David’s Tabernacle Restored, Part 5
November 23, 2018
You will remember that
there are three specific events in the Word in which we are told that God’s
intent and purpose was to restore again the Tabernacle of David. He never said he was going to again restore
the Temple of Solomon.
Men have attempted to
do that several times throughout history, and it continues to be destroyed each
time. Why? Because a temple — the real Temple of God —
is not made with hands. It is a divine
creation which takes place in the realm of the Spirit.
Take a look at the
prophecies. Let’s start with God’s
reason for raising up the Tabernacle of David.
We quoted Amos last week, but here it the central theme of Amos’
prophecy. Recall what we quoted from
Chaim BenTorah last week, and then put that in context with the following.
Amos 9:11-12: 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 his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of
old: That they may possess
the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith
the LORD that doeth this.
This is spectacularly significant in view of
Isaiah’s prophecy many years earlier.
Isaiah 16:5: And
in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in
the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting
righteousness.
You
will remember our earlier sharing on the fact that only five kings of Judah
arose, after the days of David and Solomon, who restored the ministry of praise
and worship as it had been in David’s time.
Each time that ministry was abandoned, the nation fell to its
enemies. Israel — the remaining tribes —
was already in the throes of alternating periods of contending with their
enemies, famine, pestilence and captivity
Because there was no crown of the presence of the Lord among them — no
real authority of God present — seekers after leadership recognition began to
abound. Hence, the rebuke of Amos
concerning the “show-boating” that took place at Bethel and Gilgal.
A
little history is in order to understand the significance of these two places.
Genesis
12 gives us an early picture of Bethel as the first place where Abram built an
altar unto the Lord, calling it “The House of God.” It became a focal point in Israel for
centuries as a place where one could find the presence of the Lord.
Gilgal,
on the other hand, was the place west of the Jordan where Joshua and the elders
of Israel placed twelve stones, signifying what God had done for them in drying
up the Jordan River so that all Israel could cross and begin the conquest of
Canaan. Gilgal signified the mighty hand
of God.
Gilgal
became the place where the prophet Samuel offered up sacrifices and burnt
offerings on behalf of Israel. It became
a place of anointing, and a place where the authority of God was being
manifested.
In
case you are wondering, the old Tabernacle of Moses was set up about 10 miles
north of Bethel in a very secluded spot.
This took place during the time of the conquest of Canaan (See Joshua
18), and it remained there throughout Joshua’s time, as well as the period of
the Judges — several hundred years. The
Ark of the Covenant was taken from Moses’ Tabernacle by the Philistines (see I
Samuel 4), and was never returned to its old resting place.
So,
why the focus on Bethel and Gilgal, and not Shiloh where the Tabernacle of
Moses was set up? The answer is pretty
simple. Both Bethel and Gilgal marked
prominent points in what God had ordered for this land of promise. The Ark was long gone by the time Amos
prophesied. In fact it was in hiding,
having been hidden by the prophet Jeremiah prior to Israel being taken into captivity.
But
we are getting ahead of ourselves.
We’ve
already talked about David’s anxiety to recover the Ark of the Covenant, but
because of his understanding of its significance, he brought to it a very
prominent location on one of the seven hills that make up the city of
Jerusalem. He wanted to ensure that the
covenant was visible for all Israel to see — that whether they could actually
see the simple tent that made up his tabernacle, they would certainly know that
the Ark was on display for the nation.
We
won’t go back over all the history of events that unfolded once the Ark took up
residence on Moriah, and then Zion, except to highlight something that has been
lost in our focus and understanding: the crown of God’s rulership in the
land. What makes this significant is
that the crown is directly related to the presence of ongoing praise and
worship to the Lord. Maybe you think
I’ve lost it, or at least gotten way off track here, so lets
take a look at a much later prophesy.
And to the angel — the Heaven-sent messenger — in the Ekklesia
in Philadelphia, write the following:
this message comes from the One who is Holy, He who is Truth (and speaks
nothing but Truth), He who holds the Key of David, He who opens and no man
shuts, He who shuts and no man opens;
I am well aware and know your labors, your deeds, and that in
which you continue to expend your energies; see and consider that I have placed
before you an opening door of access, and no one can shut or lock it: You are
in possession of a small amount of strength, force and power because you have
maintained My Word and have not contradicted or rejected in any way My onoma
(character, personality, makeup or the essence of Who I AM).
Watch and consider the fact that I will cause those who assemble
themselves together under the direction or inspiration of the Accuser of the Brethren
who say falsely that they belong to the nation of Believers and lie to your
face; Watch! I will cause them to do
obeisance and reverence before your footstool, and to know, perceive and have
revelation of the fact that I love you (and that we have a love-relationship
together),
In that you have cheerfully kept, guarded and maintained the
Word of My Endurance and constancy; therefore, I will keep and protect you in
the midst of the hour of testing that is about to come upon the entire world,
designed to test, scrutinize and discipline all those who dwell upon the earth.
Once again, watch! I am
appearing lightly and suddenly: seize, take hold of with strength and retain
that place of rulership you have come to [in the place of praise and worship]; let
no one contaminate that rulership or get a hold of your crown. (Revelation 3:7-11, RAC Translation and
Amplification)
I’m
pausing here in this narrative from Revelation to emphasize certain very
important points that the Lord makes in His commendation to this Ekklesia.
Notice,
first of all the reference to the Key of David.
Have you ever stopped to consider that this is the only place in
Scripture where we have this phrase, “the Key of David?” What was David’s key for in the first place? Why would the Lord make such a point of this
in the letter to the Ekklesia in Philadelphia?
Let’s
see if we can break this down.
Acts 13:22-23:
And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be
their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son
of Jesse, a man after
mine own heart, which shall fulfil
all my will. Of this
man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a
Saviour, Jesus:
I
haven’t retranslated or amplified this passage, but let me simply point out
some key words.
The
phrase, “a man after mine own heart” refers in the Greek text to someone who
chased after fulfilling the thoughts and purposes, and completing the very
heart’s desires — the most intimate desires — of the Lord God. The reference to David as being someone who
would fulfill all God’s will only amplifies and emphasizes the fact that
David’s number one purpose was to make the Lord complete in His desire for a
people whom He had designed and set apart to Himself.
In
other words, David knew in the core of his being the desire of the Lord that
had existed since Creation for a people with whom He could be One. Based on my own conversations with David the
first time I went to Heaven, the experiences he had while sitting on the
hillsides, watching the sheep and just ministering to the Lord on his harp gave
him insight into the very heart of the Lord like nothing else could ever do.
It
prepared him for the time some 13 years later (after Samuel anointed him to
become King over Israel) to begin the recovery of the Ark of the Covenant and
the establishing of the 24-hour praise and worship that replaced the Golden
Candlestick in Moses’ Tabernacle.
David
had seen into the heart of the Lord and knew just how He responded to those
whose focus would be on ministering to Him.
Isaiah also saw into the heart of the Lord and prophesied the following:
Isaiah 40:29-31: He giveth
power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be
weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be
weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
This
reads a bit differently in the Hebrew text.
But the ones waiting upon the Lord shall change and increase in
strength; they shall grow wings as eagles, they shall run and not tire, they
shall proceed and not hunger. (The Apostolic Bible)
This
is where it gets interesting. This concept
of “waiting upon the Lord” comes from a Hebrew root (qavah) which means: to wait or
look eagerly for, to linger for. It is a word
born out of desire.
Thus,
those who look eagerly for and linger for the heart’s desire of the Lord to be
met will, themselves, experience renewal, provision, strength and stamina. Put that together with David’s desire to see
that the heart of the Lord was ministered to, and you begin to understand “the
Key of David.” You begin to see the
emphasis of “the crown” in the letter to Philadelphia.
This
brings us back to the prophecy of Amos.
Notice, again, that the Lord isn’t saying that He will rebuild the
Temple of Solomon, despite the fact that that temple had the expanded praise
and worship David had ordered and ordained before he turned the throne over to
Solomon. Praise and worship on a
continuous basis came out of the heart’s desire of David to minister to the
Lord. God was David’s focus. Pleasing and fulfilling Him was David’s
pursuit.
Watch. Notice the condition of Israel when Amos
prophesies.
Amos 9:8-15: Behold,
the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy
it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the
house of Jacob, saith the LORD. For, lo, I will
command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn
is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the sinners of my
people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor
prevent us.
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 his ruins, and I
will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess
the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith
the LORD that doeth this.
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall
overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the
mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring
again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste
cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the
wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I
will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of
their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.
You
see what happens, don’t you, when the Tabernacle of David is restored? The same rulership returns that existed with
David. The same prosperity returns to
the land that existed when 24 hours of praise and worship went forth. What you have is the picture of a people
whose focus and pursuit is the heart of the Lord being fulfilled.
Now
we see the promise to the Ekklesia in Philadelphia because their heart’s desire
is the heart of the Lord being completed and fulfilled. Before we go there,
take one more look at Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the Tabernacle of David.
Isaiah 16:5: And
in mercy shall the throne be established: and He shall sit upon it in
truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting
righteousness. (emphasis, mine)
When
Isaiah begins this particular prophecy, he opens up with a revealing statement,
and it makes clear the “He” in verse 5 is the Lamb. Take a look.
Isaiah 16:1: Send ye the Lamb
to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness,
unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. (emphasis, mine)
Notice
where the Lamb is sent: to the “mount of the daughter of Zion.” Isaiah frequently uses this phraseology to
describe the difference between Israel as a whole, and the place of the Bride —
or the Tabernacle of David. Whenever you
see Isaiah use this phrase, “the daughter of Zion,” he is referring to that
core of overcoming people who represent the Bride of Christ.
This
is where we stop for today. We will pick
up more of the prophecy from Revelation 3 to the Ekklesia in Philadelphia next
week.
In case you are
missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, our Sunday
worship gatherings are available by conference call – usually at about 10:45AM
Pacific. That conference number is (712) 770-4160, and the access code is 308640#. We are now making these
gatherings available by Skype. If you
wish to participate by video on Skype, my Skype ID is regner.capener. If you miss the live voice call, you can dial
(712) 770-4169, enter the same access code and listen in
later. The video call, of course, is not
recorded – not yet, anyway.
Blessings
on you!
Regner
A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Temple, Texas 76504
Email Contact: CapenerMinistries@protonmail.com
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