Believers Worship at David’s Tabernacle

Amos 9:11, 12

In Acts 15, the Apostle James speaks to the assembled apostles and preachers at the council in Jerusalem. The council was held so that the Jewish apostles could determine what they should say and preach to the new Gentile converts regarding the observance of Jewish law. In his speech, James quotes our text from the book of Amos, placing Amos’ prophecy in New Testament times, not far off in some future millennium.

James states that the advent of Jesus and His death on the cross has brought back the tabernacle of David. Even the least experienced Bible student knows that the tabernacle was built by Moses, many years before David came along, and that David’s son Solomon constructed the temple. So when and where was there ever a tabernacle of David?

David decided that the Ark of the Covenant had been missing from Jerusalem for too long. Moses’ tabernacle was set up in Gibeon, but David wanted to bring the presence of the Lord to the capital of Israel and Judah, so he had a cart constructed so that the Ark could be rolled in. On the way, one of David’s men touched the Ark as it was shaking on the cart and he fell over dead. David was frightened of the Ark’s power so he took it to the nearest house, the home of a Gentile named Obed-edom.

Obed-edom means, “Servant of Edom”. Edom is another name for Esau, showing us that this man was actually a descendent of Jacob’s brother Esau. For the next 3 months, blessings are poured on the house of Obed-edom, and as David hears of this, he becomes a bit envious in his spirit, desiring that God would bless him with such goodness. This prompts David to take the Ark out of Obed-edom’s house and bring it up to Jerusalem, this time with priests carrying it, as Moses had been instructed.

David places the Ark in a tabernacle that he pitches for it (2 Samuel 6:17). 1 Chronicles 15:1 tells us that this “tabernacle” is a tent. David seems unconcerned with placing the Ark in the Holy of Holies, in the tabernacle at Gibeon, for he makes no effort to do so. Instead, he leaves it in Jerusalem, basking off of the same blessings that were on it while in the house of Obed-edom. Through all of this he had learned that God’s blessings were not on the tabernacle, but on the Ark, and that God would bless all who approached it, even an unworthy Gentile.

James references this prophecy because of what Christ’s finished work has accomplished. Under the Old Covenant, God was to be feared and placed at a distance. Only the high priest ever saw the ark while it was in the tabernacle, and that only once per year. David is hearkening forward to a better covenant built upon better promises, when all of God’s people can go boldly into the presence of the Lord and have their moment at the mercy seat of heaven, covered by the blood of the precious, spotless Lamb.

Believers no longer worship a distant entity, but a living God. Because Christ lives in us, we worship at David’s tabernacle, where God’s presence is always right where we are. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and God dwells in us (1 Corinthians 6:19). Just as in David’s tabernacle, the blessings are not on the tent, but on the Ark in the tent. The blessings that we experience are not because of us but because of our Jesus in us! Therefore, His blessings are not dependent on how good we are or how consecrated we may be, but rather they are dependent on how good Jesus is. As Amos said, even the remnant of Edom and all of the heathen are called by the name of the Lord (Amos 9:12).

Our Rear Guard

Isaiah 58:8

When Israel encamped in the wilderness, they were to position their tents facing the tabernacle. Four straight lines pointed out from each direction on the compass from the tabernacle, with 3 tribes lined up single file on each side, all twelve in total. Considering the largeness of the tribe of Judah, one side of the tabernacle tended to run longer than the other three sides, giving the encampment of Israel the appearance of a massive cross sprawled across the valley.

Each tent flap opened facing the back of the tent in front of it with all of them pointing toward the centerpiece which was the Tabernacle of Moses. Ascending from the back of the tabernacle would be a cloud by day and a fire by night, marking the position of the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place at the rear of the tabernacle. The cloud and the fire were types and shadows of God the Father and God the Son, providing shelter and direction for the Children of Israel.

The tabernacle itself was also an Old Testament type of our Lord Jesus Christ. His outer appearance was nothing special, just as the skins of badgers and goats held no appeal. But on the inside was shining gold and the light of heaven. The blood on the altar typified Christ’s death at the cross, while the showbread was His body; the candlestick is His light and the incense is Christ as a sweet smelling savor before the Lord. All things speak of Jesus, thus all eyes were to face Jesus. As Israel looked to the center, they were “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Strangely enough, there was never a record of Israel being attacked by an enemy while they were encamped around the Tabernacle. It would have made perfect military sense to combat them while they were encamped, for their backs were facing their enemies and they never put sentries or guards to warn them of coming danger. Only a foolish army would camp facing away from their enemy and have no way of knowing when or if that enemy was marching against them. Rest assured Israel was no foolish army!

As Israel faced inward towards the Tabernacle, God worked a mighty miracle behind them. Isaiah 52:12 promised that the Lord would both go before Israel and be their “rereward”. That old English word is better translated “rear-guard”, and it shows us how God provided for Israel’s safety from every direction. As the Lord is out in front of us, drawing our eyes towards His beauty and loveliness, He is acting as our rear-guard, ensuring us safety from the attacks that we do not even see coming.

A wonderful promise of the New Covenant, following the death of Christ on Calvary is that our “health shall spring forth speedily” and that our “righteousness” will go out before us (Isaiah 58:8). As the New Covenant believer sees the beauty of Jesus, His health and righteousness spring out of us and go before us. We begin to be defined by the very righteousness that Jesus carried while on this earth due to the fact that at the cross He traded that righteousness to us for all of our sins.

See your Savior in this manner and you are promised that “the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward” (Isaiah 58:8). The more that you see Jesus as your provision, the more that the Lord protects you from the attack that you didn’t even know was there. Thank Him today for all of the things that He has held back; things that you never even saw coming.

Believers Worship at David’s Tabernacle

Amos 9:11, 12

In Acts 15, the Apostle James speaks to the assembled apostles and preachers at the council in Jerusalem. The council was held so that the Jewish apostles could determine what they should say and preach to the new Gentile converts regarding the observance of Jewish law. In his speech, James quotes our text from the book of Amos, placing Amos’ prophecy in New Testament times, not far off in some future millennium.

James states that the advent of Jesus and His death on the cross has brought back the tabernacle of David. Even the least experienced Bible student knows that the tabernacle was built by Moses, many years before David came along, and that David’s son Solomon constructed the temple. So when and where was there ever a tabernacle of David?

David decided that the Ark of the Covenant had been missing from Jerusalem for too long. Moses’ tabernacle was set up in Gibeon, but David wanted to bring the presence of the Lord to the capital of Israel and Judah, so he had a cart constructed so that the Ark could be rolled in. On the way, one of David’s men touched the Ark as it was shaking on the cart and he fell over dead. David was frightened of the Ark’s power so he took it to the nearest house, the home of a Gentile named Obed-edom.

Obed-edom means, “Servant of Edom”. Edom is another name for Esau, showing us that this man was actually a descendent of Jacob’s brother Esau. For the next 3 months, blessings are poured on the house of Obed-edom, and as David hears of this, he becomes a bit envious in his spirit, desiring that God would bless him with such goodness. This prompts David to take the Ark out of Obed-edom’s house and bring it up to Jerusalem, this time with priests carrying it, as Moses had been instructed.

David places the Ark in a tabernacle that he pitches for it (2 Samuel 6:17). 1 Chronicles 15:1 tells us that this “tabernacle” is a tent. David seems unconcerned with placing the Ark in the Holy of Holies, in the tabernacle at Gibeon, for he makes no effort to do so. Instead, he leaves it in Jerusalem, basking off of the same blessings that were on it while in the house of Obed-edom. Through all of this he had learned that God’s blessings were not on the tabernacle, but on the Ark, and that God would bless all who approached it, even an unworthy Gentile.

James references this prophecy because of what Christ’s finished work has accomplished. Under the Old Covenant, God was to be feared and placed at a distance. Only the high priest ever saw the ark while it was in the tabernacle, and that only once per year. David is hearkening forward to a better covenant built upon better promises, when all of God’s people can go boldly into the presence of the Lord and have their moment at the mercy seat of heaven, covered by the blood of the precious, spotless Lamb.

Believers no longer worship a distant entity, but a living God. Because Christ lives in us, we worship at David’s tabernacle, where God’s presence is always right where we are. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and God dwells in us (1 Corinthians 6:19). Just as in David’s tabernacle, the blessings are not on the tent, but on the Ark in the tent. The blessings that we experience are not because of us but because of our Jesus in us! Therefore, His blessings are not dependent on how good we are or how consecrated we may be, but rather they are dependent on how good Jesus is. As Amos said, even the remnant of Edom and all of the heathen are called by the name of the Lord (Amos 9:12).

Our Rear Guard

Isaiah 58:8

When Israel encamped in the wilderness, they were to position their tents facing the tabernacle. Four straight lines pointed out from each direction on the compass from the tabernacle, with 3 tribes lined up single file on each side, all twelve in total. Considering the largeness of the tribe of Judah, one side of the tabernacle tended to run longer than the other three sides, giving the encampment of Israel the appearance of a massive cross sprawled across the valley.

Each tent flap opened facing the back of the tent in front of it with all of them pointing toward the centerpiece which was the Tabernacle of Moses. Ascending from the back of the tabernacle would be a cloud by day and a fire by night, marking the position of the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place at the rear of the tabernacle. The cloud and the fire were types and shadows of God the Father and God the Son, providing shelter and direction for the Children of Israel.

The tabernacle itself was also an Old Testament type of our Lord Jesus Christ. His outer appearance was nothing special, just as the skins of badgers and goats held no appeal. But on the inside was shining gold and the light of heaven. The blood on the altar typified Christ’s death at the cross, while the showbread was His body; the candlestick is His light and the incense is Christ as a sweet smelling savor before the Lord. All things speak of Jesus, thus all eyes were to face Jesus. As Israel looked to the center, they were “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Strangely enough, there was never a record of Israel being attacked by an enemy while they were encamped around the Tabernacle. It would have made perfect military sense to combat them while they were encamped, for their backs were facing their enemies and they never put sentries or guards to warn them of coming danger. Only a foolish army would camp facing away from their enemy and have no way of knowing when or if that enemy was marching against them. Rest assured Israel was no foolish army!

As Israel faced inward towards the Tabernacle, God worked a mighty miracle behind them. Isaiah 52:12 promised that the Lord would both go before Israel and be their “rereward”. That old English word is better translated “rear-guard”, and it shows us how God provided for Israel’s safety from every direction. As the Lord is out in front of us, drawing our eyes towards His beauty and loveliness, He is acting as our rear-guard, ensuring us safety from the attacks that we do not even see coming.

A wonderful promise of the New Covenant, following the death of Christ on Calvary is that our “health shall spring forth speedily” and that our “righteousness” will go out before us (Isaiah 58:8). As the New Covenant believer sees the beauty of Jesus, His health and righteousness spring out of us and go before us. We begin to be defined by the very righteousness that Jesus carried while on this earth due to the fact that at the cross He traded that righteousness to us for all of our sins.

See your Savior in this manner and you are promised that “the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward” (Isaiah 58:8). The more that you see Jesus as your provision, the more that the Lord protects you from the attack that you didn’t even know was there. Thank Him today for all of the things that He has held back; things that you never even saw coming.

Believers Worship at David’s Tabernacle

Amos 9:11, 12

In Acts 15, the Apostle James speaks to the assembled apostles and preachers at the council in Jerusalem. The council was held so that the Jewish apostles could determine what they should say and preach to the new Gentile converts regarding the observance of Jewish law. In his speech, James quotes our text from the book of Amos, placing Amos’ prophecy in New Testament times, not far off in some future millennium.

James states that the advent of Jesus and His death on the cross has brought back the tabernacle of David. Even the least experienced Bible student knows that the tabernacle was built by Moses, many years before David came along, and that David’s son, Solomon constructed the temple. So when and where was there ever a tabernacle of David?

David decided that the Ark of the Covenant had been missing from Jerusalem for too long. Moses’ tabernacle was set up in Gibeon, but David wanted to bring the presence of the Lord to the capital of Israel and Judah, so had a cart constructed so that the Ark could be rolled in. On the way, one of David’s men touch the Ark as it is shaking on the cart and he falls over dead. David is frightened of the Ark’s power so he takes it to the nearest house, the house of a Gentile named Obed-edom.

Obed-edom means, “Servant of Edom”. Edom is another name for Esau, showing us that this man was actually a descendent of Jacob’s brother Esau. For the next 3 months, blessings are poured on the house of Obed-edom, and as David hears of this, he becomes a bit envious in his spirit, desiring that God would bless him with such goodness. This prompts David to take the Ark out of Obed-edom’s house and bring it up to Jerusalem, this time with priests carrying it, as Moses had been instructed.

David places the Ark in a tabernacle that he pitches for it (2 Samuel 6:17). 1 Chronicles 15:1 tells us that this “tabernacle” is a tent. David seems unconcerned with placing the Ark in the Holy of Holies, in the tabernacle at Gibeon, for he makes no effort to do so. Instead, he leaves it in Jerusalem, basking off of the same blessings that were on it while in the house of Obed-edom. Through all of this he had learned that God’s blessings were not on the tabernacle, but on the Ark, and that God would bless all who approached it, even an unworthy Gentile.

James references this prophecy because of what Christ’s finished work accomplished. Under the Old Covenant, God was to be feared and placed at a distance. Only the high priest ever saw the ark while it was in the tabernacle, and that only once per year. David is hearkening forward to a better covenant built upon better promises, when all of God’s people can go boldly into the presence of the Lord and have their moment at the mercy seat of heaven, covered by the blood of the precious, spotless Lamb.

Believers no longer worship a distant entity, but a living God. Because Christ lives in us, we worship at David’s tabernacle, where God’s presence is always right where we are. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and God dwells in us (1 Corinthians 6:19). His blessings are not dependent on how good we are or how consecrated we may be, but rather they are dependent on how good Jesus is. As Amos said, even the remnant of Edom, and all of the heathen are called by the name of the Lord (Amos 9:12).