A Year in Luke/ActsSample

James quotes from Amos 9:11 and, interestingly, it is all about the “dwelling of David” which will be rebuilt. Some scholars have taken this to refer to a restored temple that will one day be built, but as we have seen so much in the narrative so far, it is much more likely referring to the royal line of David that will be restored. Luke’s narrative, “disconnects the Temple from David” in Stephen’s speech where he emphasizes that no house could ever contain God anyway (Kenner, p368, Acts). In fact, this is the point in which Stephen criticizes the Council he stood before as a stiff-necked people who did not recognize the new-temple reality Jesus had begun.

Much more plausible, therefore, is that James quotes Amos in order to posit that perhaps this fallen tent is being rebuilt by the Spirit to include Jews and Gentiles made one in the Messiah (Eph 2).