At the beginning of Samuel, the Lord judges the house of the high priest Eli. Eli and his two wicked sons are killed on the same day, during and after the battle of Aphek.
During the battle, Eli’s sons bring the ark of the covenant out onto the field. The Philistines capture the ark and take it back to Philistia, where it stays for a few months. Even when it’s brought back, it never returns to the Mosaic tabernacle.

Instead, the ark wanders around Israel, as it once wandered in the wilderness. For a while it’s with Abinadab in the town of Kiriath-jearim. When David becomes king, he tries to bring it into Jerusalem, but Uzzah touches the ark and dies. David becomes afraid and sends the ark to the house of Obed-edom, a “Gittite,” that is, a Philistine from Gath.

Later David tries a second time, and this time he succeeds. But he still doesn’t put the ark in the Mosaic tabernacle. He pitches a separate tent in Jerusalem and puts the ark there. For the rest of David’s reign, the Lord’s throne is in the tabernacle or “booth” of David.

That’s the booth Amos 9:11-12 speaks of. Amos prophesies of the restored house of David, but David’s “booth” is a shrine for Yahweh’s throne. When David’s kingdom is restored, Yahweh’s kingdom is restored. David’s throne and Yahweh’s throne stand and fall together. They are one.

Let’s put this together: When the house of David is restored, the throne of Yahweh will also be lifted up. And when that happens, David and Yahweh will rule over all the nations called by the Lord’s name.

Through David, Yahweh’s kingdom is established as an international kingdom. He doesn’t just rule Jews, but the nations.

One last bit, and it’s important: When David set up the tent for the ark, he appointed Levites to serve there. They offered sacrifices when they installed the ark. Once it was set up, the Levites worshiped with harps, lyres, cymbals, trumpets and song. The booth of David was the first place where Israel’s worship was a sacrifice of praise.

Amos prophesied this too. When David’s kingdom is raised from the dead, when the throne of God is established, when God rules the nations through David, then all the subjects of David and the Lord will raise their voices in praise, an international orchestra and choir.

The church is the kingdom of the new David, Jesus, who has taken His heavenly throne. Jesus rules the nations, not just Israel but the Gentiles. And Jews and Gentiles are harmonized into a single million-voiced chorus.

Our song tells us what time it is, and what kind of people we are.

We sing to testify that the booth and kingdom of David has been raised. We sing the future, to gather and anticipate the ultimate choir. We sing until all nations lift their voices as the restored booth of David.

– Pastor Leithart