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Today, we are going to
look at a common,
but very essential
element: salt. But first, a little
history: Salt has been a dietary
player since humans discovered it
thousands of years ago. In fact, salt
is the only "rock" that humans eat!
About 5,000 years ago, the
Chinese discovered they could
preserve food with it, allowing
people to survive long, cold winters
with a stash of salted supplies.
Civilizations have traded in it, cities
like Venice and Oslo were built on
it, and wars have been fought over
it.
Salt usage reached its peak
in the late 1800's when salt was used
to preserve foods for storage, and
declined as refrigeration became
more wide-spread in the early 20th
century. But by mid-century, when
packaged and convenience foods
began to replace fresh food in our
diets, the amount of sodium we
consumed began to climb; today we
get nearly 80% of our daily dose not
from the shaker, but from processed
foods. This over-abundance of salt
in our diet has been linked with
hypertension or high blood pressure
problems. Salt is a compound of
sodium, an unstable metal that can
suddenly burst into flame. I
remember a demonstration in my
high school chemistry class that
included a piece of sodium.
After we were done, we had to place
that chunk of sodium back in a thick
jar filled with water to keep it from
combusting. But when sodium is
combined with chloride, a lethal
element, they form a substance that
is essential for human life - sodium
chloride, or salt. Without it, we
would soon - simply die!
At its most basic level, our
bodies need salt because sodium
helps our brain transmit signals and
keeps our cells and the fluid
surrounding them in balance. For
instance, salt regulates the exchange
of water between cells and their
environment, aiding the absorption
of nutrients and the disposal of
waste into the bloodstream. Sodium,
which the body cannot manufacture,
is necessary for muscle contraction,
as well as the transmission of
nervous impulses. Chloride is
essential for digestion and
respiration.
An adult body contains about
250 grams of salt - enough to fill 3
or 4 salt-shakers - but we are
constantly losing it through bodily
functions; particularly perspiration.
So, it is imperative that we replace
this lost salt, as I have found out the
hard way on several occasions in my
life! I recall many years ago, when I
was in Vietnam, we were issued a
supply of salt tablets to take every
day, because of the tremendous heat,
humidity and the resulting
perspiration. The alternative was
dehydration or heat stroke. We
could always spot the "newbie,"
because they had not acclimated to
the heat and humidity yet and were
constantly soaked in perspiration.
In antiquity, Homer called
salt a "divine substance." Plato
described it as being especially dear
to the gods. Today, we take salt for
granted; we think of it as a common,
inexpensive substance that seasons
food and clears ice from roads.
However, salt has many more
amazing properties and uses. It
seasons, cures, and preserves. It
also seals, cleans, and acts as an
antiseptic. The salt industry claims
there are 14,000 different uses for
salt. The list of uses include keeping
the colors bright on boiled
vegetables; making ice cream
freeze; whipping cream rapidly;
getting more heat out of boiled
water; removing rust; sealing cracks;
removing spots on clothes; putting
out grease fires; killing poison ivy;
and treating sprains, sore throats,
and earaches.
Until about a hundred years
ago, when modern chemistry and
geology revealed its prevalence, salt
was one of the most sought after
commodities. It has served as
currency, been responsible for trade
routes and the establishment of great
cities, provoked and financed wars,
and played a strategic part in others.
Taxes on salt have secured empires
and inspired revolution. The
Romans appear to have esteemed
salt highly. Its army, for a time, was
even paid in salt. This is the origin
of the word "salary" and the
expressions "worth his salt" and
"earning his salt." In fact, the Latin
word "sal" became the French word
"solde," meaning "pay," and has
come down to us in the word
"soldier." The first of the great
Roman roads was the Via Salaria,
the Salt Road. The Romans used to
salt their greens, which is the origin
of the word "salad."
Let's go to our Bible now.
During the times in which the Bible
was written, salt was much more
precious, and people better
understood its value: Did you know
that newborns were rubbed with salt
to sanitize them and make their skin
dense and firm? When I looked into
the many scriptures where God
describes the borders of the various
tribes, it was almost always in
reference to the "Salt Sea," or the
Dead Sea - giving most of the tribes
a border that touched on a source of
salt. When the Persian emperors
Darius and Artaxerxes issued their
decrees to Ezra about the rebuilding
of Jerusalem, the supplies provided
to the Jews not only included silver,
grain, wine, and oil, but salt!
Let's look at the book of
Leviticus to see a point we need to
take note of: God commands that
salt accompany every offering. "You
shall season all your grain offerings
with salt. You shall not let the salt of
the covenant with your God be
missing from your grain offering;
with ALL your offerings you shall
offer salt"(Lev.2:13). The offerings
were seasoned with salt as a
reminder of the people's covenant
with God. In that sense, salt is a
good symbol of God's activity in a
person's life, because it penetrates,
preserves, and aids in healing.
The temple altar symbolizes
God's table. Since salt is always on
our tables, God would have it
always used at His - not to preserve
the sacrifice but because it was the
food of God's table and should be
salted, especially the meat. Salt was
so important that it was provided by
the Temple and stored in a room
called the Chamber of Salt, in the
court of the Temple. In the temple
service, no injunction in the whole
law was more sacredly observed
than this application of salt.
It has been common
throughout history for people to
confirm their agreements with each
other by eating and drinking
together, at which times salt is used.
Salt was added to foods, not only for
spice but also to preserve them from
decay, so it became a symbol of
incorruptibility and permanence.
Look at what God says about David:
"Do you not know that the LORD
God of Israel gave the rule over
Israel forever to David and his sons
by a covenant of salt?"(2
Chron.13:5). In this case, a
"covenant of salt" signified an
everlasting covenant. Salt also came
to symbolize purity, perfection,
wisdom, durability, and fidelity - all
very desirable characteristics.
The need for various animal
sacrifices passed with the death of
Jesus the Christ - our "Passover
Sacrifice" - who through ONE
sacrifice, "...once for all offered up
Himself" (Heb.7:27 and Rom. 6:10).
We, however, are told by the apostle
Paul, to "...present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to
God, which is your reasonable
service"(Rom.12:1). The first eleven
chapters of Romans are doctrinal in
nature, and with ch.12, Paul begins
explaining the practical application
of God's teaching. The first thing he
mentions is that we are to be living
sacrifices, holy and acceptable to
God. As we saw earlier, for a
sacrifice to be acceptable to God, it
must be salted. So, in a symbolic
manner, WE must be salted as well.
What does this mean? Well,
today, let's examine just THREE of
salt's main traits and apply them
spiritually to our lives:
1. SALT PRESERVES
Prior to 1800, the only way
to keep food for any length of time
was to salt it. This method of food
preservation declined when people
discovered that they could seal food
in jars and heat it - what is called
"canning" today. Then, in 1809 in
London, Peter Durand received a
patent for preserving food in tin
cans. Unfortunately, he failed to
invent the can opener - that would
not come for several more years - a
sharp knife would have to do! Also,
around this same time, people began
to pack fish in ice. Packing other
foods in ice was not practical,
however, because, when the ice
melted, all that water created an
environment in which bacteria could
flourish - not a good thing! Then, an
American inventor named Clarence
Birdseye (you've all heard of "Birds-eye frozen vegetables" haven't you?)
took care of this. During his life, he
patented 250 inventions, but we
remember him mostly for his
method of freezing food. Now,
when we want something for dinner,
we reach into our freezers for
vegetables, meats, desserts, and the
like. In earlier times, we would
have gone to the storehouse and
sliced off some salted meat, or to the
cellar for pickled vegetables.
Salt, therefore, has come to
stand for durability, permanence,
perpetuity, incorruptibility, and
purity. This is why salt was used to
ratify a covenant; it preserved and
stood for permanence. The covenant
of the Lord is called a "covenant of
salt" - not to be violated or
dissolved, AND "a covenant of
holiness," or purity. God is speaking
to Aaron, "All the offerings of the
holy gifts, which the sons of Israel
offer to the LORD, I have given to
you and your sons and your
daughters with you, as a perpetual
allotment. It is an everlasting
covenant of salt before the LORD to
you and your descendants with
you"(Num.18:19).
Adam Clarke, in his
commentary comments that "…salt
is the opposite of leaven, for it
preserved from putrefaction and
corruption, and signified the purity
and persevering fidelity that were
necessary in the worship of God."
As salt, when plentifully applied,
preserves meat from spoiling, so
will the Word of God - if obeyed -
keep men from being corrupted by
sin and become a living sacrifice.
The symbolism should be obvious to
us as living sacrifices. WE are to be
without spot or blemish - pure, in
other words.
God does not change
(Heb.13:8, James 1:17, and other
places), and He does not lie
(Heb.6:18 and Titus 1:2). God has
made certain covenants with His
people that simply cannot be
broken! WE have only to live a life
of obedience, which, even with that,
God helps us to do, through His
Holy Spirit! So, OUR sacrifice, is
not a one-time deal, but is ongoing
and perpetual. Yes, salt preserves.
2. SALT SEASONS
What did Christ say on this
particular point? "You are the salt of
the earth: but if the salt loses its
saltiness [or savor], how can it be
made salty again? It is no longer
good for anything, but to be thrown
out, and to be trodden under foot of
men"(Matt.5:13). When the
scripture says, "…how can it be
made salty again?" - it is asking:
how shall the salting qualities be
restored to it? It is talking about
LOSING something! Only those
connected with the Rock, Christ
Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, can
preserve their flavor, or savor. If we
lose that - we are worthless to God
and destined to be thrown out -
excluded from the Kingdom of God!
Anciently, salt deemed
"worthless," was spread in parts of
the Temple to prevent slipping in
wet weather - much like we do today
on icy roads. Salt CAN lose its
flavor. When it gets wet and then
dries, nothing is left but a tasteless
residue. Today, we can see that in
the various churches that use
syncretism in their worship of God
and also in situations where
Christians try to blend into the world
to avoid the cost of standing up for
Christ or their convictions (or
maybe I should say, their LACK of
convictions!), thus eliminating
having to cope with any type of
persecution at all. But Jesus says
here, if WE, as Christians, or
followers of Him, lose our
distinctive "saltiness," we become
worthless!
We can see that clearly in the
book of Hebrews: "For it is
impossible to restore again to
repentance those who have once
been enlightened, and have tasted
the heavenly gift, and have shared in
the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the
goodness of the Word of God and
powers of the age to come and then
have fallen away, since on their
own, they are crucifying again the
Son of God and are holding Him up
to contempt"(Heb.6:4-6).
We see that reinforced in the
book of Mark. The New King
James' heading above Mark 9:49,
reads, "Tasteless Salt Is Worthless,"
which, as we have seen is certainly
true! Christ tells His disciples, "For
everyone will be seasoned with fire
[or trials], and every sacrifice will be
seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but
if the salt loses its flavor, how will
you season it? Have salt in
yourselves, and have peace with one
another"(Mark 9:49-50). Obviously,
sacrifices in the Old Testament were
not salted to preserve them since the
meat was consumed immediately.
They were salted because it was the
food of God's table, and no flesh
was to be eaten without salt. Here in
Mark, Jesus says, "EVERY sacrifice
will be seasoned with salt." Man is
flesh, and his natural nature is
corrupt, therefore his sacrifice must
be seasoned and made more
palatable (with salt). Notice that
Christ says, "Have salt in
yourselves, and have peace with one
another." How do we do this?
The apostle Paul wrote to the
Church in Colosse, "Let your word
always be with grace, having been
seasoned with salt, to know how you
ought to answer each one"(Col.4:6).
He is speaking specifically of
answering those in our immediate
household, but should we not also
be as gracious to our brethren in the
Church and elsewhere? The Greek
word Paul uses, translated "grace,"
is "charts," which means
"graciousness, of manner or act,
especially the divine influence upon
the heart, and its reflection in the
life." Matthew Henry's commentary
says, "Grace is the salt which
seasons our discourse, makes it
savory and keeps it from
corrupting."
The words that come from
our mouth reflect upon us more than
any other facet of our lives. "Brood
of vipers! How can you, being evil,
speak good things? For out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth
speaks. A good man out of his good
treasure brings forth good things,
and an evil man out of his evil
treasure brings forth evil things.
But I say to you, that for every idle
word men may speak, they will give
account of it in the day of judgment.
For by your words you shall be
justified, and by your words you
shall be condemned"
(Matt.12:34-37).
Go back and read what
James says about the
"uncontrollable" tongue. He also
states that "No spring can yield both
salt water and fresh," meaning, the
mouth that emits cursing cannot also
be emitting blessings!
So, when we gossip, are
those words seasoned? Are they
"savory" to the ears of others? When
we speak in a hurtful manner to our
family, both physical and spiritual,
are those words "seasoned"? Or,
maybe we could think of it this way:
If WE are living sacrifices, and if
the altar is God's table, what kind of
dinner- table conversation would be
appropriate while sharing a meal
with God? Brethren, if we live our
lives as living sacrifices, then we are
ALWAYS before the altar of God!
Our actions, especially our speech,
should always be done as if we are
carrying on conversations at the
table with Christ. Yes, salt seasons.
3. A LITTLE GOES A LONG
WAY
When we cook, sometimes,
we forget to add the salt to the food
- which is immediately noticeable
when we begin eating! Most times,
when I cook; I don't even measure
the salt because I am a lazy cook; I
just measure by eye. If I put too
much salt though, it again becomes
immediately noticeable. In fact, we
probably won't even eat it, but throw
it out!
God used a small number of
people to support Paul and the other
apostles in the preaching of the
gospel to the known world. We are
now even fewer in number, yet we
have influence far out of relation to
our size because of modern
electronic marvels like radio, TV
and the internet. In the scheme of
things, only a few of us (even if we
count ALL the other Church of God
groups!), support the work of the
true gospel. God has always worked
with the few. However, if we ease
up, if we lose our flavor or saltiness,
we will "be thrown out and trampled
underfoot" as an UNprofitable
servant - a scary thought indeed!
At one time, salt was thought to be
very rare. But, as drilling
techniques improved, it was
discovered that the earth possessed
huge underground salt deposits. In
fact, the United States stores its
strategic oil reserves in huge
underground salt domes in
Louisiana! We know now that there
are literally mountains of salt. To
put that into spiritual terms - just as
God's Firstfruits are rare now - the
mountains of salt represent the
multitudes of people to be
"discovered" in the future - in the
Millennium and beyond.
Yes, a little salt goes a long way.
Obviously, these three points
barely scratch the surface of this
subject. As with salt itself, there is
more to godly subjects than what
first appears. Like so much of what
we read in the Bible, God has built
in many layers of meaning.
Brethren, God has called us
to be LIVING sacrifices! We MUST
remain attached to the true Vine,
Christ Jesus. We MUST show the
fruits of the Holy Spirit in our life.
This Christian life is an ongoing
process of striving for purity, in
which we must ensure that our lives
are properly seasoned so that we do
not lose our "saltiness" - our
"flavor." Only then, will we succeed
in being among God's first-fruits in
the Kingdom of God!
Pete Fleming