“And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet…. So they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD” (2 Sam 6:13-15, 17).
It is difficult not to think about the last two chapters of the book of Revelation (chapters 21-22) when we read these verses about Israel’s “messiah” (David) escorting God’s holy “shekinah” into the city of Jerusalem with dancing and shouts of joy. However, in this description of David, we also notice something odd. According to verse 14, David is wearing the “wrong” clothing for a king, namely a “linen ephod,” which is of course the “right” clothing for a levitical priest (see 1 Sam 2:18; 22:18; 1 Chr. 15:27). David the king is dressed like a priest. And by offering burnt and peace offerings in verse 17, David the king acts like a priest.
For a moment, the author of Samuel gifts us a brief glimpse of the Old Covenant boundaries collapsing. David embodies Israel’s national mission to be a kingdom of priests (see Exod 19:9). Add to this the prophetic associations of music in the Hebrew Bible (see 1 Sam 10:5), this description of David gives us a prophetic glimpse at the Messiah’s profile picture. Israel’s Messiah will be a conquering king, as well as a prophet and a priest. As is typical of ALL Israel’s prophets, Israel’s Messiah must first be rejected. As is typical of all Israel’s priests, Israel’s Messiah will provide Israel atonement and give us access to God. And as is typical of all Israel’s kings, Israel’s Messiah will reign from David’s throne.
David the king is dressed like a priest. And by offering burnt and peace offerings in verse 17, David the king acts like a priest.
Indeed, this description of David most likely fuels two inspired fires of Zechariah and David’s prophecies about the Priest-Messiah in Zechariah 6 and Psalm 110. Moreover, it gives us a far more profound appreciation for the description of Yeshua as the greatest of Israel’s prophets, priests, and kings in the book of Hebrews (see Heb 1:1; 7:13-16). The dancing king-prophet-priest escorting the LORD’s presence into Jerusalem is a dim shadow of Israel’s Messiah. Though David, the “messiah,” was not able to bring God’s people into the Holy of Holies, Yeshua, our Great High Priest, is!
“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb 9:11-12).
