SALT IN GENESIS - The emblem of GOD'S PROMISE, PROVISION and PROTECTION.

SALT IN GENESIS

Revelation 22, 1-2: "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

The vision of the new heaven and the new earth in Revelation 22, with its 'river of the water of life' and the 'tree of life', promises a future restoration of the original 'Garden of Eden' state of perfection as described in Genesis 

GENESIS 2, 8-10:  And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

So what has this to do with salt? Well, after the 'fall', and after Noah and the 'flood', we come to the call of Abraham from Mesopotamia (along with his wife Sarah, and his nephew Lot) to Canaan and the 'Promised Land', it is revealing to consider the completeness of God's provision and promises there (including both actual salt, and its symbolic meaning in the developing incremental covenants). 
These applied not only to Abraham and the patriarchs (about 2500 BC); but also the returning children of Israel led by Moses after 500 years captivity in Egypt (about 1500 BC); the Davidic Kingdom of Israel (about 1000 BC); the restoration from exile in Babylonia (about 500 BC); and of course, the messianic days of Jesus Christ (about the year 'dot'!).

The 'Promised' or 'Holy' land of Canaan had 'natural' boundaries of water to the east and west. On the west side was of course the Mediterranean Sea, and it is worth observing the perfect planning of God in this strategic coast with its global hinterland at the intersection of 3 continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. But the eastern frontier was no less wonderful in its perfect provision. The Jordan Valley had to the north the fresh-water sea of Galilee, with its abundant fish and obedient fishermen. The Jordan river flowing from the sea of Galilee, the place of entry and of baptism. And then in the south, the SALT SEA, or Dead Sea. No fish, no life, no water flowing from it. Not only one of the worlds richest sources of commercial salt, but also on of the lowest places on earth (its shore is almost 1,500 ft. below sea level). Were it not for this natural deep basin, the waters would flow on out to the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea - and no salt!

The prophesy and vision of Ezekiel (from the time of exile) of the 'restored' temple emphasises the use of salt in temple sacrifice:

EZEKIEL 43, 23-24: "When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.And thou shalt offer them before the Lord, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering unto the Lord."

But when Ezekiel, in his vision, was led out of the temple, the river of life and its ending in salt marsh is explained as the border of the land of inheritance.

EZEKIEL 47, 1-13: Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.Thus saith the Lord God; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions.

 But, going back to Genesis, we find Abraham, his wife Sarah and his nephew Lot, with their servants and livestock, moving beyond Canaan into Egypt because of a famine. On their return to Canaan, Abraham and Lot's herdsmen were in dispute, so Abraham offered Lot his choice of where to settle, to the right or the left, and he would take the other. Lot chose the apparently fertile vale of Siddim south of the Salt or Dead Sea. Here was Sodom and Gomorrah and great wickedness. When Abraham received his covenant promises from God, the Lord announced the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In response to Abraham's plea, Lot and his wife and daughters were brought out before the destruction by fire and brimstone. But Lot's wife, 'looked back' and became a "pillar of salt".

GENESIS 19, 24-29: "Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord:And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt."

The "Pillar of Salt" became not only a 'boundary marker' between the land covenanted to the children of Abraham, and that of Lot's incestuous sons, the Ammonites and the Moabites, but also a memorial in salt to the covenant itself.   

THE COVENANT OF SALT - In the Beginning.

The sealing of an agreement (or a relationship) through a meal which involved the sharing of salt as the symbolic focus became established among the Israelite people in Old Testament times. It had a religious significance as inviolable, for it originated in the 'salt covenants' established between God and his chosen people.

In LEVITICUS 2,13, the specific commandment was given for offerings at the sanctuary -- "You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt." 

In NUMBERS 18,19, the covenant of salt was to confirm that specified parts of the food offerings were to be given to the Levites and priests of the children of Aaron in lieu of land inheritance: -- "All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the Lord I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. It is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord for you and for your offspring with you.” 

In 2 CHRONICLES 13, 5, the covenant of salt was to confirm God's promise of the kingdom of Israel to the line of David. -- "Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?"

The biblical symbolism of SALT is defined in contrast to YEAST.

In the first reference by Moses to the covenant of salt in Leviticus, it is made clear that SALT stands in contrast to YEAST in these commandments for worship. YEAST is of course a figure for sin and corruption, and remains so throughout the Bible. Unleavened (that is, without yeast) bread is the only sort that is permitted. In contrast, SALT is a figure throughout the Bible for blessing, purification and preservation.

LEVITICUS 2, 4-13.

4. And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.5 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.6 Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering. ...10 And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire.11 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the Lord, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire.12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour.13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the SALT OF THE COVENANT of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.