“17 However, you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a fire offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 18 But their meat belongs to you. It belongs to you like the breast of the presentation offering and the right thigh.
19 I give to you and to your sons and daughters all the holy contributions that the Israelites present to the Lord as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt before the Lord for you as well as your offspring.
20 The Lord told Aaron, You will not have an inheritance in their land; there will be no portion among them for you. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.”
Numbers 18:17-20
—

There are certain phrases which have a deeper cultural meaning than we understand today. There are ideas and ideals that were commonplace for people groups 3000-6000 years ago that for whatever reason have been lost to those of us in Western culture today. One of those is the meaning of salt in life. For us today, salt is common, cheap and in most prepackaged foods, is already applied for us for flavoring. There are so many salted foods, that we almost wouldn’t know what to do if the manufacturers suddenly quit using it in their preparation processes.

But for the Israelites and many other ancient peoples, sharing salt was an intimate thing. If you were sharing salt with someone, that implied that hospitality was taking place, provision was being made and that that individual was someone welcome in you home. Sharing salt was a sign of friendship, and indicated a closeness that you wouldn’t show to just anyone.

So, this covenant of salt was a covenant that implied a closeness, it wasn’t just a business transaction, or a trade agreement. It wasn’t some cold, contractual closeness, brought on by the necessity of getting work done. We all have those connections, people we know but don’t really “know.” These are the people that we will probably never invite over to our house to share a meal, people that we don’t think of when we are sending out Christmas cards or invitations to family functions.

But this covenant of salt with God was a precious and special thing, and to emphasize this, God required that salt be a part of the offering between the people and Himself. Leviticus 2:13 – “You are to season each of your grain offerings with salt; you must not omit from your grain offering the salt of the covenant with your God. You are to present salt with each of your offerings.”

The ‘salt of the covenant’ indicated the closeness of the covenant, the intimacy of the two parties. To leave it out would be an insult, and would negate the offering. This shared closeness was a key to seeing this covenant relationship as being seen in that way, as a relationship. The salt was a reminder of the provision and hospitality of God. And again, the true value of hospitality has been lost in our culture today, and that is not to our benefit. It has made us quick, cold and distant. But if we would all add a little salt into our relationships, we might all be better off for it.

If we are going to GoLove others for the sake of Christ, we need to add a little salt into our presentations and into our language. We need to be hospitable, let people in, and allow there to be a closeness there beyond a simple presentation. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not the same thing as a business contract being explained between two parties. Rather, it is a deep reaching thing, protruding beyond what anything else can do, into the depths of our heart. And we cannot speak to the depths of the hearts of others if we are keeping them at an arm’s length. We must be open. We must allow contact to really happen so that lasting, positive impressions can be made. Be open, be genuine and allow people to sit with you at the table of your heart so you will be welcome at thiers.