Features of Davidic Worship

During the period of the tabernacle of David, regular psalmic worship was offered at the tent on Zion that housed the ark of the covenant. (The Mosaic sanctuary with its sacrifices remained at Gibeon. ) There are no biblical rubrics for this worship, as there are for the sacrificial cult. The structure of the Zion festivals and the worshiper's acts must be inferred from the relevant Psalms and historical accounts, such as 1 Chronicles 16. These materials reflect a festival celebrating the Lord's ascension as King and the renewal of the covenant. The Pilgrimage Going up to Zion for the festivals was a joyous time for the families of the land. As the worshipers approached the sanctuary, they might have sung the "Psalms of Ascent" (Pss. 120134), until at last they stood in Jerusalem,"where the tribes go up to praise the name of the Lord" (Ps. 122:4). The Call to Worship The trumpet summoned the people for the festival; the lyres and harps of the sanctuary orchestra began to play a…