Tabernacle of David

The Tabernacle of David was a small tent in the Old Testament that held the ark of God. This simple tabernacle holds prophetic significance for God’s people today. 

The Tabernacle of David was a simple tent that David pitched in Jerusalem. When the ark of God first came to Jerusalem, it came to this tent.

Before the Tabernacle of David, the ark of God was inside the Tabernacle of Moses. Moses’ Tabernacle was a very complex religious structure full of rituals, sacrifices, priests, and holy things. The ark sat within the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle of Moses, and the ark could not be accessed easily. In fact, only the high priest once a year was allowed to access the ark. God’s presence in those days hid behind many religious rituals, and only by jumping through many intricate requirements of the law was a person able to access the direct presence of God.

Then David came and pitched a simple tent for the ark in Jerusalem. This tent probably didn’t seem like much. Compared to the Tabernacle of Moses, the Tabernacle of David was very small and simple. But the Tabernacle of David was very different because it made God’s presence accessible. People could come to David’s tent and come close to the ark. The ark was not hiding behind complex religious rituals; instead, it was easy to access. The Tabernacle of David was like a small Holy of Holies, where people could immediately access God.

After the Tabernacle of David, Solomon built the Jerusalem temple and put the ark there. The temple was another complex religious structure based on the principles of the Law. The ark was ensconced within the Holy of Holies, behind a thick curtain. God’s presence was again inaccessible to most people, just like it was in the Tabernacle of Moses.

For a brief period of about 40 years, the ark sat within a small tent within Jerusalem called the Tabernacle of David. God’s presence was immediately accessible to God’s people. People didn’t have to jump through many religious hoops to get to God. They didn’t have to go through all the religious rituals in order to access God. They could come straight into his presence. 

God said that the Tabernacle of David would be rebuilt (Amos 9:11-12). James, Jesus’ brother, said that this Tabernacle of David was rebuilt in the New Covenant so that everyone could seek God (Acts 15:16-17). The Gentiles would come to God, no longer separated from God’s people by the Law.

The Tabernacle of David represents the ministry of Christ. Through Christ, the regulations of the Law have been abolished. The Old Covenant has passed away and become obsolete (Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 2:13-14; Hebrews 8:13). 

Today, in the New Testament, we can come boldly into God’s presence. He is not separated from us by religious rituals and requirements. Salvation is a free gift that we receive by grace through faith, because Jesus fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the Law and then died as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Now, we can come boldly before God’s throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Just like with the Tabernacle of David, we can access God’s presence freely. We can enter into the Holy of Holies freely (Hebrews 10:19-23). We can come close to God and not be far off. 

In the New Covenant, we need to follow the commands of Christ and his apostles. But this obedience is not the starting point of our religious experience. Instead, we start with being born again and receiving the Holy Spirit through faith. Then we have the power to obey God. This is very different from the Old Testament. The Old Testament began with following a lot of rules, and if those rules were not kept, the person was cursed (Galatians 3:10). Now, we begin with acceptance, and on that basis we follow the teachings of Christ which unleash the kingdom of God.

According to Isaiah 16:5, Jesus is now sitting in the Tabernacle of David. This is in a spiritual sense, of course. Jesus is our great high priest. He is our intercessor. He is praying for us. He is our mediator, our brother, our friend. Jesus is freely accessible to all of us by faith; he is not hiding behind a lot of religiosity. He is available and accessible.

Jesus brings us directly into God’s presence. He eliminates the requirements of the Old Testament Law. Jesus also delivers us from man-made religious rituals that hinder people from accessing God. Candles, incense, statues, pictures, holy clothes, altars, holy white cloths, musical instruments, fog machines, trees, bunnies, eggs, holy chalices, holy buildings….. All these things are human additions to the New Covenant. They were not used in the New Testament to worship God. These man-made additions actually hinder people from accessing God.

The ministry of Christ is represented by the Tabernacle of David. We don’t need to add religious things or jump through human religious hoops. We can freely come into the presence of God by faith and receive the grace of God. We can freely enjoy the presence of God through Jesus Christ.