THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID (Part One)
Webster's dictionary explains the preposition “of” to have two meanings. It can mean "built by" or at other times it may mean "in which one dwells." Here we see that the "Tabernacle of David" can involve that which pertains to, or relates to David, that built by David, or it could also mean the Tabernacle in which David dwelt. Only the context of the phrase shows which is being referred to.
In
our study of the Davidic Covenant, we find in 2 Samuel 7 that the Lord had
promised to build David a house and that this house would be the house that he
and his seed would occupy forever. Here
we see that "The Tabernacle of David" is clearly a Scriptural
expression representing the
throne or dwelling place of David. This
is the Tabernacle which God built for David and his seed and refers to David’s
throne and dwelling place.
The people of Israel were not satisfied having God as their King, and so
they insisted upon a King such as the other nations had.
God appointed Saul to be King over Israel; however, as we found out, this
did not work out and God sent Samuel to anoint David as King.
David
first was anointed when he was just a shepherd boy. (1 Samuel 16:12), the
second time he was anointed King was over the House of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4).
David’s third anointing was as King over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:3).
While wandering in the wilderness, God instructed
Moses to build the Ark of
The Covenant as a dwelling place for Him so that He might dwell in the presence
of His people. He also instructed
Moses in the building of the Tabernacle of the Lord which was to house the Ark
of the Covenant. The details and
instructions for the building of this Tabernacle is recorded in Exodus 25-40.
There were very elaborate details which went into the making of this
Tabernacle. There were three
separate sections to this Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant was placed in
the Holy of Holies, hidden behind a veil. The
only person who could enter was the High Priest and he was only allowed to enter
once a year to make sin offerings for himself and the people.
The Outer Court contained the brazen altar on which sacrifices were made
and the brazen laver which was used for purifying or cleansing by water. The
Holy Place contained the Table of Shewbread with its 12 loaves of bread, the
Golden Candlestick with seven branches and seven lamps which burned continually,
and the Golden Altar of Incense, whose fragrance represented the prayers,
worship and intercessions of the people before the Lord.
The Tabernacle was a board structure, overlaid with various curtains and
coverings. When the people were in
transit, the articles were covered with appointed cloth and coverings and were
set up in their proper places. The
Tabernacle was God's habitation among His people from Mount Sinai to Shiloh.
Shiloh became the central meeting place for the religious life of Israel in Canaan for a number of years. (Joshua 18:1).
(1 Samuel 4:3) There
was a big battle with the Philistines and Israel was losing.
They decided to bring the Ark of God into the battle hoping to gain favor
in the battle; however, the Philistines captured the Ark of God. (1 Samuel 4:10,11).
The Ark of the Lord was never returned to the Tabernacle of Moses.
After 7 months of destruction everywhere the Ark was placed, the
Philistines decided to return the Ark to the Israelites in Judah.
The Levites handled the Ark and the Trespass Offerings that the
Philistines had sent back with the Ark. There
was great rejoicing; however, this soon turned to disaster because the men
looked into the Ark of the Lord and God smote 50,070 of them.
God had not permitted the Philistines to handle the Ark and go
unpunished, and even His own people had to learn respect for all that it
represented. This tells us that
even God's people must respect the ways of the holy God.
Messengers were sent to Kirjath-jearim asking them to come and get the
Ark. (1 Samuel 6:21). After recovering the Ark of the Covenant, they sanctified
Eleazer and placed the Ark in his father's house.
The Ark remained out of the Tabernacle for approximately 100 years and
traveled to several cities but the people of Israel longed for the Glory of the
Lord upon the Ark and desired it to be returned to their midst.
FIRST ATTEMPT TO RECOVER THE ARK
David
had good intentions; however, he did not go about them in the right manner. What
did he do? Lo and behold, he followed directly in the footsteps of the
Philistines. Their cart had been
burned and the cattle sacrificed and so David had a new cart made and placed the
Ark on it. (2 Samuel 6:3). David
and all the people of Israel were rejoicing and shouting and the oxen stumbled.
Uzza put his hand out to steady the Ark and he was immediately struck dead by
God. (2 Samuel 6:6,7). Even King
David was not exempt from the instructions God had given as to how the Ark was
to be transported. The Philistines
may have been exempt by placing the Ark on a new cart but the man God could not
be permitted to disobey God’s instructions nor would he allow the hand of man
to steady the Ark. God could have
prevented the oxen from stumbling just as He supernaturally overruled the nature
of the cattle who brought the cart out of the land of the Philistines but God's
people must understand that there is a Divine order which they must follow and
the pattern of that order is written down in His Word.
Just
because God allows some to get by with things that are not exactly right does
not mean that He will allow you to do the same.
Although David was doing the right thing, he was going about it in the
wrong way.
There
are many organizations and groups of God's people today who are taking the
shortcut of the “new cart.” They
want to get the presence and the blessing of God back in their midst but they
are using man-made religious gimmicks that are contrary to the Word of God.
It is time we burned these "new carts" and began to seek the
face of God and study His Word if we want to get the Ark of God’s presence
back into our spiritually decadent congregations.
Doing God’s will must be done in God's way if we are to receive His
blessing.
David
was afraid after the death of Uzza and placed the Ark and the House of Obededom.
(2 Samuel 6:9,10). There
were great blessings upon his household, and after three months, David began
seeking the Lord and his Word until he found the proper way of transporting the
Ark.
PREPARING
A PLACE
David
pitched or set up a tent to house the Ark of the Covenant in Zion.
Many have questioned whether it was God’s will to prepare another
Tabernacle since the Tabernacle of Moses was still in existence.
All one has to do is look at the evidence of things that had gone wrong
when people did things that were out of God’s will. God had not been respecter of persons. He had treated both the Philistines and His own people
equally when they had failed to obey His will.
No, David was not out of God’s will in establishing another Tabernacle.
(Acts
13:22) (Acts 7:46)
(1
Chronicles 15:3) - Note the word prepared.
David had prepared a place for the Ark of God. It was not some haphazard thing.
There had been definite preparation made. Yes, it was simply a Tent which was called a Tabernacle and
could not be compared with the Tabernacle of Moses.
It was not composed of three separate chambers.
It only had one chamber. The
fact that it was a tent attested to the fact that this was to be only a
temporary dwelling place for God. David’s
desire was to build the Temple, a permanent dwelling place.
Again
David gathered the people to bring up the Ark to the place he had prepared;
however, this time he would do it God's way.
The Ark was to be carried on the shoulders of the Levitical priests.
There were staves or poles in rings on both sides of the Ark that were to remain
there as long as the Ark was in it is pilgrimage stage. (Exodus 25:12-15).
God
has a Divine order for everything He does.
His order may not be man's order and may even seem to man to be disorder.
But God has laid down in His Word the order of worship that His people
are to follow if they are to receive His blessings.
God's order of worship is still in effect in the church today.
Before
the priests and Levites could bring up the Ark of God, they had to the
sanctified. They had not done so
the first time and David reminded them of the judgment that fell upon them.
THE
PROCESSION OF THE ARK
In
bringing up of the Ark into David's Tabernacle, there was a distinct order in
the priests and singers. This order
can be found in 1 Chronicles 15 and 16. There
were 870 Priests and Levites and King David led the way.
There were numerous sacrifices and much rejoicing. (2 Samuel 6:13).
One idea concerning the six paces is that they represent the six places
the Ark had been in its journeys before it came to rest in the House of Obededom.
(1
Chronicles 15:26) (1 Chronicles 16:1) - There were blood sacrifices made
when
the Ark was removed from the House of Obededom and also at its entrance into the
Tabernacle of David. Hebrews
9:11-22 tells us that everything involved in making of a covenant or testament
had to be dedicated with sacrificial blood.
The
greatest dedication sacrifice of all took place at the altar to which all other
altars pointed, Calvary. It was
here that Jesus Christ offered a once-for-all sinless dedicatory sacrifice with
His blood for His Tabernacle - The Church.
The
dedication sacrifices were the only animal sacrifices that were ever offered in
the Tabernacle of David. From this
point on, only sacrifices of praise and joy were to be made at the Tabernacle
David. This too points to the cross
because since the cross, God has only accepted "spiritual sacrifices"
in His Tabernacle, the Church. (1
Peter 2:5).
What a glorious entrance it
must have been. The processional
march was accompanied by singing, shouting, sounds of the cornets, trumpets,
cymbals, psaltries, and harps. The women of Israel danced in and out of the procession and
played their timbrels. David played and danced with all his might before the
Lord and the singers and musicians sang and played with all their might.
It certainly was not a quiet occasion.
(1 Chronicles 15:28). Michal
saw David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and instead of being down there
rejoicing with him, she despised him in her heart. What did she see?
How many of God's people would react the same way today to such a Divine service? How many would call it indecent and out of order? As mentioned before, many call God's order disorder. Like Michal, they are smitten with spiritual barrenness until the day of their death.