What is the meaning of Leviticus 2:13? And you shall season each of your grain offerings with salt • Every grain offering—whether raw flour, baked bread, or crushed kernels (Leviticus 2:1–10)—was to be literally sprinkled with salt before it touched the altar. • Salt gives flavor and preserves; God required that what was offered to Him should be both pleasing and enduring. Compare this with Numbers 18:11-12, where the priests’ portions were described as “most holy”—God wants what is offered to be of the highest quality. • Salt prevents corruption. In Matthew 5:13 Jesus tells disciples, “You are the salt of the earth,” linking the Old Testament picture to our call to resist moral decay. • The seasoning command also protected Israel’s worship from becoming bland routine. Mark 9:49-50 points ahead: “Everyone will be salted with fire… Have salt in yourselves.” The Lord still expects a distinctive, preserving quality in what His people bring. You must not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offering • “Covenant of salt” signals permanence. Numbers 18:19 calls the priestly provision “a covenant of salt forever before the LORD,” and 2 Chronicles 13:5 says God gave the kingship of Israel to David “by a covenant of salt.” Salt’s durability—once dissolved it is still present—mirrors God’s unbreakable promises. • By insisting that salt never be omitted, the Lord tied every act of worship to His faithful covenant. Israel’s sacrifice wasn’t a bribe or a mere ritual; it was participation in an enduring relationship. • For believers today, every act of service rests on the New Covenant sealed by Christ’s blood (Hebrews 9:15). Our offerings—time, gifts, praise—must consciously acknowledge His steadfast grace, just as ancient Israel remembered the salt covenant at every altar. you are to add salt to each of your offerings • The rule covered “each” offering, not just grain. Whether burnt, peace, or sin offerings (Leviticus 1–6), salt reminded worshipers that every approach to God depends on His everlasting covenant. • Practical outcome for New Testament saints: – Romans 12:1 urges us to present our bodies “as a living sacrifice.” Our daily living must carry the “salt” of covenant faithfulness. – Colossians 4:6: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt,” reflecting the same principle of purity and preservation. – 1 Peter 2:5 calls believers “a holy priesthood” bringing spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God; the pervasive use of salt in Leviticus teaches that all we bring should be marked by integrity, endurance, and the savor of holiness. summary Leviticus 2:13 commands literal salt on every grain offering, portraying three intertwined truths: offerings must be pleasing and uncorrupted; they must recall God’s immutable “covenant of salt”; and the principle applies to every sacrifice, not just some. Today, Christ-followers honor the same God by ensuring all we present—lives, words, deeds—carries the preserving, flavorful mark of covenant loyalty, never left out, always added, so that our worship remains both savory and steadfast. |
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