All the earth shall be filled with the glory of The Lord

Last time we looked at Moses pleading for mercy for the Israelites after the whole mess with the golden calf at Mt. Sinai. Almost the same thing happens again in Numbers 13 and 14.

God has lead the Israelites from Mt. Sinai to the edge of the promised land. In chapter 13 Moses sends in spies to to see what it is like. Most of the spies report that though it would be a great place to live, the people already living there are too strong to conquer. Upon hearing this the people despair. (14:3) "Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword?" Wow! What does that say about God's character? Precisely the same wrong ideas that Moses was afraid that the Egyptians would think about God, are what God's own people themselves believe!

God is once again angry with them for not believing in him. (v.11) "How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?"

They may have seen God's signs, but they have no understanding of his character yet. And again (for the last time) God considers wiping them out and starting over. (v.12) "I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you [Moses] a nation greater and mightier than they."

So again Moses intercedes for the Israelites by appealing to the importance of God's reputation. But now it is not just among the Egyptians.
(v.13) "But Moses said to the Lord, 'Then the Egyptians will hear of it ... and they will tell the inhabitants of this land." Word is going to get around. "they have heard that you, oh Lord, are in the midst of this people. For you, oh Lord, are seen face-to-face and your cloud stands over them."

God is now closely associated with these people. How he treats them has consequences for himself and for his reputation.

"Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of your fame will say, 'it is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them, that he killed them in the wilderness."

Why should God care what these nations think about him? But he does care and so does Moses. What wrong ideas would they get about God if he performs this judgement? According to Moses, they will conclude that he is weak, since he is not able bring the Israelites into the promised land. Secondly, they will conclude that he is unfaithful, because he will have broken his covenant with their ancestors. Thirdly, they will conclude that God is vicious, because he will have killed them to cover up his own weakness.

And next Moses reaffirms God's character as he knows it to be, "let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised" He is powerful and does keep his promises, "the Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgressions." - God is merciful and loving - "but he will by no means clear the guilty." - but he is also just and has standards of righteousness which he will not compromise.

Now because of Moses' intercession, God does show some mercy to the people ("I have pardoned according to your word"), he will not wipe them out. He is able to bring mercy as well as judgement into the situation because of Moses' awareness and proclamation of God's character and the importance of God's reputation.

Now God announces his new judgement on the people of Israel. All those 20 years old or older will not enter the promised land but only their children will. In this proclamation God takes an interesting oath: (v. 21) "But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD..." the oath starts, as most oaths do, by declaring things that are absolutely sure to emphasize the truth of what follows. One of God's fixed, settled purposes in history, as sure as the fact that he himself lives, is that all the earth shall be filled with his glory; that is, that everyone will undeniably know the glory of God, how good he is, how just, how pure, how merciful, how righteous, how holy he is. It is eternally significant not only that he is these things ("as I live"), but that they be known by everyone ("all the earth shall be filled").

The older generation of Israelites showed by their rebellion and testing God that they had been clinging to wrong, wicked ideas regarding God and his character. If allowed to continue these lies about God would be spread. God's response to them, this judgement, will undo that and will eventually lead to the truth about God being known, his glory filling the earth.