“The tent of David” housed the Ark of the Covenant during the time the “tabernacle (tent) of Moses” was at Gibeon. What does “the tent of David” have to do with the Church? How was the Jerusalem Council in Jerusalem able to apply the spirit of the prophecy in Amos 9:11 to the Church? (A prophecy which is yet to be fulfilled in its final sense.)
At this first ever church council, the Law of Moses and the Grace of Jesus Christ were contrasted: the Grace as seen in God’s mercies to King David, who was the ancestor of Jesus (Read Acts, chapter 15 & 1 Chronicles 15:13, and 1 Chronicles chapters 16 and 21).
Solomon’s Temple would later be built where David worshipped at Ornan’s threshing floor, and for years the Grace tent was erected at Jerusalem (while the Law Tent remained at Gibeon). The Tabernacle of David was a prophetic portrayal of the Church, in which Grace was emphasized. “The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1: 17)
The Jerusalem Council’s meeting (Acts 15) was about whether non-Jewish converts to the Lord Jesus should be circumcised. The council ruled that they should not. King David was able to worship as a priest in the Tent of Grace, but he could not have done so in the Tent of Law.
Thank God that through our Lord Jesus we are able to do likewise! The risen and ascended Lord Jesus was to become the King-Priest that David portrayed prophetically. In the Lord’s case, not just for a time, as David did, but forever!
Significantly, after his sin of numbering Israel, David would not go to Gibeon, where the Tent of Moses (Law) was at the time, but remained in Jerusalem, where the Ark of the Covenant was, with its mercy seat. Why seek God in a place of judgement when His presence can be found in mercy? (1 Chronicles 21) Yet many still do so, perhaps thinking that they need a bit of self-punishment before receiving God’s forgiveness.
It can be tempting to allow yourself to feel really bad after sinning so that you can feel so much better after you’ve been forgiven. We should never forget that Grace and Law are opposites and so cannot be mixed. The Jerusalem Council got it right!