The Davidic Worship Revolution – Peter Leithart (Episode 49‪)‬ Presence Pioneers with Matthew Lilley

In today's episode, Matthew sits down with Peter Leithart, a Presbyterian Minister with 2 masters degrees, 10 kids, and a PhD. They'll discuss what the Bible says about worship.
LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE
Theopolis Institute • https://theopolisinstitute.com/staff/peter-leithart/

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.
SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH
RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com
INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneer/
FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneer/

EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Currently, Dr. Leithart is in a training and teaching position at the Theopolis Institute. He has a focus on liturgy, and how worshipping biblically can affect us. He believes that it starts in Genesis 2, and flows through to Revelation 21 and 22 - There's an image of a place of worship that has an outflow that affects the world - worship has a missional dimension.

Matthew starts the discussion of David's Tabernacle by asking how Dr. Leithart even got into studying it - because not many people do! Dr. Leithart credits his mentor, James Jordan, first. Jordan pointed out in the Psalms that David references the temple, but there was no temple in his day - his son Solomon built it. David also has an emphasis on music rather than sacrifice. Then, he read the book The Lord's Song, by John Kleinig. That book points out the role of music in Chronicles and how David set it up. He also came across The Tabernacle of David by Kevin Conner, which highlighted to Dr. Leithart how unusual the tabernacle of David was and how much there was to explore.

This is what paved the way for his own book. In the Presbyterian Church, worship is always based in biblical truth, and David seemed to go off in his own direction. The tabernacle of Moses was still around, so why did David create his own? Why did he shift from animal sacrifice to music? How were Gentiles able to care for it (like in Gath)? How was David able to sit down and just talk to God in the sanctuary, right in front of the ark? And when the temple was built, by Solomon, why did all these go back to how they had been before?

1 Chronicles is the main source of information on David's tabernacle. In Leviticus, the language that describes animal sacrifice is the same language used later to describe the songs in David's tabernacle. The common word is "memorial", a sacrifice that "helps" God remember His promises. The same word is used to describe the Psalms that recount the good things God has done for His people, and asking Him to do it again. It's described as "reminding" God, but it's really more about building up the people's faith that He'll do it again.

Before David, only Melchizedek was able to function as priest AND king. Dr. Leithart believes that's a defining moment for David's reign and Israel's history. Solomon was able to do some things that were considered priestly, but nowhere near the intimacy of David or Melchizedek. The next man who could function as priest AND king? Jesus.

Next, they focus in on the musical aspect. In Moses' tabernacle, there were sometimes trumpets referenced, but no singing. By the time Solomon's temple was established, they went back to animal sacrifice, but included singers. The imagery is that the voices rose with the smoke and made it to God. This points forward to modern Christian worship, where it's only song and no animal sacrifice. Dr. Leithart describes it as our life's breath rising instead of the animal's life blood. It's a true sacrifice of praise. And as he points out, if the music replaced the animal sacrificed and those animal sacrifices were integral to the worship, how much more, then, should music be integral t