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| Salt (Photo credit: AloneAlbatross) |
Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.
Leviticus 2:13
New International Version (NIV)
Thinking on the topic of salt I was wondering if the oceans were composed of saltwater at the time of Creation. The saline composition of the ocean and other saltwater bodies are due to the collection of minerals as the runoff of water passes over the land on its way to its final destination. Could it be that the oceans were originally bodies of freshwater until the rains came and leached the soil of the minerals that become salt?
Salt is one of the essential ingredients to the survival of humans and animals. Food flavor is enhanced greatly by the addition of salt. Throughout the centuries salt has been used for food preservation, medicinal applications, and many other uses. Salt was considered so valuable in earlier times that it was used as a medium for payment and barter. The Latin word for salt is where we get the English word salary.
God even called for a "Covenant of Salt" which was the addition of salt to the sacrifices. Salt has always been and remains one of the most important resources of humankind. Would you want to live in a world with no salt?
Food without salt lacks flavor and in some sense value. Medical experts have recognized certain harmful effects of too much salt in our diet and look for substitutes. This was probably not much of a problem in the past. There are other dietary issues at hand in today's society. Too much salt is one of those problematic issues. No matter how we look at it though, the body needs some salt.
And once again we see the use of metaphor in the Bible. When we come to the New Testament we find the value of saltiness applied to the followers of Jesus Christ. Salt has great value and the spokespeople for Christ should have that same value as salt.
“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 underfoot..."
Matthew 5:13
New International Version (NIV)
I don't think I would want to not have salt as part of my diet, though you are right, too much salt is not good for our bodies/diet either, except metaphorically the salt that Jesus talks about!
ReplyDeletebetty
I never thought about salt as being valuable--even to be used as a type of currency. But it shines a new light on "worth your salt" and "salt of the earth". Thanks, Arlee!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this Arlee .. the salt of the earth.
ReplyDeleteSalt was also the main ingredient (I think) for the alchemists of old.
Interesting question about whether the oceans were salt-free in the beginning.
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