Loving Lavishly Part 3
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The Tabernacle of David
The Tabernacle of David
But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Facing a battle with the Philistines, King Saul of Israel received specific instructions from the Lord through the Prophet Samuel. One of these specifics was to wait seven days before initiating any assault on the enemy. God had His reasons but Saul was impatient. When confronted for this and other disobedient acts, Saul made excuses. To try and smooth things over with God, Saul took it upon himself to act as a priest and offer burnt sacrifice (worship and offerings of repentance). But it was not an act of worship. Instead, Saul's heart was as if God required these legalistic acts of appeasement as if he were an idol like those who practiced paganism.
Listen to the words of the Prophet Samuel and let it sink into your heads, hearts, and homes today:
And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
Oh how God’s people do not like to listen. As a result of Saul’s heart condition, the Lord chose another. That other was David. Unlike Saul’s kavanah כַּוָּנָה (motives), David’s desire was to always dwell in the presence of God.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
In fact, this was the purpose of David’s efforts to return the Ark of Covenant back to Jerusalem, the heart of Israel. But it failed and David was offended at God for the death of Uzzah.
Uzzah died because he touched the holy things of God and was not consecrated as a priest. He did not have the permission of God to touch that which was consecrated of God. We see this command in Numbers 4:15.
And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
I believe this command is tied to Genesis when Eve adds to the Law of God that which God has not commanded. God had told them they could have all the trees of the Garden of Eden but of the one they were not to partake. But Eve adds that they could not even touch it lest they die.
but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
What’s the point? The point is that everything that happened and was lost in the Garden, God was seeking to restore unto us from then until even now. God’s commands do not lose their weight and intention over time. That which God has called holy does not tarnish just because we treat it as common. But when David tries to move the Ark of Covenant and the animal stumbles, Uzzah (Us uh) tried to stabilize it, and when he touched it, he died instantly. As a result, David was highly offended at God.
And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzza to this day.
The phrase “angry with the Lord” actually relates to a Hebrew idiom that means, “His nose was out of joint.” The problem is that they did not follow God’s instructions for carrying the Ark on poles as instructed in Ex 25:13-14
You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them.
Instead, they used a pagan practice to carry the Ark of God’s Presence. Later, in 2 Samuel 6:12-23, David tries again. This time he follows God’s specific instructions and it is carried on the shoulders of the Levites. But this time he does not take it to where the Tabernacle of Moses was. Instead, he takes it to Mount Zion and pitches a tent for it there. (Online Bible College; “Types and Shadows ES 107-3 Tabernacle of David”; 1999; Found on 16 OCT 2023 at https://college.online-bible-college.com/space/lesson/files/es107-03.pdf )
David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.
When God gives specific instructions, He does so for a reason. There is no room for “cutting corners” when it comes to God’s instructions. Hopefully, as we continue you will see that reason. It affects you eternally.
There are two Hebrew words relating to the word tabernacle. The first is the word ohel אֹהֶל referring to a tent. The second is the word mishkan מִשְׁכָּן meaning a dwelling place.
The Tabernacle of Moses was a tent in which sacrifices were made, worship was conducted and ritual purity and reconciliation with God were sought. David’s Tabernacle was a bit different in intent and design. Basically, unlike the Tabernacle of Moses where there were phases of entry and restricted entry into the Holy of Holies where the presence of God dwelt, the Tabernacle of David was a simple tent with what is often perceived as unrestricted entry into the holy presence of God. However, David did have two door keepers.
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
So, just because the tent was less elaborate to the eyes of men does not mean that God had lowered or done away with His requirements for holiness. Instead, it is a foreshadow of God’s intent, not only in the design of the Tabernacle of Moses, but also in the giving of Torah and the relationship with Man in the Garden of Eden.
The Bible Guide The Tabernacle (26:1–37)
‘The Lord is here’
The tabernacle is the prototype of all later temples and churches. It is a place to meet with God.
When Jesus is born, John’s Gospel says, ‘The Word became flesh and lived [‘tabernacled’] for a while among us.’ Paul teaches that every Christian is a tabernacle of the Holy Spirit.
The tabernacle has many links with the New Testament and what Jesus comes to do. The letter to the Hebrews says that Jesus, in offering his life as a sacrifice for the sin of the world, ‘entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence’ (Hebrews 9:24).
God has made you His dwelling place. What have you brought into the Tabernacle that is unclean? Or, have you cluttered your life with so much business, confusion, and other things that you tabernacle looks like a storage shed? When was the last time you could say that the Presence of God filled your tabernacle and overwhelmed, consumed your inner most being and brought you to a place of holy reverence and desire to love God lavishly?