Tabernacle of David

 Tabernacle of David

November 19, 2024

Acts 15:13-18

13 After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first concernedHimself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. 15 With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 

16 ‘AFTER THESE THINGS I will return,

AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN,

AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS,

AND I WILL RESTORE IT,

17 SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD,

AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,’

18 SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO.

Yesterday we were talking about the musicians that King David assigned to minister before the Lord. In the book of Acts, James quotes the prophet Amos who said that restoring the tabernacle (tent) of David was a sign of extending the Kingdom of God to the gentiles. That would mean that the tabernacle of David is active in this age since the church has been extended to all peoples (gentiles). So what is special about the tabernacle of David? First Chronicles tells us of the founding of this tent when he had the ark returned to Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 16:1-7

A Tent for the Ark

1 And they brought in the ark of God and placed it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings andpeace offerings before God. 2 When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. 3 He distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread and a portion of meat and a raisin cake.

4 He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, even to celebrate and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, with musical instruments, harps, lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

7 Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the LORD.

There were animal sacrifices in this tent, as there were in the tabernacle of Moses, but the distinguishing characteristic of David’s tabernacle was the continual praise and worship. He appointed hundreds of musicians and singers the celebrate with thanksgiving and praise 24 hours a day. The Levites appointed to this ministry had assigned shifts so there was a continual offering of praise and worship in the presence of the Lord before the Ark of the Covenant. And it was not a quiet kind of worship either. He specified that there be loud symbols, stringed instruments and the continual blowing of trumpets. Psalm 150 describes this as well.

Psalms 150

A Psalm of Praise.

1 Praise the LORD!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

3 Praise Him with trumpet sound;

Praise Him with harp and lyre.

4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD!

This is the kind of praise and worship that we should have in the restored tabernacle of David. So don’t be shy, but raise your voice and blow the trumpet. Sound the symbols and play the stringed instruments for now is the time to praise the Lord. Hallelujah!  Note that every mention of “praise the Lord” in Psalm 150 is “Hallelujah” in Hebrew. So raise a hallelujah for now is the time for all peoples to come into the tabernacle of David and praise the Lord together.

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