What Does Salt Symbolize – The Bible makes a lot of references to salt; Even more than I realized!! I went diving for a deeper understanding of salt and I kept diving deeper and deeper and finally I had to stop because I was literally up to my knees in salt in the Bible. For example in;
I mean wow!! But don’t let all that scare you. The idea of salt used in the Bible is very nice and very symbolic.
What Does Salt Symbolize
Did you know that soldiers were sometimes paid in salt in ancient Roman times? (That’s another rabbit trail for you to google)
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The fact is that salt was a valuable commodity. There is a reason God required it in the sacrifices of the Old Testament. It was important to the people and it was seen as a great sacrifice to leave. In fact, for ceremonial offerings and a unit of exchange, salt was a necessity of life in ancient times.
Let’s dive into the salt, starting with the exciting book of Leviticus. Moses tells the Israelites the rules for grain offerings.
“You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of your covenant with your God be lost from your grain offering; You shall season all your offerings with salt.”
For several reasons. Salt was an important part of the offering because it spoke of purity, preservation and cost. Every sacrifice offered to God must be pure, enduring, and of value (David Guzik).
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Here’s a quick 101 on salt… Salt is aseptic meaning free of contamination and harmful bacteria. Salt basically prevents infection. Can’t cure but can stop the spread. So in ancient times they used salt to protect things from spoiling. And think about it. In ancient times there was no electricity which meant no refrigeration system so salt was what they used to prevent their food from spoiling whether it was their grains or meat.
According to ancient customs, eating salt established a bond of friendship. It is said that once you ate a man’s salt, you were his friend for life. God wanted every sacrifice to be a reminder of this desired relationship with us.
This idea of a covenant of salt also recurs in Numbers 18 when Moses speaks to the priests about the covenant God made with them. Numbers 18:19 –
“Whatever is set apart from the holy offerings of the Israelites to God I give to you and to your sons and daughters as your permanent portion. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before God, both for you and for your offspring.”
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And then again in 2 Chronicles 13:5 which refers to King David and the covenant of salt God made with him. –
“Don’t you know that the Lord God of Israel has given the kingdom of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?”
Both of these promises or covenants were seen as permanent covenants made by God because the sacrifice included salt.
“When you have finished purifying it, you must offer a bullock and a lamb from among the sheep, both of them without blemish; You shall offer them before God, and the priests shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering. An offering to the Lord.”
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So when God required salt to be part of his grain offering, it wasn’t just for a random reason. It was symbolic. – It shows how God wants His people to relate and how God wants His people to protect the earth.
His salt and light reference is best known during Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:13.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under foot.”
Jesus tells his disciples and followers, You are salt. I see you and God sees you as precious. You have value. You are also the one who will save this world. You must maintain influence over your culture. Without your godly influence, this world would be ruined. Evil, disease, bacteria, whatever you call them will conquer but because God and His people are salt, we will preserve and bring goodness.
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“But if the salt loses its taste, how will its saltiness be restored? Nothing is good anymore except to be thrown out and crushed.”
In Jesus’ day, if they found that the salt had lost its flavor or preserving properties, they would simply throw it out into the streets and be trampled into the ground by pedestrians. It was no longer good for them.
This passage should be a warning to us as Christians. If we are sweet but we lose our taste, or better to say, preserve our influence, actions, qualities for this world, we are no longer valuable for the kingdom of God. It may sound harsh, but this is God’s warning to us. He wants us to live as a people on mission for Him.
The story of Lot’s wife is a perfect example (Genesis 19:23-26). She turned into a pillar of salt. Why salt? She left a life of sin and looked back rotting with sorrow. She lost her saving qualities and became one with the world. She is a warning to us.
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Jesus warns us not to be like Lot’s wife in Luke 17:32 as he speaks of the coming kingdom.
. “Remember many a wife. Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”
We are to look forward to our salvation and new life with Jesus and not return to the old life of sin and miss it.
To understand this verse you need to back up and read the entire passage as harsh as it gets. The passage talks about the temptation to sin and the warning from Jesus to turn away. In 9:49 it states that everyone will be salted with fire. What does that mean? Well, a lot. But let’s simplify. Most people believe that it means that fire represents trials and tribulations. So as God’s people we will be salted or given trials in our lives. That trial is our sacrifice and if we are sweet and our taste is still good, we will be saved during that trial. And it is in those trials that we find ourselves growing the most in our faith, giving it all to God, thus reaching the deeper relationship that God wants to have with us.
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This passage is not difficult to find after we have just studied what salt symbolizes in the Bible. Our speech should be free from corruption and full of taste while talking to God and others. what taste I envision words filled with spiritual wisdom that speak of truth and love.
Am I still with you in this post?! I think that’s the longest I’ve ever written! But in short. Salt is a symbol of the deep relationship that God wants with us and how He wants us to preserve the earth and give it a taste like crazy.
So how do you become sweeter? Jesus called his disciples the salt of the earth. As they were called, so are we called.
So… how are you going to “leave a taste in someone’s mouth” after your conversation with them. Will it be pleasant and delicious or bland and have you lost your godly taste? Will they know where you stand with Jesus? What are you doing to “clean up” our world? Are you conforming to this world or keeping God’s word? I did a lot of baking over the holidays. Mostly cookies, some candy, and fruitcake (one really delicious recipe passed down through 3 generations!) As I worked my way through each recipe, I realized they contained salt. Some have baking powder, some baking soda, but always salt. It reminds me of the “salt and light” metaphors from the Sermon on the Mount. Since I couldn’t get it out of my head, I did some digging into the spiritual meaning of salt.
The Soul Of Salt And The Symbolic Meaning
Salt acts as a flavor enhancer in dishes. Our food would be delicious without it. In bread, salt controls the fermentation of the yeast which gives the bread a better texture.
In pastries, salt promotes browning and also gives a better texture. Salt is a natural preservative, so our cookies and baked goods last longer (yay!) Some of the same properties of salt come from the spiritual meaning of salt.
Salt had many uses in biblical times. God instructed the Israelites in the Old Testament to season all their grain offerings with salt.
The “sweet covenant” in Numbers 18:19 had to do with making firm, permanent promises to the Israelites. The offering seasoned with salt was a reminder that he had always promised to provide for them.
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