involved in all you see Him doing: and that is obedience.  The knowledge God is working for is also the lifestyle revolution that is inevitable when a someone meets this uniquely glorious tri-personal God.

Therefore, in our books and study, our podcasts and streams, we only truly meet the Glorious Lord when we don't just think and journal, but also obey.  Honoring His Word is the true test of whether we heard it or not.  Obeying His commands, in faith, is the true test of whether we know Him.