The Fallen Tent of David
Acts 15
15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
16 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:
17 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.
These words were spoken by Apostle James, to the other apostles and elders who had gathered for the first Council at Jerusalem to consider and discuss the implications of one of the greatest moves of the Holy Spirit—the opening of the doors of faith unto the Gentiles (Acts 14:27). The history of the church was in the making. There was a new move of God in their midst, but some diehards with little faith refused to accept this new position to which God was bringing the Jews and the Gentiles. They maintained that Gentile converts must first become Jews and accept circumcision after the custom of Moses. At issue was not whether the Gentiles could be saved. The real issue was whether the Gentiles were to be accepted by the Church, only on the basis of the Law and the circumcision, as they had always done. Paul and Barnabas insisted upon receiving the brethren without applying these ordinances. In the meeting Peter asserted that salvation was through grace, both for the Jews and for the Gentiles. This resulted in a heated argument between the fundamentalists and revivalists. The last and decisive word was that of Apostle James, the brother of our Lord Jesus, who had come to assume a position of leadership in Jerusalem he showed that the admission of Gentiles to the Church was God’s plan by quoting from Amos
Amos 9
11 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:
12 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.
Apostle James said that the startling things that were happening in their midst were part of a move of God to fulfill the Scriptures which had been spoken of by the mouth of His holy prophets. Constrained by the Holy Spirit, James said that the Lord would restore and rebuild the tabernacle of David. In this study we shall seek to understand the Lord’s purpose in restoring the tabernacle of David, which is also known as the ‘Tent of His Glory’.
Every true child of God who yearns for the fulfillment of God’s plans and purposes will see the tremendous prophetic promise of our God in these verses from Acts 15. The Lord will rise up again, rebuild and restore from the ruins the tabernacle of David. What does this mean? The Bible does not hold many explanations concerning the tabernacle of David but as we embark upon this study, let us pray that the Lord will lead us and that the Holy Spirit will enable us to see “the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep”.
God’s Work of Restoration
Acts 15
16 “After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it…”, (NIV)
First let us try to understand the meaning of the term ‘restoration’. The simple dictionary meaning is to return to the original state; to recover or reinstate, rehabilitate, renew, restitute, recoup, redeem etc. There are several words which convey the idea of restoration. But the Lord wants us to know what He means by the word as and when it occurs in the Bible. Let us therefore appreciate the real meaning of restoration in God’s plans and purposes.
It is imperative that we recognize that, to start with, God created everything as good and ‘very good.” (Genesis 1:31). God ended His creative work on the sixth day, because in His sight that which was made by Him was perfect. But after the fall of man at the Garden of Eden, God’s ultimate purposes for man were delayed, and it became necessary for God to first restore all things to their original state. This does not mean that God did not know that man would sin, but rather that He chose to allow man to exercise his own free will. God is presently engaged in the process of recovering or redeeming mankind. He is restoring truths to the Church in order that she may come into maturity. Through Martin Luther, God restored the truth of justification by faith; through Wesley, the importance of a holy, separated life; through Darby and others, glorious truths concerning the Body of Christ. God has used different men and movements to recover and bring forth truth to the church from time to time. So, it is important that we immediately put on the right pair of spectacles to see the path of truth as it is unfolding in our day. It is imperative that each of us return to the Father’s original purpose; let a cry for restoration be uttered by the church so that we can truly inherit what God has kept for us.
This is precisely what Isaiah the prophet saw in his day.
Isaiah 42
22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.
Restoration is God’s method of giving mankind the garments He had clothed him with initially. Restoration began when God first covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1). In the beginning, before the fall, Adam and Eve were naked or rather they were clothed with His glory they were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:25). God is seeking to cloth the Church, in garments of light and truth so that she will be restored to full fellowship with God. Christ, alone, can restore to man the garments of holiness and righteousness.
In Luke 15 there are three parables—-the Lost sheep, the Lost coin and the Lost son. Note the common use of the word ‘Lost’. These speak of restoration to joy with the Father. The prodigal son was restored to the Father when he decided to return or repent. As a result of the restoration to the Father’s house the son was again clothed with the best robe “and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet” (Luke 15:22). His sonship was restored. We must all do as this son did to experience the restoration of all things as at the beginning.
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall come first and restore all things.” (Matthew 17:11) “For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the Lord.” (Jeremiah 33:11)
Beloved, our Lord has paid the price of our redemption. “God’s people shall return to their possessions and every one to his family” (Leviticus 25:10). May God open our eyes of understanding to see that salvation is nothing other than coming into that perfect state of fellowship with God, that the first man had before his fall. Do not listen to the whispers of Satan who tells us that restoration means going backward. When God restores He does not reinstate the old order; but He moves forward. He always moves forward!! The Lord Almighty has a great calling upon our lives for the path of the just shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Not only does He desire to restore us and redeem us to Adam’s state before the fall, but He wants to bring His people to possess that which the first Adam never possessed!
Genesis is the book of beginnings; Revelation is the book of consummations. And in between we have God’s dealing with His people, whereby He leads them towards this great fulfillment. He is the Alpha and He is the Omega. He changes not in His character as ‘Alpha’ and ‘Omega’ but He changes His people from what they were in the beginning to what He has planned they shall become in the end. We often wander away from His path; but He is always there to bring us back and restore us to His original pathway. Yes, it is back to the pathway, but onward to that city whose builder and maker is God. It is always onward to the intentions that He has upon His heart for His people from the beginning
The Ark of the Covenant
Three months after God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He spoke to Moses Upon Mount Sinai and told him to build a dwelling place for Him exactly according to the pattern of His instructions (Hebrews 8:5). The Tabernacle of Moses with its outer court, ‘holy place’ and ‘most holy place’ was a moveable structure that was essentially a shadow of the reality. The tabernacle in the wilderness was God’s order for the children of Israel for that time. The purpose of the Law, the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the priesthood and such Old Testament practices were to lead the people to Christ. God told Moses to build the tabernacle according to His pattern (Exodus 25:40), so that it would point to the Reality or the Original One.
The Ark of the Covenant which represents the power, the presence and the glory of God Almighty, was kept in the ‘most holy place’ When the Tabernacle of Moses was completely built, “then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation” (Exodus 40:34). This indicated that God had approved their work. The glory of God was seen by Israel in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 40:38). In this form God led His people throughout their journey in the wilderness and unto Canaan, for over 40 years.
In Numbers 13 we read that when the Israelites arrived at Kadesh-Barnea, the Lord told Moses to send twelve Spies into the land of Canaan. Ten returned with their hearts full of unbelief and the Lord decreed that the whole generation (except for Joshua and Caleb) would perish in the wilderness. When God said ‘Go’ they refused but after His judgment was pronounced upon them, they said, ‘We will go up”. Moses warned them not to go because the Lord would not lead them and be with them. Nevertheless they went and disaster fell upon them because the Ark of the Covenant ‘departed not out of camp’ (Exodus 14:44). During this period God expressly taught the children of Israel that it was (and still is) presumptuous and indeed foolish, to move about without His presence and His will. If God is not with us we are hopeless; we are bound to come against the enemy and be defeated. We are to follow the Lord and not try to go ahead of Him. Joshua, the successor of Moses, was quick to learn this valuable, everlasting principle; for when they were crossing the Jordan, he told the priests, ‘Take up the ark of the Covenant and pass over before the people’ (Joshua 3:6. 1). There are several principles hidden in this portion of the Scripture that would encourage every believer.
The Glory Fades away
I Samuel 1:3 tell us that the Tabernacle of Moses was pitched at Shiloh when the children of Israel came and settled in the land of Canaan. They encamped around the tabernacle and the glory cloud was over the tent. We do not know how long the cloud of glory rested upon the tabernacle. The nation that God had called forth to be unto Himself ‘a peculiar people’ soon lost their ‘peculiarity’ and became very much like the nations around them. The people and the priesthood alike had become defiled. And when the children of Israel suffered defeat in battle against the Philistines, they took counsel and decided to bring forth the Ark of the Covenant from the tabernacle of Shiloh to save them from their enemies. This was contrary to the will of God. Therefore, they were not only defeated but the Ark of God was captured by the Philistines. Besides this, Eli’s sons, who carried the Ark into battle, were slain; the heirs of priesthood were cut off in one stroke. When Eli heard the news he fell backwards and broke his neck and died; whilst the wife of Phinehas, shocked at the death of her husband and the capture of the Ark, instantly gave birth to a son called Ichabod. This name means ‘The Glory has departed’ or ‘where is the glory?’
Now that the Ark of God is in the hands of the enemy, who is going to protect it, defend it? So many preachers feel that they are the ‘defenders of the faith’; and if they are not on the job, the Word of God would fail and never be brought to pass. Brethren, you are not going to defend the faith and protect His Word - it is going to protect you in the hour of trouble! The Philistines had the Ark in their possession for seven months, and it meant nothing but trouble and plagues for them.
The Ark which was the very heart and soul of the tabernacle was missing!! Can you imagine the Church without Christ? The tabernacle without the Ark was an empty shell, a body without life. Though the Ark was taken, yet worship at the tabernacle in Shiloh continued; the rituals carried on Without His living presence in their midst for several years. How reminiscent this is of some ‘dead’ churches, where one finds praise, worship, prayers and even a thought-provoking sermon but the presence, power end glory of God are sadly missing. There may be Spirit-filled leaders, there may be sincere people and there may even be gifts of the Holy Spirit, but nothing, just nothing can take His place. If the Holy Spirit of God is absent or if the Head our Lord Jesus Christ is absent, there can be no life in our church. How needful it is, therefore, brethren to humble ourselves before God and seek His presence in our lives and in our churches rather than be occupied with activities that are outside His will and purpose.
David Longed after God’s Glory
When David became the King, the tabernacle without the Ark, was already at Mound Gibeon; about seven miles North-West of Jerusalem. David, a man after God’s own heart, had a yearning and a deep longing to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, the city of Zion. He could have been content to leave the Ark at Kirjath Jearim, and the tabernacle at Gibeon, but David was a man with a different spirit; the same one who as a young shepherd, saw the giant Goliath defying the holy God of Israel and said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine to defy the Holy One of Israel?” David did not confront Goliath with the preparations of man — some strategy, some researched plan, some protective armor but he faced him in the strength of the Lord.
As this young lad brought some food to his brothers in the battlefield he could see there was a backslidden king who was afraid and petrified. Even today there is a backslidden, weak, feeble, insipid, irresolute church system not able to stand up to the Goliaths of this day despite all the seminars conferences, satellite communication systems, advanced printing technology and management techniques. Goliath, the evil, corrupted, selfish, pleasure-seeking world system is still standing up to say, “Is there none among you who can come and fight me”. The spiritual system with its computer aids, multinational support, management vices, and greed and self-seeking methods is crippled, unable to face the might of Goliath. But there was a young lad, anointed of God, whose heart was towards the things of God. David was not going forth to fight his own battle but he was venturing into a battle for his God. Many of us are tired fighting our own battles. It is time to arise to the Lord and be occupied with the Lords battles. There was a man after God’s heart who rose up beyond human abilities. Something rose up within him to defy that giant who challenged the very existence of Israel. He forgot his food, his family, his household and his father’s sheep and he responded to the voice of God. Beloved, God is looking for a people who will respond to God’s order, who would have a mentality of giving themselves for His battles, who would exchange everything for the privilege of bringing glory to God’s name. May God create within us this heart of King David.
Today, there is a church system at Mount Gibeon where there is plenty of religious activity—we can see it all around us - but the true presence of God is missing. During this period the tabernacle was full of frenzied priests and learned doctors of theology, but the Spirit of God was nowhere in sight. There were people galore in the outer court of the tabernacle (talks of salvation and water baptism); there were many moving around in the holy place amongst the golden candlestick and the table of the shewbread (refers to baptism of the Holy Spirit and the body ministries in typology) but there was no Ark of the. Covenant in the tabernacle at Gibeon.
But where are the David’s of today? Where are those who ask, what about the Ark of God? The place of His glory? The place of His rest? Truly the Lord longs to return to His people; to His church. But there must be that longing, that very needful preparation wrought within their hearts and lives, or He cannot rest in their midst. The Lord says, ‘I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face, in their affliction they will seek me early.’ (Hosea 5:15). He longs to return to us, far more than we long to return to Him. But H. does not come unwanted, undesired, unsought. For He would return that He might dwell with His own in full communion and fellowship.
How then shall we bring the Ark of God into our midst? The same question has been raised time and time again in the history of God’s people.
Revival?
Restoration?
Renewal?
Can we have it today? How? Where? When? All kinds of movements and schemes have been devised. Or we search the pages of the church history and try to duplicate a method. You will discover that nothing will work except as we move with God, and seek to know God’s plan and God’s way and intention in this present hour. We are not to initiate anything. Once we discover God’s initiation then we can seek Him earnestly that He might show us His way.
Man’s Way Rejected
Invariably when God begins to stir the hearts of His people, we find men binding themselves together and making ‘a new cart’ to bring the glory of God. Sure there is a rejoicing but not a lasting one. God’s judgment came upon that way—~a lesson God’s people are slow to learn ii When are we going, to learn that God does not originate new carts, new organizations, new fellowships, every time He would do a work upon the earth?
Well, we should know that God has His own way. He has a ministry that will bring in divine order and it will be a plural ministry. He has a ‘body’ specially anointed to bring this glory. The living manifestation of Christ is corning to the church, but, He is coming on the shoulders of His Body, not riding on a beast system of man-made machinery and organized confusion, being pulled by ‘oxen’ who do not have the slightest idea where they are going!
David turned to the Word of God and he found for himself what the Word answers
1 Chronicles 15
11 And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab,
12 And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it.
13For because ye did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.
14 So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.
15 And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD.
Even so we need to throw off our old order constitution. And by-laws and we need to get to the ORIGINAL SOURCE, THE REAL AUTHORITH - the Word of God, and move in the way of God. Glory to God! Surely, thus shall the glory return!