Covenant of Salt

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I'm posting my prayer journal from this morning. I was reading Leviticus when a term popped out at me and I stopped to talk to God about it. I hope it makes sense to you and that you enjoy it.

November 21, 2011

Lord, I am standing amazed at the term ‘covenant of salt’ that I read in Leviticus this morning and all that this means in connection with what you told us in the Sermon on the Mount…’you are the salt of the earth.’ Would you please expound on it for me? Thanks! J I love you, Lord.
 
I see Jesus with a salt shaker, he has rubbed salt in his hands and is rubbing it between his fingers. I am pondering if it going into his skin.

Show me your word, Lord.

You are made up of a lot of salt and water child.

Yes, Lord.

When you sweat, what remains?

Salt on my skin. It comes through my pours.

Yes, after you have toiled and the sweat evaporates, the salt remains. Adam was put under the curse, to work by the sweat of his brow. And in all of his toiling, he sweat to produce his crop year after year. But when the water had evaporated, my salt remained. You see, after the striving of man has ceased, my covenant of salt, my everlasting covenant remains on their brow. When it is all said and done, I still remain. My love, my word, my hope of salvation still remains. It covers you. It remains.

That’s beautiful, Lord!

 

Even in the midst of the curse, I was speaking, showing that my everlasting love is at the base of all things. Even by allowing man to work, I was showing him his need of my love and support. There was a hidden message in that curse, in the sweat on his brow. It is when you are done striving that you find the salt of everlasting covenant upon you.

 

But, I though we never should have sweat? I mean, if Adam wasn’t called to sweat, how would he have found the salt?

He would have known the salt between us in the garden, walking and talking with me in the cool of the day, having fellowship with me, breaking bread with me. This is the truest from of salt between brethren as you have read. Eternal friendship is made in the garden, in the cool of the day, breaking bread at your table, friend to friend, heart to heart, hand to hand. This is the everlasting covenant I made with you in the garden. Adam knew it and had no reason to doubt it. In essence, he had not need of ‘salt’ or ‘proof’ of the covenant because his mind was pure and he understood, in his untainted state, that my word was certain, our friendship was sure…as sure as the sun rise and the mountains peak. It was certain in his heart because he had no stain of sin upon his mind’s eye. He didn’t doubt. Do you see this?

Yes, Lord. So he needed no proof.

It is when man fell that he needed the reminder of my everlasting covenant with him. You see?

Yes, Lord. I do. This is good stuff!

Indeed it is, child! I have loved you with an everlasting love. How often you forget this in your striving. But at the base of it all, at the center of it all, yes above it all - is my everlasting love for you and with you in the covenant of my blood. Do you believe blood is made of salt?

If you say so, Lord!

Look into it, child. You will be amazed. At the center of my blood covenant is my salt covenant. It is mingled together with you. Everlasting friendship with everlasting love; everlasting redemption from eternity to eternity all founded on my principle that I will never leave you nor forsake you; friendship at its truest form. Salt between brothers.

Okay, Lord. Expound to me about being the salt of the earth, then. I know there is hidden meaning there in light of this that I’ve never considered.

(Once again I see Jesus with the salt in his hand. He is standing on the mountain of the sermon and letting the salt drop gently and the wind is catching it and blowing it to the earth. Jesus laughs.)

You are the salt of the earth. If the salt loses its saltiness, it cannot be made salty again. It’s profitable for nothing. If you lose your love, what good are you to the earth? If you lose your witness, as you’ve studied, what good are you to the lost? I have placed in you my covenant of salt. Between us is everlasting friendship. The world is not aware of this (everlasting friendship offered). For they have not ceased from their striving. They have not entered into the rest that teaches them to simply receive my salt, like you have in the garden of my grace, the garden of my Son. (Father, I hear your voice break in)

Yes, child! I am here always speaking. I have placed in you my salt of the covenant. You need no reminder as long as your heart stays focused in your hammock J of rest. Those who have entered into that rest have ceased from their striving. The picture here is that you have found the salt on your brow (as a better deal than work!) and do not pick up your tools of work and hard labor again. You enter the rest of the Lord. The world has not nor can it cease from their work without a witness given. Yes, as you are thinking, sometimes that witness will come through angles, visions, etc…but most often it is called to come through my salt shakers…my people! I want to sprinkle you out into the earth like you saw my son do in the wind. (Jesus talks again, in the same image) I will take you, and all my brothers and sisters, and spread them across the table of the earth, inviting those, enticing those who do not know me to come to the table. Food without salt is tasteless, worthless to the appetite’s palette. I do not expect people to be drawn to a boring, lifeless, tasteless message. Who would expect that? I am not a cruel God! I am an abundantly loving God! I want people to be drawn by LOVE! By enticing aroma of sacrificial offerings, praise, thanksgiving…all of the things that you are called to do to make me known in the earth. There is nothing worse for the table spread than a Christian who does not know my love, my pleasure, oh, my good pleasure in their life. It is like a salt shaker who does not know what’s inside and who cannot offer the enticing flavor of the good news of me. (I see an image of an unhappy believer, as a salt shaker who may occasionally ‘shake salt out’ but it is tasteless and without true witness because the believer themselves does not KNOW the REAL salt covenant. You can only offer what you know…what you have.) I want to draw people in by spreading your works, your life, you joy filled life out for the world to see. A message of turning from sin to God is just that …a message…unless SALT is added to the meal. Then, there is an enticing pull to come and dine. Yes, I showed it (the enticing salt) on the earth through signs, wonders, miracles, and healings…but above all, I showed it through genuine love. The sign of the covenant is love. They will know you are my followers by your love for one another. Love and unity…the key to the covenant of salt. Do you see this?

 Yes Lord.

 Salt is a united effort, a binding effort. It is a sign of binding and uniting. It joins two parties and makes them one. This is what friendship is. This is why I have a covenant of salt with you. You are my friends because you obey my words. You have taken the salt of my covenant to heart and gladly follow after me, trusting me. Isn’t this friendship at its purest?

Yes, Lord. What else can you tell me about this covenant of salt?

Remember my blood. Remember my everlasting covenant with you started first with salt (the implication is that the salt covenant started in the garden). Friendship and desire for you caused me to spill the greater covenant of blood for you. From everlasting to everlasting, I am God….and from everlasting to everlasting my love has cried out for you. In spilling my blood, I made the way for you to feast at the table with me in the covenant of salt…every day. You see, my blood being spilled out was not just for forgiveness…

It was for friendship! Fellowship with you!

Yes! This is why John said in his letter that if we have confessed our sins, the truth of God is in us and we have fellowship with one another! Fellowship is born out of forgiveness…although many believers do not enter into this. They do not know that they are salt. They say they do, but they cannot know SALT apart from the table of fellowship.

I see an image of God the Father at the table and I am the salt shaker. Explain again…how there can be salt between us (I am AT your table) and I am salt to the world, ( I am ON your table)…

This is the image of you being in the place, willing not only to be served…but to serve…to give your life as a ‘ransom’ for many…you follow Christ’s example and give your life so that many can be saved. Those who feast at my table, understanding the salt between us, will be compelled by love to turn and pour their life out for others.

Beautiful, Lord.

You are both broken and spilled out. You are blessed, broken, and given…all as the songs say. You have both covenant with me…where I poured out my life for you and serve you in friendship and love….and you are my expression of covenant with others on the earth….where you leave my table and get poured out on the food, the offering, the sacrifice of my word, my plan….inviting others to come and dine. You are both the dinner bell and the offering at times! Don’t worry, though….you know it all points to my Son.

Yes, Lord J. There is so much here. Much still to ponder. I will stop now and reread it. Thank you, Lord for showing me things at your table this morning. Thank you for showing me your heart. I love friendship with you.

It’s what you were made for, child…from WAY back in the garden. Remember, there is salt between us. You can take me at my word and never doubt that I will run into battle with you, for you, and carry you along the way. I will bring the picnic basket straight to the door of your heart and knock daily, if you will but answer and come and dine. This is truest friendship! Truest covenant.

Thank you, Lord. I love you.

And I love you, child Forever and ever.