It was not to the tabernacle, now at Gibeon (verse 39) whence it had been removed from Shiloh (Joshua 18:11And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them. (Joshua 18:1); 1 Samuel 4:44So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. (1 Samuel 4:4)) and Nob (1 Samuel 21:1-6; 22:18, 191Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? 2And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place. 3Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. 4And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. 5And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. 6So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before the Lord, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away. (1 Samuel 21:1‑6)
18And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. 19And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword. (1 Samuel 22:18‑19)), that the ark of God was now taken. The priesthood of Aaron and his sons had failed, and after the ark's return from the Philistines, it never was restored to the tabernacle (See 1 Samuel 6 and 7; 1 Chronicles 13; and Psalms 78:60-7260So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men; 61And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand. 62He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance. 63The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage. 64Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation. 65Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. 66And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach. 67Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim: 68But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved. 69And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever. 70He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: 71From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. 72So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands. (Psalm 78:60‑72) and 132:1-8).
All now depended upon the king as the anointed one of God; true, there was failure there, but it is also true that the power has been placed in the house of David according to God's purposes, and all the promises connected therewith will assuredly be fulfilled in Christ, the promised Son of David.
The psalm (verses 7 to 22) given to the Levites, is part of Psalm 105 with some alterations; what follows to verse 33 is part of Psalm 96 with other changes, and the close is that of Psalm 106.
The covenant of verse 16, it will be noticed is not that of Sinai, but that made with Abraham, a promise without condition that has never been reversed and taken away. Verses 23-33 are an adaptation of Psalm 96 suited to the time then present; the Psalm waits for its fulfilment upon the personal reign of Christ, when the nations will be judged righteously.
"His mercy endureth forever," the theme of several of the Psalms, is a reminder that God has not changed, in spite of all the changes Israel has seen, and all the ruin and desolation that favored people have brought upon themselves. All in the psalm of David here given is anticipative of the day when Christ shall have come to reign in Zion, and before His judgments shall have been felt in the world.
Verses 37, 38 show us those whose privilege it was to serve at the ark; and verse 39, to the priests at the tabernacle in Gibeon, while others still were to give thanks to the Lord. Thus was every state of heart provided for,—God condescending to meet the people at the tabernacle, going there it may be, in ignorance where the ark was not. What a God is ours!