Thursday 3 January 2019

David's Tabernacle

With regard to the question of whether or not Gentiles who were turning to the Lord should become proselytes to Judaism, the point in James quoting the prophecy about the restoration of David's fallen tabernacle and 'Edom' or mankind seeking the Lord, wasn't to quote some prophecy about God restoring a non-Law grace-mode for Israel as if that's what David's tabernacle had represented, and about God then including Gentiles in the scheme. No.

In the first place, David's 'tabernacle', in the prophecy James quoted, didn't mean the tent which David had erected for the ark - it meant David's household; his dynasty; his royal kingdom. God was going to restore it. And He did, through Messiah, the Son of David.

Secondly, the tent which David once erected for the ark, wasn't a case of overriding Moses' commandments as if under 'grace' - no, it was David's best attempt at implementing Moses' commandments in the Law!

The point in James quoting the prophecy, was that according to the prophecy, mankind (Gentiles) would be included in a special way in God's sovereign purposes, at the same time that God would have started restoring David's fallen tabernacles. James was legitimising the fact that Gentiles were coming to the Lord - as Gentiles, without them needing to become proselytes to Judaism in the process.   

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