Day 30: Leviticus 1, 2 and 3

Season all your grain offerings with salt. (Leviticus 2:13)

The inclusion of salt in grain offerings was probably linked to salt’s preservative properties. In the absence of their Egyptian Frigidaires, the traveling Israelites preserved their food supplies with salt. Salt in the grain offering signified the lasting nature of the covenant between Israel and Yahweh.

One of the attributes of humans is that we have long memories when someone offends us and short memories when we make a promise. As the years pass our firm commitments lose their significance and seemingly don’t hold as much weight as they once did.

By adding salt to their offerings, the people of Israel were reminding themselves that they could trust God to keep his promises. These laws were traditionally enacted at Sinai where Israel camped the first year after leaving Egypt. Seventy years later, in his farewell address Joshua reminds the nation that God has been faithful from the time of the exodus right up to when each family received their promised inheritance in Canaan. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled (Joshua 23:14).

And maybe God was reminding them that their promises were meant to be kept as well. Salt does more than raise our blood pressure and season our food. In Israel’s case it was intended to reinforce their commitments.

What promise will you keep this week?