What’s a pretzel without salt? When you go swimming at the beach and have a wound—salt water stings, but isn’t it amazing how fast it heals. How about this: when you have a sore in your mouth or throat, the dentist tells you to gargle with salt water. Nasty but effective! Two thousand years ago salt was a precious commodity and quite expensive. In fact, Roman soldiers were paid in salt. They called their allowance of salt solarium, from which we get our word salary. Shoppers, something that is on sale—for salt—we feel like we’ve conquered the economic Goliath. Because salt was considered valuable at one time, when the phrase “to salt an account” is used, we mean to make it more valuable. So, what’s the deal about salt?
Salt is one of those basics having many uses, but since it is so readily available today, its price along with attitudes considering it precious has been drastically minimized. Here are some interesting tidbits about those little white crystals.
- Salt purifies; it kills bacteria.
- Salt completes food; it makes it tasty and flavorful.
- Salt also preserves as in salted fish, meats.
- Salt is something that your body cannot live without, yet your body does not produce it and must be replenished regularly. It doesn’t require sodium chloride (table salt). Other salts occur naturally in vegetables, so like Mom said, “Eat your vegetables!”
- Chemically speaking, salts (substances having ionic bonds) are the strongest chemical bonds in nature.
- When you reduce the water in the human body, what’s left? Approx. 60% of the male adult is water, and females about 55% (women have more fat). The rest is made up of about 60 elements found on earth, which we may consider to be essential salts.
Although it these facts may be fascinating, God has a spiritual point about salt. Jesus made a point of telling us to be salt, yes BE salt – not just USE salt. “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men” (Matt. 5:13). Furthermore, Mark 9:50 says, “Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
In these Scripture references, salt is a metaphor used to say that it is a good thing. In the same way salt purifies, preserves, is necessary, and adds flavor, we are to be that for others in our relationships. As we keep ourselves salty with one another it brings about peace.
It was common knowledge among ancient Israelites that a salt covenant was one of friendship, a strong bond between two parties based on choice to be bound together. Just as salts are the strongest ionic bonds, salt covenants were strong bonds that held people together based on their will. The ancients may not have known about ionic bonds, but God certainly did, and He spoke of it in terms of relationship. “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” (Numbers 18:19, NASB, emphasis added). Furthermore, “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 Chronicles 13:5, NASB, emphasis added).
These references to salt covenant speak of completeness – not lacking anything, the promise of perpetual provision, and the preservation of the bloodline of David occupying the throne of Israel through which Jesus descended. That gives individuals the authority as one of many brethren of Christ to be a nation of priests and kings. The salt covenant is permanent and perpetual. It speaks of
- God’s faithfulness
- God’s immutability (He does not change.)
- God’s purity
- God’s completeness
- God’s safety, protection, and preservation of His people
As disciples of Jesus, we have a salt covenant with Him for our safety, protection, completeness, health, provision, and purity. Jesus said in Mathew 5 that we are to be salt to the world. We get to partner with God in being a people who bring the essential ingredients of righteousness, redemption, and eternal salvation to an unclean sin infected world lacking flavor or preservation.
Being salty brings peace between unregenerated man and God. Jesus came and gave His life to become the path of peace between the Father and mankind. Colossians 1:19-23, Romans 5:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 tell us that God reconciled mankind to Himself through the death of Jesus and that He has given us the ministry of reconciliation to bring others to that peace. Reconcile has two words in Greek. Katallasso means to change from enmity to friendship as in the 2 Corinthians reference. It never indicates that God is being reconciled to people, but rather always that people are being reconciled to God. Humanity has been at enmity with God since the Garden of Eden. However, through the sacrificed Lamb, Jesus, God’s righteousness and mercy reconciled man to Himself. God is not the problem. He has always been the place of refuge. God’s love and mercy upon humanity has been so from the beginning and He has provided a series of covenants (promises) to draw us to Himself.
The other word is diallasso, which indicates mutual hostility between people that becomes changed to friendship as in Matthew 5:24. “Leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering (Matthew 5:24, emphasis added).” Here is the amazing good news. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation whereby we can broker (be an agent of) peace between humanity and God, as well as between others. Having “salt” within us, we should live in such a manner that people see God through our actions and words. “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person (Colossians 4:5-6, NASB, emphasis added).
The way in which we conduct ourselves should reflect the grace of God, showing unmerited favor just as God does. In other words, we show favor whether or not they deserve it. That is how God is with us. We do not deserve His abundant grace, but He gives it anyway. We salt our relationships by acting graciously, giving unmerited favor, bringing reconciliation one to another and each one to God. In so doing, we represent a perfect, holy, wonderful, loving God, while ministering the understanding of truth that will set people free. Be a salt shaker and sprinkle some of your salt!