DEVOTION / The salt of the earth
Is tasteless food eaten without salt? Job 6:6
What do steak, popcorn, and fried eggs have in common? They all need a dash of salt! Salt is one item that can be found on most kitchen and restaurant tables. We see it as a necessary addition to many foods we eat. In moderation, salt is a necessary part of our daily diet. Salt also played an important part in the Bible. It certainly was used for seasoning, but also as a preservative, a disinfectant, and sometimes for money. They even added salt to the incense that was burned in the temple.
The land of Palestine is rich in salt thanks to the Dead Sea. There we find massive salt cliffs, and the water, when left to evaporate, produces great amounts of salt as well. Salt was used in the Old Testament sacrifices. Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings (Leviticus 2:13). Salt was also eaten as a covenant between friends. Second Chronicles 13:5 says, The LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt. Newborn babies were bathed and rubbed with salt, although that practice is frowned upon today.
We are the salt of the earth
Jesus referred to salt in his Sermon on the Mount when he told his followers to be a seasoning for the world. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything (Matthew 5:13). As God’s salt, we are to influence the world through our daily living. We are to reflect the love of Jesus to those around us that they may have the same joy and peace we do. And as saltiness creates thirst, so we can help those around us to thirst for the salvation found in our Savior.
by Reynold R. Kremer