by Bill Johnson
Here is the account:
After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘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, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the gentiles who are called by My name,’ says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago. Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood (Acts 15:13-20).
Remember, the problem had everything in the world to do with Gentiles. The apostles knew they could be saved, but they were unsure of how much of their Jewish religion and history was important for these new believers.
Notice, in the Acts 15 passage is the mention of the Tabernacle of David. This is the one story in the Old Testament that provides greater basis for this theme of the Christian life than any other (see 2 Sam. 6; 1 Chron. 15). It is a story of heart, presence, extravagant worship, and of unusual purpose among the nations. Even grace itself takes center stage in this story.
David’s Tabernacle became the backdrop for life as we know it today in the New Testament church. It had to do with King David, who functioned as a priest, and is even called a prophet in Acts 2. To me David is the greatest example of life under grace in the Old Testament. King, priest, and prophet—a complete prophetic picture of the Christ to come. It also portrayed the coming New Testament believer.
David’s Tabernacle existed for close to 40 years. It was a completely new approach to God—the priests worshiped God for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without a blood sacrifice.
God’s House, Old Testament Style
There were several houses of God in the Old Testament.
The first was in the Genesis 28 story of Jacob meeting with God on the side of the mountain. It was called Bethel, which means the house of God. It is covered in chapter one of this book. There was actually no building. God was there. That’s what made it His house.
The Tabernacle of Moses gave us a picture of Jesus. Every piece of furniture spoke of something about the coming Messiah. It was built according the specific details that God gave Moses on the mountain in a face-to-face meeting.
The Temple of Solomon was more glorious and beautiful than anything ever built on earth. It was humanity’s best effort to give God something to dwell in that was consistent with His worth. It was built according very precise plans, representing the permanent dwelling of God.
The restored temple of Solomon was built to twice the size of the original. When God restores He restores to a place greater than before restoration was needed. It did not contain the beauty of the previous temple. Those who saw the former glory wept at the sight of the restored house. Those who didn’t see the former house rejoiced at this one.
The Tabernacle of David was built for worship. No description of building materials was ever mentioned and no size is ever given. The Ark of the Covenant was there. The presence of God rested upon the ark. Priests worshiped 24 hours a day—different shifts were taken so this could be accomplished continually. The two outstanding factors are God was there in His glory and priests ministered to God nonstop.1
Who Are We?
The prophet Amos prophesied of a time when David’s tabernacle would be rebuilt.
“In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name,” declares the Lord who does this (Amos 9:11-12).
He identifies the rebuilding of David’s tabernacle as that which releases the fruit He wants—possessing the remnant of Edom and all the nations called by His name. The restoration project would release a specific fruit—Gentiles would come into the Kingdom.
James identifies the tree by its fruit. In other words, he noticed that Gentiles were brought in like the prophets said (the fruit), which enabled him to identify the work that God was doing on the earth. The work of God was the restoration of the Tabernacle of David, which is the tree in this metaphor. It is that specific work of God that produced the fruit. More specifically, the church is the house that houses a priesthood—a worshiping community that offers spiritual sacrifices to God.
You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5).
That priesthood of worshipers is God’s restoration project. The worshiping church brought about an open heaven whereby Gentiles would see and understand truth for the first time. Worship cleared the airwaves, just as it happened in Jerusalem in Acts 2.
I love how James translates verse 12. Amos said, “That they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name” (Amos 9:12). But James said, quoting the Amos passage, “That the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the gentiles who are called by My name” (Acts 15:17). He interprets it into a New Testament context. (Jesus did the same thing with Psalms 8:2. He took ordained strength and turned it into perfected praise in Matthew 21:16 NKJV.) Edom, in the original statement by Amos, is the land of Esau. Esau sold his birthright. He became the biblical example of the rest of humankind, who had no natural right to an inheritance. Yet because of grace, we are grafted into the plan of God for His people.
The bottom line in this prophecy is that you’ll know when God is restoring David’s Tabernacle as it will be signified by Gentiles coming to faith in Jesus.
Building What?
So what is being rebuilt? The church, with its unique Davidic anointing for the Presence, is the fulfillment of this prophecy from Amos. We are the community of worshipers whose primary focus is ministering to God Himself. But the significance for this book lies in this one fact—only priests could carry God’s Presence. God is pretty insistent upon that requirement.
To see what God is rebuilding and how it affects us in this unique priority we must first learn about the original project. David’s passion paves the way.
Good Intentions Can Kill
Saul was the king before David. As king Saul had little regard for the Presence of God (Ark of the Covenant), David became king of Judah and then Israel. He was acquainted with the Presence of God from his time on the backside of the desert, caring for his father’s sheep. He was a worshiper. He no doubt learned of God’s desire for yielded hearts instead of the blood of bulls and goats in his private times with God. Some of God’s best lessons can’t be learned in a class, they can only be learned on a journey.
David immediately made arrangements to bring the Ark into Jerusalem and place it in the tent that he pitched for that purpose (see 2 Sam. 6:17). It was David’s number-one priority. There was nothing even close to the priority of God’s Presence being with David, being with Israel. The story is exciting, intriguing, and deadly.
The nation of Israel planned for this day. They lined the streets to witness the ceremony of worship orchestrated to bring the presence of God into the city of David, Jerusalem. Those who could play instruments brought them in a sacrificial celebration to honor God as He came. The finest ox cart was obtained for the event. Priests took their places as they ushered in the Holy One. But one of the oxen stumbled and nearly upset the cart that carried the Ark. Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark out of his concern for the Presence. The anger of the Lord burned against him for his irreverence. God killed him. His Presence cannot be manhandled. This story alone should sober the hearts and minds of those who would tend to use the anointing for personal gain. He will not be commandeered by man.
David left the Ark in the house of Obed-Edom. All
in his household prospered because of the Presence (see 2 Sam. 6:11).
When in Doubt, Read the Instructions
To say David was scared is a great understatement. He was so sure this was the thing to do. His hunger for God was sincere and legitimate. But sincerity alone will not save anyone. Drinking strychnine thinking it’s a fruit juice doesn’t make it any less poisonous.
When David heard that the household of Obed-Edom was prospering in all ways, he became more diligent to find out what went wrong the day Uzzah died. He apparently turned to the Scriptures for insight. (It’s not wrong to be motivated by blessing. Even Jesus endured the Cross because of the joy before Him (see Heb. 12:2). Reward is a huge part of the Kingdom consciousness.) David found out that only priests could carry the Presence (see 1 Chron. 15:2). Forever. I love whenever I find a command or promise that has the word forever in it. It automatically means there’s a principle involved that will carry over into this lifestyle of grace as well as our heavenly existence. Such is the case with this verse. Only priests can carry His presence. Period.
God will not ride on ox carts, even though the Philistines seemed to get away with it (see 1 Sam. 4-6). The presence of God will not rest on anything we make. He rests on us. I believe that applies to organizations, buildings, etc. People will often look at institutions that have been created to facilitate great ministries. But no matter how great the organization, the by-laws, or the reputation, God doesn’t rest upon those things. It’s people. Yielded people have the privilege of carrying (hosting) God into life’s situations.
Do-Overs
David announced the new plan to usher God’s presence into his city. The people were ready. The priests were ready. The priestly musicians trained for the day. Those assigned to carry the ark of His Presence probably wondered about the fearfully exciting privilege involved in their job. After all, the last guy to get that close to the Ark died. But this time they had the will of God revealed in Scripture to support the process.
This story is one of the greatest stories in the Bible. It should be known forward and backward by every believer, as it is key to clearly fulfill our role in this day.2 It is our story, ahead of time.
The day came. King David stripped himself of his kingly garments and put on a priest’s tunic, basically a priest’s undergarment. This was not something a king would be seen in normally. But then David was not a normal king. He would become known as the man after God’s heart—the man of God’s Presence. After six steps, they stopped and sacrificed an ox to the Lord. He then danced before the Ark with all of his might.
This must have been a fearfully beautiful sight. All of Israel was lining the streets, rejoicing in the actual Presence of God. The musicians played with great skillfulness. As much as it was possible, a nation showed up for an event. The grandeur, the magnificence and sheer volume must have been overwhelming. Everyone present was impacted by this once in a lifetime experience.
It is worth noting that the Ark of the Covenant (the Presence of God) followed David into Jerusalem. Wherever David danced, God followed. He responds to our offerings. In this story, it’s an offering of thanksgiving and praise expressed in the dance. Many respond to God once His Presence is realized. But some respond before He actually comes. They are the ones who usher in the Presence of the King of Glory. Another way of looking at it is God showed up wherever King David danced in an undignified fashion. It might surprise us to find out what is attractive to Him.
Someone’s Missing
There was one notable absentee. Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked at the event through the palace window. Extreme worship always looks to be extreme foolishness to those who stand at a distance. Some things can only be understood from within. Such is the case with authentic worship.
Michal was appalled at David’s lack of regard for how people perceived his passion, his humility in attire, and his complete lack of public decorum. Instead of greeting him with honor, she tried to shame him.
But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!” (2 Samuel 6:20)
His response was very bold in many ways.
So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the Lord. I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished” (2 Samuel 6:21-22).
David made it clear that God chose him above her father. This was a biting comment to say the least. Her disregard for the Presence of God revealed that she carried some of the same lack of value for the Presence that her father Saul had lived by during his reign. Dumbing down our emphasis on the Presence should never be to accommodate the Michals in the house. He followed that comment stating that she basically hadn’t seen anything yet. In other words, if that embarrassed her, her future was not too bright. David was just getting warmed up. Tragically, “Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death” (2 Sam. 6:23).
Whenever someone despises extravagant worship, they put themselves in an extremely dangerous position. Barrenness is the natural result of despising worship. In doing so they are rejecting the reason why we’re alive. Barrenness and the absence of worship go hand in hand. This scene happened again during Jesus’ ministry. It was when the costly ointment was poured over Jesus. All the disciples were upset (see Matt. 26:8). The devil actually doesn’t mind worship that is tame. Extreme worship exposes religion3 in everyone.
There is a wonderful verse that speaks to the effect of extreme worship on barrenness itself.
“Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; for the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord (Isaiah 54:1).
What a promise. In this chapter we find a barren woman who is exhorted to shout for joy before she becomes pregnant. The end result is that she will have more children than the one who has been having children all along. This provides quite the prophetic picture. The people who are people of worship, regardless of circumstances, will become fruitful in ways beyond reason.
Anyone can get happy after the miracle has come. Show me someone who celebrates before the answer, and I’ll show you someone who is about to experience the answer. This is the nature of faith—it looks ahead and lives accordingly.
Restored to Purpose
Perhaps it would be appropriate to reintroduce the Genesis 1:28 passage in this context, as worshipers truly will “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it.” Is this example of Michal and the Isaiah 54 woman really that significant? I believe it is. In David’s Tabernacle we are connected to our original purpose as worshipers to be carriers of the glory and restore fruitfulness to the barren places in the lives of those who have suffered at the enemy’s hands. The devil came to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Jesus came to defeat the devil, expose his works, and reverse their effects. He came to give life. We have inherited that privileged assignment of enforcing the victory of Christ in those same ways. Worshipers just do that by nature.
The New Was in the Old
Sometimes we read Old Testament stories and accept them without realizing how dramatic or revolutionary they actually are. Such is the case with David and his tabernacle.
Blood: The Law was in effect until Jesus lived a sinless life, suffered, and died in our place, paying the demand or price that the Law required because of sin.
Under the Old Covenant, the priest could only enter into God’s Presence through a blood sacrifice. And then only the high priest could come into the Holy of Holies one day a year, the Day of Atonement.
The Holy of Holies is the inner room where manifest Presence of God was—the only light was the glorious Presence of God. This is where the Ark of the Covenant was kept.
When David became king he sensed that God was looking for something else—priests who offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise through the yielded and broken heart. This was done even though the Law he lived under forbade it. It was offered with musical instruments as well as the voices of the singers. In this context, every priest could come daily before God without having to bring a blood offering. This order of worship was done twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This of course spoke of the day when every believer, a priest according to First Peter 2:9, would come to God in boldness because of what Jesus accomplished on our behalf. This is what was referred to when James said David’s booth was being rebuilt.
David was the man after God’s heart. He had a perception of God that would not be fully realized until Jesus would come and shed His blood for all. David’s experience was a prophetic foretaste of something to come. I believe it was David’s hunger for God that enabled him to pull this experience into his day, even though it was reserved for another day.
This tent or tabernacle that David built for the Ark was placed on Mount Zion. I live in northern California. When we speak of a mountain, we are speaking of a significant piece of our geography. Mount Shasta is over 14,000 feet in elevation. Mount Zion, on the other hand, is a simple rise in the earth and is contained within the city of Jerusalem. Zion means “sunny place,” as it is where the sun shines first. What it lacked in elevation, it more than made up for in significance. Significance is always more important than visibility.