The first time I ever heard about it was in a wedding ceremony that I performed. It was called a covenant of salt, and I later learned that it was rich with meaning. I was reminded of it when I read these words:
'Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt." (Leviticus 2:13)
Under the Law God required all sacrifices to be seasoned with salt, serving as a reminder of His covenant with His people. The covenant of salt represented the most lasting and binding agreement of all between God and His people, which is also why it is a fitting wedding ritual representing the permanence of marriage.
That imagery is evident in Colossians 4:6 - "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." Our speech should serve as an offering to God, full of the seasoning of His covenant and grace to us and, as a result, a blessing to others.
Not only is our speech to represent that covenant but our very lives as well: "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." (Matthew 5:13).
Our very lives represent the covenant of God. We embody the covenant that God has made with us in which He will restore this planet to a state of perfection, having ratified the covenant through the sacrifice of His sinless Son on a cross. As the embodiment of this covenant, we literally "season" and affect everyone we come in contact with.
Salt is both a seasoning and a preservative. Our presence and influence in the world adds the "flavor" of the kingdom while also slowing down the rotting process of a decaying world. Make no mistake: this present world and system is like a rotting piece of meat which will eventually completely decay, but our preservative influence will sufficiently slow the process to facilitate God's saving grace.
"Father, more fully form your character and covenant within each of us so that the integrity of our lives will touch and condition all we contact today."
Steve
'Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt." (Leviticus 2:13)
Under the Law God required all sacrifices to be seasoned with salt, serving as a reminder of His covenant with His people. The covenant of salt represented the most lasting and binding agreement of all between God and His people, which is also why it is a fitting wedding ritual representing the permanence of marriage.
That imagery is evident in Colossians 4:6 - "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." Our speech should serve as an offering to God, full of the seasoning of His covenant and grace to us and, as a result, a blessing to others.
Not only is our speech to represent that covenant but our very lives as well: "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." (Matthew 5:13).
Our very lives represent the covenant of God. We embody the covenant that God has made with us in which He will restore this planet to a state of perfection, having ratified the covenant through the sacrifice of His sinless Son on a cross. As the embodiment of this covenant, we literally "season" and affect everyone we come in contact with.
Salt is both a seasoning and a preservative. Our presence and influence in the world adds the "flavor" of the kingdom while also slowing down the rotting process of a decaying world. Make no mistake: this present world and system is like a rotting piece of meat which will eventually completely decay, but our preservative influence will sufficiently slow the process to facilitate God's saving grace.
"Father, more fully form your character and covenant within each of us so that the integrity of our lives will touch and condition all we contact today."
Steve
posted by steve @ 11:28 AM
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