s fitted in the middle of the altar to allow air to flow into the fire inside. Buckets for ash, meat hooks, basins for collecting blood, and fire pans were also made of bronze. At the corners of the altar were carved horns that were also overlaid with bronze. These horns may have been useful-to tie up animals about to be sacrificed-and they were also symbolic. For protection, a person in Israel could go to the altar and cling to the horns. In modern times, people who feel threatened still sometimes seek "sanctuary" in a church when they feel that there is no protection or justice for them anywhere else. Between the altar and the inner tent of the tabernacle stood the laver, or washbasin (Exodus 30:17-21). By standing in front of the entrance to the inner tent, the washbasin could protect the inner portions of the tabernacle from being contaminated by dirt. God is holy, and he required that the priests must clean up before they begin ministering in the tent of the tabernacle. The washbasin was made of bronze and mirrors. Women who served at the e
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