What was/is the Tabernacle of David?

That is why we do not find the regular order of worship here. David brings the ark to Jerusalem but not the other furnishings of the tabernacle. He sets up a tent for the ark, but it is not the tent of the wilderness. “They brought in the ark of Jehovah, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had spread for it” (2 Sam. 6:17). The tabernacle itself with the altar was found elsewhere.

The ark was set in a tent that David had pitched for it in Jerusalem. This was God's center, and yet there was to be no temple for the ark until the days of Solomon. Nothing is said of the character of this tent, as to whether it was the same as "the tabernacle in the wilderness." But when the ark was set there David again offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. This is the important reminder that God's presence in Israel is only to be enjoyed on the basis of the value of the sacrifice of Christ. The burnt offerings speaks of what God receives from that sacrifice, and the peace offering involves both God's and man's sharing in the value of it, in vital concord.

Let us remember that at that time the Tabernacle, as a system established by God, had really come to an end. The ark, the symbol of God's presence in the midst of His people, had been carried into captivity, abandoned, and then brought back by God Himself to the fields of Jaar in view of the establishment of a new order of things. Lastly, it had been brought to Mount Zion by the kingship according to God, there to await the peaceful reign of Solomon who would build a house for the Lord. But, during this intermediate period the brazen altar, the tent, and the vessels of service were at Gibeon, no longer associated with the ark. One could approach the ark at Zion, but without the sacrifice which was the only way into the sanctuary; one could approach the altar at Gibeon, but this would only give access to the holy place which was completely empty. The relationship between the altar and the ark seemed to be lost forever through the unfaithfulness of the priesthood. This truth that the altar — expiation — was the means necessary to gain access to God's throne, and that without it it was impossible for the Lord to dwell in grace in the midst of His people, had to be established anew completely. The ark was in Zion; it was asserting its place on the mountain of grace, but could it be enthroned there unless the question of sin were definitely settled?

As the head, David orders everything and appoints psalmody for the service of God. Then by the help of God, the ark is brought from the house of Obed-edom into the tent prepared for it in Zion, with offerings to God who helped the Levites by His power, and with joy and songs of triumph. David himself, clothed with a robe of fine linen and an ephod, dances and plays before the ark of Jehovah who was going up to His place in Zion. This action — unintelligible to the unbelieving Michal, to whom the king's behaviour was therefore unintelligible also — was of very great importance. It identified kingly power in Zion (that is to say, the kingly power of Christ, as deliverer in grace) with the token of Jehovah's covenant with Israel — a token established there in grace, when Israel had already failed entirely under the law, and even after their rejection of God as their King.

Nay, more, it is declared not only that God should preserve what was of Himself in the solemn day which is still future, but "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David." He would not permit merely a flourishing state of Judah and of Israel as separate powers. He will reunite them and establish the rights of the united kingdom. "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof." Weak as that rude booth or hut looked in itself, a fallen thing too, God would raise it up in the day when the strong and high and haughty must fall. Their breaches will He wall up; for many were the breaches sustained from internal weakness and external violence. Nay, He would raise up the ruins of David, and build it as in the days of old; "that they may inherit the remnant of Edom, and of all the Gentiles which are called by my name, says Jehovah that does this." Here is the well-known principle which was applied by James at the council of Jerusalem to the divine right of recognising under the gospel the Gentiles without being circumcised. His argument is that they do not require to become virtual Jews in order to get the blessing of God and to bear His name. For to be circumcised is practically to be no longer a Gentile, but to become a Jew. Whereas now God is really making not Jews but Christians. Therefore to force circumcision on such Gentiles as believed was a total mistake.

On the other hand Jehovah has not yet raised up the tabernacle of David; nor is this at all intimated by James's quotation of the passage. Neither he nor any other apostle ever says that the church of God is the same thing as the booth of David. The whole system which identifies them is foreign and opposed to scripture. It is only the allegorical habit of the fathers which invented the fiction that Zion or Jerusalem, that Judah or Israel, mean the church. But this error lowers our own dignity, and deprives the ancient people of that hope for which God's providence reserves them spite of their actual unbelief. Assuredly God will bless the Jews by and by, and His name will be called upon the Gentiles. Even the most obstinate of Pharisees could not gainsay James's proof of this. If then God were pleased to call His name on Gentiles now by the gospel, who can deny the principle if he believe the prophets? Their own scriptures agree to this, and oppose the narrow-mindedness which would convert them practically into Jews in order to be called by His name. No Israelite could have conceived that God had then raised the fallen hut of David; but he could not gainsay that God spoke of all the nations on which His name should be called when that day comes. It was not inconsistent but in keeping with this, if as Gentiles they were called by His name now. James does not speak of this or any other prophetic citation being fulfilled at present. He simply quotes the broad fact from the Septuagint version, as agreeing with the principle generally laid down by the prophets that all the nations should be called by Jehovah's name. This is indeed the characteristic of the millennial day, when all Israel shall be saved, and shall inherit the remnant even of their bitterest foe as well as of all the Gentiles. Undoubtedly, when it is fulfilled, the subjection of the nations will be for ever, and the kingdom of Jehovah over all the earth, though it be of course the kingdom of the heavens. The apostle cites this then only for present use in sanctioning the reception of Gentiles without circumcision, which it did unanswerably.*

The tabernacle of David

Moving on through the New Testament in our quest to find things of David we come to Acts 15:16: ‘After these things I will return, and will rebuild the tabernacle of David which is fallen, and will rebuild its ruins, and will set it up’.

The word ‘tabernacle’ is sometimes used for a temporary dwelling place (which can be new — see Matt. 17:4) and at other times for a dwelling place in ruins. So it is here: the ‘house of David’ (see the comments above) has ‘fallen’, namely into a state of ruin: David’s descendants lived under Roman occupation, they had no king, etc. But God would rebuild ‘its ruins’.

This promise is based on the prophecy of Amos (Amos 9:11). But note that Amos says it will be rebuilt ‘as in the days of old’ whereas Paul omits these words. As a matter of fact, the ‘tabernacle of David’ will be built up to a state far better and higher than ‘in the days of old’ under the millennial reign of Christ when all enemies will be subdued and He will reign in righteousness and peace.

While the sinful kingdom, the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel, is passed away and will never come into existence again, there is another kingdom which will come, into which Judah and Israel will be gathered with the nations of the earth. This kingdom of heaven, promised to David, is now announced by the prophet. "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old." This prophecy is quoted by James in Acts 15:15-16 at the first great church council held in Jerusalem. On that occasion the Holy Spirit used the prophecy of Amos to unfold the program of God concerning the future. Yet there is no church council, no general conference, general assembly or general association which reckons in any way with that which the Spirit of God has laid down as the program of the future. We learn from the passage in Acts that during this age the Gentiles are visited to gather out from among them a people for His Name (the Church). When this is accomplished the Lord returns, and, as a result of His return, the restoration of the tabernacle of David takes place: that is, the kingdom will be restored to His people, the kingdom of heaven comes and the Lord Jesus Christ will be enthroned as its king upon the throne of David. Then the conversion of the world will take place.

This is seen here in the passage before us. Verse 12 tells us that when the tabernacle of David is raised up, when "that day" has come, His people restored and saved will possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations. The last three verses of the prophecy of Amos describe the millennium in its earthly blessings. It also shows the permanent blessing and glory into which redeemed and restored Israel has entered, "They shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God."

The ordinary teaching is that God's Church is one in all ages; that it began with Abraham and continues through the present dispensation and the Millennium, including every saved soul to the last. It is said that the Jewish church was in a broken and fragmentary condition when our Lord came to earth, but that he repaired and re-established it upon the firm basis of atonement. In proof of this the following scripture is cited, being itself a quotation from the prophet Amos: "After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom My name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things" (Acts 15:16-17).

This scripture occurs in the account of the meeting at Jerusalem regarding the effort made to compel Gentile converts to keep the law. This was rejected absolutely by the assembly. It was shown that even under the law and in the prophets God had purposes of blessing for the Gentiles. The passage quoted from Amos illustrates this. But the passage most clearly refers to the restoration of the Jewish nation under the reign of a king of the house of David. In other words, it looks forward to the Millennium, when the "Gentiles shall come to Thy light." But you find not only here, but in various places throughout the Acts, things looked at from a Jewish standpoint.

As has been frequently noticed, the Acts is not a history of the Church as such, but of the transition from Judaism into Christianity. God patiently waited upon and pleaded with His beloved earthly people. Then, too, when we remember that this decision was reached at Jerusalem — it was before the destruction of the city — we will see the consistency of looking at everything from that standpoint. James is simply showing that the Gentiles have a place in the purposes of God's grace, and must not be debarred from that grace by the law. He does not quote this scripture to prove that the tabernacle of David had been rebuilt — unquestionably it is not yet rebuilt — but to show that Gentiles come within the blessed purposes of God's grace. In other words, the Church is not alluded to in the passage. The same largely applies to the entire book of Acts.

The disputing now being silenced, James is given grace to speak authoritatively for God. His epistle makes it clear that he had no lax, careless character, and he was evidently highly respected by the Jews of Jerusalem. He refers back to the words of Simeon (Simon Peter) in rehearsing the facts of God's intervention in visiting the Gentiles to take from among them a people for His name. Then he brings scripture (the Old Testament) to bear in this matter, quoting from Amos 9:11-12, which shows that Gentiles would be blessed in having God's name called upon them, in connection with the rebuilding of the tabernacle of David. Of course, Christ is the true Prince of the house of David, and in Christ alone Gentiles as well as Jews find blessing.

In the Tabernacle it was set forth how to approach God, which is, and must always be, by sacrifice; this was exhibited, if we may so say, at Gibeon. But before the Ark it was seen, and was daily expressed, what is the suited service for those who are where the presence of God is known. That was and must be one of praise.