The Salt Covenant - 2

Continuing my study of the Salt Covenant, as mentioned in Lev. 2:13:


Salt was the food preservative par excellence in biblical times. According to priestly law, all sacrifices were to be salted as well: "You shall season your every offering of meal with salt; you shall not omit from your meal offering the salt of your covenant with God; with all your offerings you must offer salt." (Lev. 2:13) It is easy to understand this law in the context of meat sacrifices, as salt functioned to remove whatever blood remained after slaughter. What is surprising and unexpected is the requirement to use salt in grain offerings as well:


Scholar Jacob Milgrom notes that salt stands in contrast to leaven and other fermentatives, whose use is forbidden on the altar. He thus perceives salt as a symbol of permanence, as opposed to leaven which produces change. Therefore, a "salt covenant" suggests an unbreakable covenant.(1)


Entering into a Covenant of Salt means binding oneself to another in utmost loyalty and truthfulness, even suffering death, rather than breaking the covenant.  For this very reason a Covenant of Salt was never done lightly or haphazardly – it deserves serious respect.  To the ancient Hebrews, salt represented purification, and was also symbolic of enduring friendship, honesty, and loyalty (2Kin.2:19 -21; 2Chr.13:5).  Today some Eastern people still use the phrase: “There is salt between us.”  Having no salt, meant disloyalty and barrenness. (2)



So what God was indicating in the "Covenant of Salt" that this is an everlasting covenant, unbreakable, and one that brings preservation, and purity.  In other words, this Salt Covenant is looking forward to the Sacrifice that REALLY provided preservation (Salvation), purity (Righteousness) and unbreakable (Eternal) - that of Jesus on the Cross. In making sure that all offerings were salted, God is providing a pattern, calling us to remember constantly His covenant of Love with us, the New Covenant.  


Tomorrow  - our role of "salt of the earth" and how that should impact our lives.