A Divine Design

The Tabernacle and Courtyard The wilderness sanctuary was constructed as a portable building because the Hebrews would spend many years as nomads traveling to the Promised Land. This tent structure was a rectangle, built to be about 55 feet long, 18 feet wide, and 18 feet tall. The hard, dense acacia wood found in the area around Mount Sinai was used for much of the building and furniture. For the walls, boards overlaid in gold were placed in silver bases. Layers of curtains made of ne linen, goat hair, ram skins, and badger skins formed the roof, giving the building protection from the elements. The inner tent was divided into two rooms: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. A heavy, elaborately woven curtain separated these two rooms from each other; it was hung from four gold-covered pillars and was made with rich colors—blue, purple, and scarlet—and embroidered with pictures of cherubim. It was designed to be a stunning representation of the real ministering angels who serve God in the heavenly sanctuary. Around the perimeter of the sanctuary were curtains that created a 150-foot-long by 75-foot-wide courtyard, which prevented people and animals from accidentally wandering into the sacred space. The curtains were placed low enough so that people could see the sanctuary, but entry was permitted only by a single door, a curtained gate at the east end. Courtyard Furnishings When entering the sanctuary courtyard, the rst article of furniture an Israelite encountered was the altar of burnt o ering. This bronze-covered, hollow square was about seven-and-a-half feet in length and width and about four-and-a-half feet high. It was built with a grate on which to burn animal sacri ces, and utensils were made to assist the priests in their work. A curved horn jutted out from each corner of the altar, and blood from the sacri ces was smeared on them. The next article of courtyard furniture was the laver, which was situated between the altar and the inner tent. This large, polished-bronze basin held water and was 8