Salt is an essential component of our daily lives. Since ancient times, many cultures have used it as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and a unit of exchange. But did you know that in the Bible, salt has a valuable and spiritual significance?
As Christians, we must be aware of the beautiful revelations regarding the salt meaning in the Bible. This will allow us to appreciate and fully comprehend the Lord’s message in the Scriptures.
Contents
What Is The Meaning Of Salt In The Bible?
Salt, also known as sodium chloride in science, is a byproduct of neutralization (a reaction between an acid and a base). Salt is obtained from salt mines or evaporated from seawater or spring water.
Salt[1] in the Bible is regarded as a valuable commodity. God required salt in sacrificial offerings, as stated in Leviticus 2:13: “You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings, you shall offer salt.”
We learn why we offer salt, or why salt is added to a grain offering. Salt, as a chemical compound, cannot change. It is naturally pure. God desired that every sacrifice offered to Him be made with a pure heart. This also means that the relationship God wanted was pure and not motivated by impure motives. We should pray to God for the purest reasons: to express our gratitude and to honor His glory.
Salt, which is mentioned in the Bible, was a highly valued mineral and an expensive commodity in the ancient world. Salt was sometimes used to pay Roman soldiers. Adding salt to every sacrifice or grain offering increased the cost and value of each offering to God. We can learn from this that when we add salt, we give everything to God.
God did not demand salt as part of their grain offering for no reason. The salt in the Bible conveys a powerful message. It demonstrated God’s desired relationship with his people and his desire for them to be the salt.
What Does Salt Symbolize?
Salt symbolizes new beginnings and separation from the past. Elisha throws salt into a spring to purify the water and signal a new beginning. When Elisha was in Jericho, the city’s men said that the water was bad and the land was unfruitful.
Elisha went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it, saying, “Thus says the LORD, ‘I have purified these waters; there shall no longer be death or unfruitfulness from there any longer.'” So the waters have been purified. The water had been healed and would never again cause death or be an unproductive land. Thus, this event in the Bible where salt is used represents a fresh start.
Salt is also a tangible symbol of loyalty and friendship. According to the Bible, friendship and loyalty were sealed with salt. When you heat salt in water, it dissolves. When you evaporate the water from a salt-seasoned dish, you end up with salt crystals. As a chemical compound, salt cannot change.
The eating of salt creates a friendship bond. According to ancient and biblical customs, if two men eat salt together, they are sworn to protect one another—even if they were previously enemies. In some cultures, when people make a promise, they throw salt over their shoulders.
Because of the immutability of salt’s quality, it is used to seal a deal in Islam and Judaism rather than simply giving your word. As a result, salt represents a long-lasting friendship and relationship between people. It is also a representation of God’s unending love for us! Psalm 136: “His love endures forever.”
What Does Salt Represent In Life?
Salt represents life’s difficulties. Fire represents trials and difficulties in Mark 9:42–50, and if you sin and are cast into hell, you will be salted with fire. As a result, we will be “salted” or put through trials in our lives as God’s people.
Those trials are our sacrifice, and if we are salt with a good flavor, we will be preserved during those trials. And it is during these times of adversity that we seem to grow the most in our faith, giving it all to God and achieving the deep relationships God desires to have with us.
Jesus tells His disciples that they are the salt of the earth. He used the metaphors of salt and light several times to describe the role of His followers in the world. Matthew 5:13 gives one example: “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 except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”
Salt in life represents that believers in Christ are world preservers. Salt served two purposes in the first-century Middle East. Salt was used to preserve food, particularly meat, which would spoil quickly in the desert environment. As preservers, we protect the world from the evil inherent in the society of ungodly men whose unredeemed natures have been corrupted by sin (Psalm 14:3; Romans 8:8).
Christians stand out as those who enhance the flavor of life in this world. Salt was used as a flavor enhancer, as it is now. In the same way that salt improves the taste of the food it season, Christians who live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ will inevitably have a beautiful impact on the world, just as salt has a beautiful effect on the flavor of the food.
“Where there is strife, we are to be peacemakers; where there is sorrow, we are to be Christ’s ministers, binding up wounds; and where there is hatred, we are to exemplify God’s love in Christ, repaying evil with good” (Luke 6:35).
Jesus called his followers to be the “salt of the earth.” Christians worldwide help to keep humanity from falling into godlessness, immorality, chaos, and the ensuing judgment. We are here to better the lives of others by living and speaking in the manner of Jesus.
Salt alters the flavor of food indefinitely, just as the influence of godly people can change a culture. Jesus warns that if we lose our “divine flavor,” it’s as if we’ve lost our “saltiness,” and our words become meaningless and useless.
The Uses of Salt
Salt Adds Flavor
Salt, as we all know, is a flavor-enhancing agent in food. Salt flavor is released by breaking down the cell walls of vegetables, fruits, and meats. As a result, we can enjoy the natural flavor of foods. The unique aroma and flavor in food are released as the cells degrade. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus Christ tells us, “You are the salt of the earth.”
As His creation, we are to enhance the beauty of the world around us. We are here to uplift, enhance, brighten, and glorify our Lord God, not to destroy or harm others. However, Jesus warned us: “But if the 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 underfoot” (Matthew 5:13).
He is not describing table salt, but he is describing fertilizer salt. As the salt of the earth, we are agents of human flourishing. Jesus invites us to become fertilizer in his kingdom. While salt never loses its flavor, Christians can lose their effectiveness. This is why Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth, preserving, sustaining, and enhancing the taste of life.
Salt As A Preservative
Salt is aseptic, which means it is free of contamination and harmful bacteria. Salt was used to prevent the deterioration of meat and other foods, allowing them to be consumed for a longer period.
Salt protects against infection. While it cannot cure a disease, it can prevent its spread. So, in ancient times, salt was used to keep items from spoiling. Salt sustains life. Similarly, Jesus Christ represents salt: He preserves and sustains life and keeps His promises to us.
Our role as Christians is to be salt and light. Through obedience, we are responsible for making the world a better place. When we do God’s will, we preserve the world’s goodness and slow its moral and spiritual decay.
Salt As A Valuable Mineral
The Mosaic law teaches in Leviticus that the free will offering of people came with salt. The offerings were also unleavened bread, birds, goats, sheep, and cattle. Furthermore, salt was always included in these free-will offerings to represent a covenant – a promise.
Aside from being a covenant symbol, salt was often an essential part of the offering because it was an expensive and highly valued mineral. Historically, salt was hard to come by. You couldn’t just go to the store and buy it. In general, God uses valuable items to represent His promises.
3 Bible Verses About Salt
Numbers 18:19
“All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer to the LORD, I have I to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual allotment. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD to you and your descendants with you.”
Colossians 4:6
“Let your speech [be] always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” The purpose of the believer’s words is to preserve the message of Christ, allowing it to reach as many people as possible. What a Christian says should add value to the conversation; our words should be encouraging or beneficial. Finally, the “flavor” of how we speak and act should reflect the truth of our renewed Christian lives.
Another aspect of gracious speech is the ability to answer unbelievers’ questions. The ability to communicate Christ entails a positive presentation of the gospel and the ability to defend it (Titus 1:9). It is not enough to know. To respond truly “Christian,” one must present the truth with appropriate words and attitude.
Leviticus 2:13
“And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.”
Salt As A Covenant
Salt is known as a covenant, and the Bible mentions the “covenant of salt” numerous times. Salt is used as a preservative, which means it helps things last longer. When we say “covenant of salt,” we simply mean that the covenant is eternal and cannot be broken, similar to how salt preserves.
The Israelites agree to a “covenant of salt forever before the Lord” when Moses instructs them to add salt to their offerings. The Hebrew word for covenant, “be riyth,” refers to a trust-based agreement between two parties to fulfill their ends of the bargain.
To demonstrate the permanent nature of their agreement, the covenant’s two parties, God and His people, exchange salt, a tangible symbol of loyalty and friendship. God reveals His unbreakable bond with those He loves through salt.
In Numbers 18:19, the salt covenant is mentioned when Moses speaks to the priests about the covenant God made with them. “All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the LORD I give to you and your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual due; it is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD for you and your offspring with you.”
And 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, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?” Because the sacrifice included salt, both promises or covenants were viewed as long-lasting covenants made by God.
Many Jewish traditions and religious rituals are still practiced today, one of which is that the Jewish people have not forgotten their salt covenants with God. Many practicing Jews dip their bread in salt every Friday at sunset to keep their agreement with God.
How To Be The Salt Of The World?
Salt plays a spiritual meaning in the Bible, and we are the salt of the earth, according to it. As a Christian, you are expected to live out God’s purpose by being the salt and light to the world. As a preservative, salt is responsible for keeping humanity from falling into sin.
To be the salt of the world, we must first know Christ as the Son of God who provides eternal life (1 John 5:20). You will develop an intimate relationship with Christ as you get to know Him, bringing you closer to God the Father and your salvation.
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” We must faithfully and obediently serve Christ for the great things he has done for us, especially salvation. And it is only through obedience that we can enter God’s kingdom.
Finally, to be the salt and light of the world, we must share Christ. We can share Him through sharing His gospel and good news. We must influence the people by telling them about our Lord and Savior.
Conclusion
As Christians, we play an essential role in the world. We have a purpose: to be the salt of the earth, enhancing the flavor of life in this world. We must believe in our own ability to spread goodness, love, and grace if we believe in Christ and live in obedience to the Holy Spirit.
You are valuable enough to add to the beauty of God’s creation and make an impact on the lives of others, just as salt has a beautiful effect on the flavor of the food. You can do so by bringing glory and honor to God.