When King David establishes the unique Zion tabernacle, he organizes a Levitical orchestra with a range of instruments to play in conjunction with the daily liturgy. Gentiles play an unparalleled role in serving the Zion tabernacle, and the ark stands almost without boundaries in relation to the people. The prophets consistently associate Zion with the ingathering of the nations and the redemption of Israel, for it is Zion and its liturgy that manifests and foreshadows Israel’s fulfillment of her destiny as the light of the world in a unique way. The genealogies of Chronicles are arranged in order to place the Levitical orchestra in a central position. The history of Adam’s bloodline, Ezra is telling us, comes to a certain climax with the birth of a family of musicians for Levitical service. In the Psalter, the Gentiles call upon the people to “sing the songs of Zion”, and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost corresponds to the Levitical orchestra, for in the former many languages are spoken in a perfect harmony just as in the latter the plenitude of instruments are harmonized towards a single work of service. The Apostle Paul likewise links the Spirit with music: “be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit, singing songs, hymns, and spiritual songs.”
Thus we must always recall that the central sanctuary has a definite and positive role within the history of salvation. It is not principally a prohibition of sacrificial worship elsewhere, but a commandment to establish a focal point for the gathering of Israel, the divine presence, and proclamation of the Name of God to all nations. Moreover, we see that the prohibition on “high places” is given in the context of eliminating the traditional Canaanite places of worship. These sites had a history reaching back into the evil gods worshiped by the descendants of Canaan, and through intermixture and failure to conquer the land, these traditional cultic sites were syncretized with Israel’s religion and wounding the divinely willed unity of the tribes as one nation. The thrice-annual gathering of all Israel to the central sanctuary create social bonds among all the children of Israel and facilitates the development of a national consciousness. The failure to subdue all the land to Israelite dominion and observe the festivals according to God’s will allowed for the stunting of this national consciousness, eventually leading to the division of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah and thus the stunting of the Israelite witness to the Divine Name.
Moreover, the emphasis in Deuteronomy 12 is not so much the specific place chosen by the Lord but the act of election itself. Undoubtedly the theology of the central sanctuary forms an important thread in Moses’ overarching intent. Still, it should be recognized that the preeminence and priority of divine election lies near the core of the book, with divine will being the active agent in the election of Israel, the calling of prophets, the arrangement of the Levitical order, and the choice of king. The point is that Israel’s constitution is fundamentally divine, and Israel’s life and blessing turns on the consistent obedience of faith which the nation owes to God in virtue of His redemptive work in the exodus. For example, Deuteronomy 11 emphasizes the essential nature of rain in the land of Israel in contrast to the Nile in Egypt. Dependence on rain for productive harvests makes concrete the necessity of constant trust in the providence of God: rivers can be expected to remain consistent from year to year, but the coming of rain is unpredictable and demands that Israel trust in the Creator’s daily provision.