Don't Lose Your Saltiness! (Leviticus 2)

In the past 5 months, I've had to cut a lot of salt from my daily intake due to my problems with high blood pressure. My doctor insisted that I lower my salt intake so I've made changes to the items I buy at the grocery store and how I cook at home. I enjoy cooking anyway, so I'm having fun cooking with fresh ingredients including fresh vegetables.

Today in Leviticus chapter 2, I was reminded about the goodness of salt in a Christian's life. Yes, salt can be good in our lives as disciples of Jesus! Don't lose your saltiness while you walk the path God has called you to in this life.

"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 NIV

As disciples of Jesus, we are the salt of this earth. What does this mean?

Well, let's look at 4 characteristics of salt and then apply those to our lives as disciples of Jesus.

4 Characteristics of Salt and What These Mean to Our Christian Life

1. Salt can melt ice.
2. Salt makes you thirsty.
3. Salt preserves food.
4. Salt is pure.

In Leviticus chapter 2, God instructed that salt was to be included with the grain offering that was brought as a sacrifice to the tabernacle altar. The grain offering points to Jesus, the Bread of Life (John 6:32). The fact that salt had to be included with the grain offering points to the pure life of Jesus Christ. When I walk in fellowship with Jesus, feasting on His Word, learning and growing from the pure life that He lived while He walked this earth, I add spiritual saltiness to my life that is needed to reach others for Christ.

When we walk in close fellowship with Jesus by reading daily in His Word and by communing with Him in prayer, we become salty to a world that is rotting with sin. We can help lead others to the Bread of Life so they can preserve their life with the eternal life available through the shed blood of Jesus.

When we love as Jesus loved, our saltiness melts harden hearts that become receptive to the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When we let our saltiness guide the way we live our lives, we make others thirsty for the joy and freedom in Christ that we experience.

Another ingredient that was required to be poured on or mixed in with the grain offering was oil which was a picture of the Holy Spirit. Friends, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us as disciples of Jesus. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to live set apart from the world, living the salty lives that Jesus calls us to live in Matthew 5:13.

Don't lose your saltiness, friends! Keep yourself in the Word, our daily bread from Jesus. Keep yourself in fellowship with God through prayer and pray His Word back to Him for the needs in your life. Pray that the saltiness of your life will create a hunger and a thirst in the lives of those around you who have yet to call on the name of Jesus for forgiveness of their sins. This is the prayer of my life and I hope it is your prayer as well, sweet friend!



I'm Blogging through the Bible with the Good Morning Girls. You can find all my posts in this series listed under the Blogging Through the Bible tab at the top of this page.

We are in the book of Leviticus for the next six weeks. I hope you'll join us as we learn to be set apart for God. Feel free to share in the comments below what you are learning from our time in Leviticus!

Here is my SOAK for today:

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Scripture: Leviticus 2

Observations: Chapter 2 details the grain offering, the 2nd of the 5 sacrifices that the Israelites could take to the tabernacle altar in Leviticus. It was not presented alone, but with one of the sacrifices that involved the shedding of blood.

The grain offering could be presented in one of these 5 forms: fine flour, oven baked cakes, cakes baked in a pan, cakes baked on a griddle, or roasted heads of new grain that were crushed. Only a portion of this grain offering was used by the officiating priest. This portion was consumed in the fire, and the rest of the grain offering went to the priests to be eaten by them.

The incense used in the burning of the memorial portion of the grain offering was frankincense. The frankincense represented prayer (Ps. 141:2; Rev. 5:8) and is a reminder of the petition in the Lord’s Prayer, “give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). 
 
The flour represents his perfect character in word and in the way He lived his life. Leaven was associated with sin and therefore could not be included in the grain offering because Jesus was without sin. The oil that had to be poured on or mixed with the grain offering represents the Holy Spirit. The salt that had to be included speaks of the purity of our Lord’s character. Jesus compares Himself to a grain of wheat in John 12:23-25. We know also how He was crushed and suffered on the cross as He gave His perfect live in sacrifice so that He could save us from our sins.

Application: The grain offering points to the life of Jesus. The fact that the grain offering had to be presented along with one of the other sacrifices that involved the shedding of blood reminds us that our hard work will never be able to purchase us our salvation or earn us the blessing of God, for as Hebrews 9:22 states, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”.

Jesus is our Bread of Life (John 6:32)! He is the Perfect One who nourishes my soul as I worship Him and study His Word.

Kneel: Heavenly Father, I praise You and thank You for the precious life of Jesus. He who was without sin became sin on my behalf for the forgiveness of my sins – thank You, Jesus! Thank You for Your shed blood that covers me and allows me access to the throne of God. You were the perfect sacrifice, Jesus. You are the bread of my life. I love to feast on Your Word – it fills every need of my life. Help me to give time in Your Word priority in my life. In the life-changing name of Jesus I pray. Amen!


Walking in His Grace, 
Laurie