“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
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:
“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
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):
...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…
…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:
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 :)
References:
