SAVORY SALT
Key Points We know salt as a mineral used for flavoring and preservation. It is needed by all known living creatures. We also find that salt is often mentioned in the bible and in more than one context.
Key Points Many of us crave the flavoring of salt but it is not merely a seasoning. The scriptures reveal that salt’s literal uses and symbolism indicate great spiritual meaning for all of God’s people. We can also gain more spiritual understanding of salt by looking at how the chemistry of this mineral helps us to function and live everyday.
Historical Use Our ancient forefathers did not have the benefit of refrigerators or freezers like we do. So how do you think they preserved their food? History reveals that salt was often used as an excellent preservative, protecting food against bacteria, mold or spoiling so that it would remain clean and last longer.
Historical Use How so? Salt absorbs the water in food and therefore makes it too dry of an environment for organisms that would be harmful to our bodies. Specifically during the Levitical Priesthood, God commanded that Israel season every meat offering with salt, nor was the offering to have leaven (Leviticus 2: 13). What is the meaning behind this? We will discuss this as we go further in this presentation.
Like us, our ancestors also used salt to season food, making it savoury and pleasant to taste.
Science Reveals
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SALT
Science, as revealed through God’s wisdom, teaches us that salt is composed of two elements called sodium and chloride. By themselves each element can be very toxic and volatile. But together they create a harmonious combination that is vital to life. So much so, that all humans beings naturally crave it to ensure consumption of this mineral.
IONIC BONDS OF SODIUM CHLORIDE
Science Reveals Did you know that the sodium and chlorine function as electrolytes in our bodies? These electrolytes are minerals in your blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge. These charged minerals impact the amount of water in your body, the acidity of your blood (ph), nerve impulses, muscle function and other important processes in the body.
Not Enough Salt Without proper balance of these electrolytes, simply put, your body will not function correctly, leading to serious health problems or even death. More specifically, too little salt is known as hyponatremia in the medical community. It can lead to nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion, muscle weakness, and spasms. Extreme cases can lead to seizures, coma and death. We also know from a common standpoint that too much salt can also cause health risks but in the spiritual context that we will be discussing salt, this point does not apply. So we will now move on.
Salt Symbolizes Salt spiritually symbolizes the word of God, which is holy and pure. This is not hard to understand if we look closely. Recall that salt serves as an excellent preservative, protecting foods, particularly meats, from harmful organisms thereby making it clean. When we have the word of God in our hearts it makes us clean and purifies us from sin, This sin represents the mold and fungi that can contaminate food.
Salt Symbolizes And just as the sodium and chlorine in salt helps the body function properly, we need God’s word to help us function properly from a spiritual standpoint, maintaining a healthy and balance relationship with the Lord. It is in our makeup as human beings to crave salt on a daily basis due to the importance it has to our health. That is one of the mechanisms that God used to preserve life, for he is the God of life. When the Lord calls his children they will hear and know his voice as according to his will. It is in a child of God’s makeup to crave his word because that is how we become a part of him. We must consume his word, which is found in the bible, on a daily basis, otherwise, we will not survive.
Salt Symbolizes In Leviticus 2: 3, God commanded that when Israel offered a meat offering it should be salted with salt and contain no leaven. The children of God are also an offering unto the Lord. How can we be deemed acceptable in his eyes? We must be salted with the word of God so that we can be pure nor can we have any leaven in our lives, which is spiritually synonymous with sin.
Tongue Salted with Salt The purification of salt must be reflected in not only our actions but our words as well. A phrase comes to mind “your tongue must be salted with salt when you speak.” This applies to when you speak to people in everyday life, whether they be strangers or loved ones. It especially applies to when you give your testimony before the altar of God when in Church. A scripture to review is in Colossians 4: 6 “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”
Tongue Salted with Salt When you speak, your words must be chosen wisely. They must measure up to the word and law so that we live and talk like Christ. We know that our testimony is an offering upon the altar of God. We testify to give reverence and praise to Him. Our testimony is also to educate our brothers and sisters on the truth. This truth edifies us, strengthens us, reproves us and comforts us. We must be mindful of not only our words but the intention behind the words, our body language, gestures and tone of voice.
Tongue Salted with Salt What you say might be accurate in the law but the message might not be received as you intended because of the way the message was delivered. Satan can easily enter in and cause trouble, confusion and discourse amongst the brethren. You may cause an offense. This must not be so. In order for your testimony to be deemed an acceptable offering it must be fully seasoned with salt, that is the word.
Salt of the Earth When Christ gave his sermon on the mount while in the flesh, he stated this in Matthew 5: 13 .... “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden down under foot of men.�
Salt of the Earth In this context the salt represents the people of God who have his word and truth. Savour means a distinct taste or smell of something and in this case something that would derive pleasure and enjoyment. So you can see that the savour of salt or his people, represents their holiness and goodness. This holiness can only come by having the word, which is found in the bible.
Salt of the Earth God takes pleasure and joy in his people when they are savoury with his word because it leads to obedience of his laws. If we become unsavoury to God then we are disobeying his laws. It means we have lost his word, the very thing that gives him delight in us and makes us distinct from the wicked in this earth. It is the word of God that makes us worthy of salvation and prevents us from being cast away or trodden under the sins of this world.
Covenant of Salt God also used the phrase “covenant of salt,” which is mentioned twice in the scriptures. In Numbers Ch. 18, God established a covenant of salt specifically with Aaron (brother of Moses) and his lineage to serve as Levitical priests for the Lord’s sanctuary. He stated in vs. 19... “it is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.” We also know that God made a covenant with King David that his seed would rule over Israel. This is found in 2 Chronicles 13: 5.... “Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?”
Covenant of Salt Looking at these two examples why would the phrase “covenant of salt� be relevant to us today? A covenant is a binding agreement or promise between 2 or more parties. God establishes a covenant of salt with ALL his children. For the salt, which represents his word, is what binds us together with him.
Covenant of Salt Each party plays a role. There is God and then there are the saints. The Lord has provided us with his word and truth, the tools necessary to be saved plus so much more. We must gladly receive his word and obey.
In Closing Note that when he talked about the covenant of salt with Aaron and his sons as well as King David, he stated forever. The covenant that God establishes with us is not temporary but will last forever for God’s word is powerful and will preserve us for all eternity. So let us consume the salt daily into our lives that we might be preserve unto blessed salvation. May God be with you all. Amen.
....“Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another,� (Mark 9: 50)
Questions For questions regarding this presentation please contact us via email at info@householdofisrael.org or by phone at 219.949.9308.
Special Thanks This presentation was developed by: Elisabeth C. Pointer