The Dwelling of David The dwelling (tent) of David refers to the kingdom of David pitched in the land of Israel around 1000 B.C. It began with King David himself, whose achievements surpassed that of every other judge and king before him: he unified the family of Israel after years of intertribal fighting; he silenced the threats of Israel's enemies; and he transferred the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, making it the spiritual and political capital of his growing empire (2 Sam 1-6). Even more importantly, God swore a solemn covenant oath to make David's family a royal dynasty and to establish his throne for all time (2 Sam 7:8-17; Ps 89:3-4). This was provisionally played out in the life of David's son, Solomon, who succeeded him on the throne and built a glorious Temple for the Lord (1 Kings 1-8). What is striking about the Davidic empire inherited by Solomon is that, for the first time in history, the covenant family of Yahweh stretched to international dimensions. Following the lead of his father (2 Sam 8), Solomon extended his rule not only over the twelve tribes of Israel, but even over neighboring nations in the region (1 Kings 4:2024). With this unprecedented development, Gentiles such as the Queen of Sheba traveled great distances to learn the wisdom of God from the king of Israel (1 Kings 10:1-13). Space was made in the Temple so that pious Gentiles could come and give praise to Yahweh (1 Kings 8:41-43). It is even possible that the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament, much of which is traditionally attributed to Solomon, was written to instruct these Gentile nations in the ways of righteousness (Prov 1:1; Eccles 1:1; Songs 1:1). Yet for all its greatness, this golden age was not to last. Over time Solomon allowed the attractions of power, pleasure, and prestige to drag him away from the Lord. By 930 B.C., only decades after Yahweh first pitched the Davidic kingdom in Israel, it all came crashing down—the tribes of Israel split apart; the Gentiles broke away; the glory departed. Though descendants from David's line continued to rule the southern kingdom of Judah until its demise in the sixth century B.C., the tent of David had already fallen.

Rebuilding the Kingdom of David For the prophet Amos, however, whose words were taken up by James in Acts 15, the tent of David would not lie collapsed on the ground forever. Yahweh gave his promise to repair, restore, and repitch it in the messianic age (Amos 9:11-12). This is precisely the vision of the Book of Acts as it builds to the full acceptance of the Gentiles at the Jerusalem Council. We see this throughout the book, where the good news of the "kingdom" is central to the preaching of Jesus (Acts 1:3), Philip (Acts 8:12), and Paul (Acts 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31). We see this in the disciples' final question to Jesus before his departure, where they ask him point-blank when the kingdom of Israel will be restored (Acts 1:6). We see this in Peter's inaugural sermon on Pentecost, where he draws from Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 to argue that Jesus, the risen and enthroned Messiah, has fulfilled the covenant of eternal kingship that God swore to David (Acts 2:22-36). We see this in Paul's inaugural sermon to Israel, where he assembles passages from Psalm 2, Psalm 16, and Isaiah 55 to make the same point as Peter—that in rising to everlasting life, Jesus is the messianic heir who sits on the throne of David and rules over his restored kingdom (Acts 13:22-37). Lastly, we see this in the missionary progress of the book, where the gospel first raises Judah and Jerusalem to new life (Acts 1-7), then spreads north to restore the Samaritans, who were descendants of the first Israelite tribes that split away from David's empire (Acts 8), and, from the conversion of Cornelius onward, radiates out to the nations beyond Israel (Acts 10-28). This vision of an international kingdom gathered around the Davidic Messiah is the same vision set forth in Luke's Gospel (Lk 1:31-33; 2:29-32; 12:32; 22:29-30) and, indeed, in the biblical prophets before him (Ps 72; Is 11:10-13; 16:5; 55:3-5; 66:18-23; Jer 3:17-18; Ezek 37:1-26; Hos 3:5; Zech 2:11; 8:22).

Lest the point be missed or misunderstood, Acts shows us that the restored dwelling of David looks quite different from the original tent propped up in the tenth century B.C. The kingship of Christ is indeed a Davidic kingship, and the throne from which he rules is indeed a Davidic throne (Lk 1:32). Yet the royal empire he establishes in the Church far outshines in glory and grandeur anything accomplished under David and Solomon. The focal point of this new kingdom is no longer a palace in Jerusalem but a throne standing next to the Father, high above in the heavenly Jerusalem. The unity of this kingdom is no longer held together by citizenship and taxes but by the Holy Spirit, who draws believers into one body through the sacraments. The royal ministers of this kingdom are no longer administrators and politicians but apostles and prophets. The borders of this kingdom are no longer extended by military campaigns but by missionary outreach. For readers with eyes to see, the multinational empire of David, uniting Israel and the Gentiles together into a single covenant family, was only a scale model of the worldwide kingdom of David's royal heir, Jesus Christ (Rom 1:1-5; 15:7-12). « Back to Acts 15:1.

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