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 perhaps God was reminding them it was also important for
them to keep their promises. Salt does more than raise our blood pressure and
flavor our food. In Israel’s case it was intended to reinforce their
commitments.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
Do you need to forget an
offense? Do you need to remember a promise? Ask God’s help to follow through
with a promise this week.
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