Saturday, January 30, 2016

Salt Life

“Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” Mark 9:49-50


In the last year and a half or so I started noticing stickers on the back windows of some of the cars on the road that said “Salt Life”. Have you seen these? I was curious as to what that meant, I thought initially that it had some sort of Biblical meaning so each time I saw it I wondered about it. Then one day I actually remembered to look it up and, as it turns out, these are people who really enjoy “beach” life. Well, that’s cool! Mystery solved and now I know. But, I kind of like the “Biblical” reference idea, so I borrowed the title for this blog :)\

A few months ago, as I am listening to the gospels again I hear Mark 9 (the scripture above) and I wonder to myself, yet again, “what does being ‘salted with fire’ mean?” I have heard this several times as I listen to the gospels, and other references to “salt” but this time I honed in on it and decided to ask Tom about it (sometimes he understands things a little better than I do). Well, as it turns out, he wasn’t quite sure about this either so I decided to do a little more research.
I looked up all the references to “salt” I could find in the Bible and discovered a few things! It really is amazing how MUCH cool stuff is in the Bible!! Apparently SALT is really important! Did you know that God made a “covenant of salt” between David and Israel? I didn’t… and I am thinking, “What the heck is a covenant of salt!” but here it is:

“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?” 2 Chronicles 13:5 (2 Samuel 7:8-16)

“Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the LORD I give to you and your sons and daughters as your regular share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD for both you and your offspring." Numbers 18:19

Here are some other cool references to salt that I hadn’t noticed before:

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6

 “Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, "This is what the LORD says: 'I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive." 2 Kings 2:21

Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste; her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.” Jeremiah 48:9

“On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.” Ezekiel 16:4

“You are to offer them before the LORD, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the LORD.” Ezekiel 43:24

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. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:13-16

After I read the above Matthew scripture I looked at the Believers Bible Commentary in eSword regarding each verse and here are a few tidbits I thought were interesting:

B. Believers Are Salt and Light (5:13-16)
5:13   Jesus likened His disciples to salt. They were to the world what salt is in everyday life: salt seasons food; it hinders the spread of corruption; it creates thirst; it brings out the flavor. So His followers add piquancy to human society, serve as a preservative, and make others long for the righteousness described in the preceding verses.
If salt loses its flavor, how can its saltiness be restored? There is no way to restore the true, natural taste. Once it has lost its flavor, salt is good for nothing. It is discarded on a footpath. Albert Barnes' comment on this passage is illuminating:
The salt used in this country is a chemical compound—and if the saltiness were lost, or it were to lose its savor, there would be nothing remaining. In eastern countries, however, the salt used was impure, mingled with vegetable and earthly substances; so that it might lose the whole of its saltiness, and a considerable quantity [of salt without flavor] remain. This was good for nothing except that it was used, as it is said, to place in paths, or walks, as we use gravel.
The disciple has one great function—to be the salt of the earth by living out the terms of discipleship listed in the Beatitudes and throughout the rest of the Sermon. If he fails to exhibit this spiritual reality, men will tread his testimony under their feet. The world has only contempt for an undedicated believer.

After I read the commentary I decided not to try to recreate the wheel so I did a search on the web for more info on this subject. Here are some thoughts and comments I thought were interesting regarding the covenant of salt and what it meant to be salted with fire. (I will post the links at the end of the blog):

…Salt, an emblem of the covenant between God and His people, was intended to remind the people that the covenant was a solemn treaty to be kept inviolate. In presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Rom_12:1-2), we should season the sacrifice with salt by making it an irrevocable commitment…

...It has been common throughout history for people to confirm their agreements with each other by eating and drinking together, at which times salt is used. As salt was added to foods, not only for spice but also to preserve them from decay, it became a symbol of incorruptibility and permanence. A "covenant of salt" signified an everlasting covenant. In the Bible, salt also came to symbolize purity, perfection, wisdom, hospitality, durability, and fidelity…

…Here, a covenant of salt suggests an agreement of enduring qualities, even forever. Thus a covenant of salt is one that is very strong, though it may not always be everlasting. Salt is understood to be the preservative, suggesting endurance. When God makes use of this metaphor, He is urging us to be faithful despite how circumstances appear on the surface because His Word is absolutely sure. Like Himself, His Word endures forever…

…So, for us today, a Covenant of Salt takes place when an offering is made to the Lord (ourselves), the salt of grace is added, a meal is shared (His Body and Blood) and the Covenant God made with man is received (salvation).  A Covenant that is incorruptible and everlasting…

… As I came to understand the Tenach concept of the Covenant of Salt, it made me re-examine this passage again.  I discovered that the immediate context of Jesus’ “salt of the earth” statement is being persecuted for righteousness.  He just got done telling those listening to Him on the mountainside they would be blessed over and over again if they followed Him.  One of those blessing was persecution!  If one lives for Yeshua as “the salt of the earth”, one should expect to be insulted, persecuted and falsely accused.  Jesus is telling His followers the reality of following Him – the good, the bad and the ugly truth of it all…

…He continues this line of thinking in Luke 14:34-35.   In this passage, Yeshua also uses salt in the context of counting the cost of being His disciple.  He tells those listening to Him that they must love Him more than their family and their very life itself.  Then after talking about calculating the cost of building a tower and going to war, He states that once salt loses its saltiness, it’s not good for anything, even for fertilizer.  It has no value whatsoever, so He tells His listeners to listen up.  Living for Him will not be a walk in the park.  It will cost them something; so think about it before they begin the journey.

As you agree to worship Him through your everyday actions, even when it costs you something or goes against your way of thinking, you’ll become salty, which will make people thirsty enough to ask, “Where do you find your peace in the midst of tough times?  How can you live the way you do when everyone else is doing the opposite?”  Those who are the salt of the earth will automatically be the light of the world and will be ready to shine their light on Jesus.

This was such an interesting and educational topic for me! So now I will attempt to sum all of this up into a nice neat package.  My new definition of a “Salt Life” is this:

A Salt Life is for those who desire to present their bodies as a living sacrifice to God, seasoning the
sacrifice with salt making an irrevocable commitment and becoming a symbol of incorruptibility and permanence.  Making a "covenant of salt" signifies an everlasting covenant, symbolizing purity, perfection, wisdom, hospitality, durability, and fidelity.  We are to be faithful despite how our circumstances appear on the surface because we trust that His Word is absolutely sure. Like Himself, His Word endures forever. Choosing to live as “the salt of the earth”, we should expect to be salted with fire, being insulted, persecuted and falsely accused, staying faithful to him through the good, the bad and the ugly. We must love Him more than our family and our very life itself.  As we worship Him through our everyday actions, even when it costs us something or goes against our way of thinking, we become salty, which will make people thirsty enough to ask, “Where do you find your peace in the midst of tough times?  Those who are living the “Salt Life” will automatically shine the light of Jesus on the world!

Are you up for the challenge of living a Salt Life?

Lord, the spirit is willing but the flesh is still so weak!! This sounds good on paper but… can I truly live this out in my life?? Only with YOUR help, courage and strength can I do this Lord! Thank you for giving me EVERYTHING I need for life and Godliness, to live out this Salt Life for You! Your hopefully salty daughter, Linda :)

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