Salt: Blood, sweat and faith

Dead Sea Salt
Photo by xta 11

Many think that the Bible is sweet, but it is actually quite salty.  References to salt are crucial within both the Old and the New Testaments.

The Hebrew Bible speaks of salt as a covenant between the Lord God of Israel and King David in II Chronicles 13:5.  Salt covenants between the Lord and the Israelites were also mentioned in Numbers 18:19 and Leviticus 2:13.  These were based upon the incorruptible nature of salt and have been integral to Jewish kosher laws.

Such Kashrut laws include the draining of all blood from a sacrificial animal, as well as its dehydration via salt.  Both practices help to ensure healthful preservation of the meat by deterring bacterial growth.  It took toil and sweat to harvest this salt from the Dead Sea and its cliffs.  The turning of Lot's wife into a pillar of salt in Genesis 19:26 is possibly linked to the human-type shapes within these salty cliffs.

When ancient cities were defeated, salt was poured upon their lands to symbolize desolation.  It was rubbed upon the skin of newborn babies as a healthful measure.  There were salt offerings in the temple, and salt seasonings in the homes.  Salt was considered to be an essential dietary element, a taste enhancer, a symbol of wisdom, and a currency.  It therefore became a key New Testament metaphor.

Matthew 5:13 famously refers to people of faith as "the salt of the earth."  Some say that sodium chloride is so stable that it is practically impossible to diminish.  The only way to diminish its strength might be to add unsavory elements.  Words to the wise could then sound like this: Be careful of the company that you keep! 

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_in_the_Bible#:~:text=Leviticus%202%3A13%20and%20Ezekiel,lacking%20from%20your%20grain%20offering.