David’s Tabernacle, part 1: What is it?
“On that day I will raise up
The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And repair its damages;
I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old.”
—Amos 9:11
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The message of David’s Tabernacle is one of the most underrated and even unknown messages out there. Yet, it is such a powerful message and gives us such a beautiful picture of the gospel and God’s heart for humanity.
Amos 9:11 says that God will raise up the tabernacle of David and rebuild it as in the days of old. I wrote about the implications of that here. James also stood up in Acts 15:14-17 and declared that Amos’ prophecy was fulfilled through the fact that the Gentiles were coming to Christ. Other scholars believe that the rebuilding of David’s tent is fulfilled in the coming of the Messiah, since He was to sit on David’s throne.
All of that is true.
Graham Truscott, in his book, The Power of His Presence, does an excellent job of tying that all together.
For this article, I want to share the basic understanding of what David’s tabernacle actually was.
God’s Heart
At the heart of it was God’s heart to dwell with man. And David, being a man after God’s own heart, I believe, caught that desire and wanted to do something about it. In 1 Chronicles 13:3 NLT, David says, “It is time to bring back the Ark of our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.” He wanted to bring the Presence of God back to the people of God. (This article will help to see why that was and is important)
“So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God…
And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel…
So he left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark regularly, as every day’s work required.”
—1 Chronicles 16:1,2,37
David had the ark of God brought in, which was the place where God’s presence and throne dwelt. He put it in a tabernacle, then appointed priests to minister to the Lord in praise. This was something that happened “regularly”—and became a 24/7 place of worship for the entirety of David’s 33-year reign.
In fact, 2 Chronicles 29:25 tells us that the order of worship David set up in this tabernacle was actually commanded by the Lord through His prophets.
In other words, this was God’s idea!
It’s a picture of His desire to dwell with man. Put the ark in the center of the nation and appoint praise and prophetic ministry to flow continually.
Sounds like a place for God and man to fellowship together.
The Framework
24/7 praise and fellowship with God
“These are the singers, heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites, who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for they were employed in that work day and night.”
1 Chronicles 9:33
“So he left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark regularly, as every day’s work required.”
1 Chronicles 16:37
4,000 musicians with 288 appointed to prophetic ministry
“Four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand praised the Lord with musical instruments, “which I made,” said David, “for giving praise.”
1 Chronicles 23:5
“So the number of them, with their brethren who were instructed in the songs of the Lord, all who were skillful, was two hundred and eighty-eight.”
1 Chronicles 25:7
Likely on rotation
“And they cast lots for their duty, the small as well as the great, the teacher with the student. Now the first lot for Asaph came out for Joseph; the second…”
1 Chronicles 25:8-9
The Implications
This is a beautiful picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
David captured the heart of God, who wants to dwell with man. The ark came from being neglected and was carried into the city. Man had rejected and neglected God, who created them, yet, God became flesh and dwelt among mankind through Jesus Christ.
One unique aspect of David’s Tabernacle, when compared to Moses’ Tabernacle, was that there was no veil. There also wasn’t any sacrificial system. The sacrifices changed from being animal sacrifices to the sacrifice of praise. Initially, when David first brought the ark to the tabernacle, there were sacrifices, but after that it was the sacrifice of praise that was brought continually. It speaks the gospel to us—the initial, once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ at the cross made the way for us to access God, the veil being torn, and now we respond with the sacrifice of praise!
Even further, we get the privilege of ongoing fellowship with God. We bring our sacrifice of praise and He brings His word to our lives. Prophetic ministry was a characteristic of David’s Tabernacle (1 Chronicles 25:1-8), which, essentially, is God revealing His heart to us. And, more specifically, revealing Jesus to us (Rev. 19:10).
I say it like this—When we minister to God, He’s too generous to let us bless Him without Him blessing us back. When we minister to God, He ministers to us.
And forever, we have the privilege of this fellowship with God through the blood of Jesus.
David gave us a living expression of the gospel of Jesus in His tabernacle!
And it reveals to us the heart of God—to dwell with us in fellowship and communion. No amount of work, fame, money, sex, or anything could give us what God has given us through Jesus.
Our response to this glorious gospel is to give back to God through the sacrifice of praise and receive from Him His word for our lives.
Question: Have you taken time lately to thank God for the cross? Have you made room for His life-changing love and word in your life?