What is the meaning of 1 Chronicles 21:29? For the tabernacle of the LORD • “Tabernacle” points to God’s portable dwelling among His people (Exodus 25:8–9; 40:34–38). • Even though centuries had passed, the writer treats the structure as fully authoritative and functional—proof that God honors what He has prescribed. • The verse opens with “For,” explaining why David offered sacrifices on Araunah’s threshing floor instead of traveling elsewhere (1 Chronicles 21:26–28). • The tabernacle’s continued existence underscores God’s faithfulness; what He once established still matters until He Himself moves worship forward (2 Chronicles 1:5–6). that Moses had made in the wilderness • By naming Moses, the chronicler ties present worship back to Sinai, rooting David’s actions in the unbroken line of covenant history (Exodus 33:7; Numbers 1:50). • The phrase reminds readers that what began in tents would one day culminate in Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8:4). • It also highlights that genuine worship never depends on buildings alone but on obedient hearts responding to revealed truth (Deuteronomy 10:12–13). and the altar of burnt offering • The altar Moses built (Exodus 27:1–8) was still the authorized place for atoning sacrifices (Leviticus 1:3–9). • Burnt offerings dramatized total surrender to God, their smoke rising “as a pleasing aroma” (Leviticus 1:17). • David’s emergency altar on the threshing floor did not replace this one permanently; it met an immediate need under divine instruction (1 Chronicles 21:18). • The coexistence of two altars for a brief time illustrates God’s willingness to meet His people where they are, while still upholding His established means of grace (Psalm 51:16–17). were presently at the high place in Gibeon • After the tabernacle left Shiloh (Joshua 18:1) and later Nob (1 Samuel 21:1), it settled in Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39–40). • A “high place” was an elevated site commonly used for worship; in Gibeon’s case, it housed the legitimate tabernacle, not an idolatrous shrine (2 Chronicles 1:3). • The Ark, however, was already in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:17). This split worship center reveals a transitional moment: the old order waits in Gibeon while the future temple site awaits Solomon on Mount Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:1). • David’s choice to sacrifice near Jerusalem rather than travel to Gibeon shows pastoral urgency and prophetic anticipation of worship’s eventual centralization in the temple (Deuteronomy 12:5–7; 1 Kings 3:4). summary 1 Chronicles 21:29 explains why David did not go to the established sanctuary in Gibeon: the ancient tabernacle and Moses’ bronze altar were there, while the Ark was already in Jerusalem. The verse affirms the enduring validity of God’s earlier commands, highlights the unity of Israel’s worship across generations, and sets the stage for the transition from portable tent to permanent temple. |
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