Worship That Touches the Heart of God. Nina Gardner
known to us as the Ten Commandments (Exodus 25:16; Deuteronomy 10:5); hence it is also called the Ark of the Testimony or Ark of the Witness. Therefore, the Ark first contained the holy laws and principles of God, showing God’s sovereignty to hold all things to the gospel of His truth.
The second item placed inside was the Pot of Manna (Exodus 16:31-34), which was the supernatural bread He fed the Israelites while in the wilderness. This was symbolic of Jesus being our spiritual, holy bread (John 6:48-51).
The third item was Aaron’s Rod that budded almonds after being only a dead stick (Numbers 17:1-10). Can a dead stick live? Only if God says. Can a man who is dead in trespasses and sin live? Yes. This is symbolic of the Holy Spirit that comes to bring spiritual life back the mortal body unto a resurrected life in Christ Jesus. What was once dead can live again (Colossians 2:13).
On the Day of Atonement, the high priest consecrated himself, put on his holy garments, and was fragranced by the holy anointing oil. A bullock sacrifice was made to atone for himself and for the sins of his own house. Then he waved sweet perfume behind the veil and went into the Most Holy Place to meet with God (Exodus 30:1, 6-10; Leviticus 16). After the high priest sprinkled the blood seven times upon the mercy seat, he pronounced the sins of the nation upon the scapegoat and released it into the wilderness. That’s when the fire of God came down, consumed the offering, and the glory of God filled the house to overflowing with His presence (Leviticus 9:24).
Two Davidic Tabernacles
During David’s reign, the Mosaic Tabernacle, with all the items in place and with the priests serving as was customary, was functioning on Mt. Gibeon just as God had instructed Moses (1 Chronicles 16:39) with one exception. Instead of the Ark of the Covenant being in the old tabernacle behind the veil, it was now the exclusive item inside the tent that David had prepared for it in the fort called Zion also known as the City of David (1 Chronicles 16:1).
The pattern of worship that God had given to Moses was still in operation, but David must have felt that God deserved more than just dutiful worship. So after the processional ended and the Ark was placed in the tent, David made appointments for the Levites to joyfully worship day and night around the Ark. David’s joy of worshiping God had caused him to invite the Ark of God’s presence next to his home in the City of David for the pure pleasure and delight of being with Him. In essence, David brought the presence of God into the daily lives of every priest, not just the high priest. Now instead of one tabernacle to worship in, there are two. This was symbolic of how we are not just to worship God at a church building but to bring it home to where we live, in our daily lives.
The following diagrams are not an exact replica, but they do show the pattern of each tabernacle.
The Gates
Because David enjoyed the Lord, he didn’t wait until he came through The Gates before beginning his worship; no sacrifice was worth all the glory – God was! From his heart David declared he would, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving…be thankful unto him…” (Psalms 100:4), and it manifested in his songs. David also saw the spiritual gates that ushered in the King of glory, and thus he commanded, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle” (Psalms 24:7-8). David took every opportunity to incite God in everything he did. Whereas the gates had formerly been just an object, they were now an opportunity for worship.
The Outer Court
Furthermore, where the Outer Court had been a solemn, dutiful repentance, now it would be changed. David instructed them to “…enter the courts with praise…” (Psalms 100:4), meaning they were to repent with joy. David saw the Brazen Altar for repentance of sins as something that God loved because he said in Psalms 86:5, “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” He saw the Laver for the washing away of sins as the way back to joyful living and proclaimed, “… wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow… make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice” (Psalms 51:7-8). Furthermore, he saw that the washing unto holiness was beautiful. David writes, “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness…” (Psalms 96:9). The Outer Court of worship was no longer solemn, but was filled with the joy of the Lord.
The Holy Place
David also saw the Holy Place and all its items different from the former dutiful religion. For the Table of Shewbread, David expressed how good it is to eat of the Bread of Life, and said, “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalms 34:8). He wanted the people to taste of God and know that God is a good God. David also knew the importance of the Lampstand and said in Psalms 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” David’s love for the Word of God was because he knew the God behind the words and how it had kept him from troubles many times. Furthermore, the Golden Altar of Incense took on a deeper, richer meaning. David said, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalms 141:2). He knew that what God really wanted was a morning and evening oblation from a fragrant heart out of pure worship!
Veil of Separation
Furthermore, David’s pattern totally circumvented the veil of separation and God granted them access into the Most Holy Place. David’s appointments and commands for a continual celebration of singing and dancing allowed the Levites to minister to God, and experience His manifested presence. Today, our worship is based upon this same continual foundation of living a life of worship and ministering to God. As we understand this concept, we will rise, ready to worship, and choose to break free from a dutiful, religious lifestyle of waiting for our leaders to go behind the veil. This introduction of worship as a personal, intimate relationship with God is what God has always desired. He waits for us to come behind the veil.
The Most Holy Place
In this Most Holy Place David experienced the greatest joy he had ever known. In Psalms 16:11 David says, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” David understood that the pleasures forevermore begins right now, he didn’t believe we should wait for heaven to experience this fullness of joy. I personally believe David experienced the magnitude of the Lord’s presence by these two following scriptures, “The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel” (Psalms 68:8). “The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth” (Psalms 97:5). His joy must have been running over in the presence of the Lord!
The presence of God inside David shifted worship from duty to the heart. Moses’ pattern was still the pattern, only better. What was liturgical was now joyful; what was solemn was now jubilant; and what was a task was now a celebration of God’s presence. The pattern given to Moses was perfected in motion; but the pattern of David was perfected in the heart. In Matthew 21:16 Jesus refers to David’s writing saying, “… Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” God longs for us to step into that perfected praise like suckling babes.
Once again, David was before his time because the worship he instituted ushered in the grace dispensation. Even though there was a mercy seat upon the Ark of the Covenant, there had formerly been no grace extended to anyone, including the high priest, if they violated the pattern of entering into the Most Holy Place to experience the tangible present God. But because of the true worship, God extended grace to the worshipers, granting them unmerited favor and access into His Most Holy Place to experience His glory. This grace still applies today. We see many people coming in to worship God that have not repented of their sins, but God gives grace and waits for their time of repentance.
David’s pattern was the shadow of things to come because it defied the laws of