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200 and permanent installation in the "House of Yahweh" in Jerusalem. Circa 1000 B.c. David succeeded King Saul as King of Israel. After making Jerusalem his capital, it was the hope and ambition of King David to build there the sacred Temple in whose Holy of Holies the Ark of the Covenant could finally come to rest at a spot held sacred from time immemorial. But divine communications—principally through dreams—had willed otherwise. As the biblical record tells it, David shared his intention to build the temple with the Prophet Nathan, who gave it his blessing. But "it came to pass that very night, that the word of Yahweh came to Nathan, instructing him to tell King David that because he had been involved in wars and the shedding of blood, it would be his son, rather than David himself, who would build the temple." How the Prophet Nathan had received the divine communi- cation "that very night" is explained at the end of the tale (II Samuel 7:17): "And Nathan related to David all these words, the whole of this vision." It was thus not just a dream, but an epiphany; not a Chalom ("dream") but a Hizzayon ("envisioning"), in which not only were the words heard but the speaker was also "envisioned," as had been explained by Yahweh to the brother and sister of Moses in the Sinai encampment. So King David went "and sat before Yahweh," in front of the Ark of the Covenant. He accepted the Lord's decision, but wished to make sure of both its parts—that he would not build the Temple, and that his son will. Thus sitting before the Ark of the Covenant by means of which Moses had com- municated with the Lord, David repeated the Prophet's words. The Bible does not report the Lord's answer; but in that "sitting before Yahweh" may lie a key to understanding a puzzle—the mystery of the origin of the Temple's plans. For we read in I Chronicles chapter 28 that as David neared the end of his days he called together the leaders and elders of Israel and told them of Yahweh's decision regarding the building of the Temple. Announcing that his successor would be Solomon, "David gave Solomon his son the Tavnit" of the Temple with all its parts and chambers, "the Tavnit of all that he had by the Spirit." DIVINE ENCOUNTERS