Up until this point of time in Israel’s history, the ark had been moving around in lots of different places and it had not yet been a reality that Israel had secure borders so that the ark could remain in one place only.1 Additionally, the Lord does not require a temple to be present among his people. The Lord is also greater than a temple and he can not be confined to a temple (1 Kings 8:27).2 For these two reasons there has been no command to build a permanent structure.
7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’