SALT

C. A. Coates

“And every offering of thine oblation shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thine oblation; with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt”. “The salt of the covenant of thy God” is an expression which arrests attention. It suggests that an offering can only be acceptable as being offered in true faithfulness of heart to the covenant relations in which divine grace has set us, and to which we have committed ourselves. I think “salt” is the preservative power of fidelity and purpose of heart to be true to the covenant. It includes self-judgment, but it involves also a faithful purpose to accept and adopt in our own hearts and lives that which is in accord with what we offer. It is that principle of faithfulness which shuts out the activities of the flesh, and brings in Christ in a practical way.

For example, if I offer to God in praise an apprehension and appreciation of Christ as the One who was ever about His Father’s business, the “salt” that must be with it to make it acceptable is the faithful purpose to be on the same line—to maintain dedication to the interests and pleasure of God. If my oblation is to praise God for the meekness and gentleness of Christ the “salt” would be that I am fully set to cultivate and exhibit a like spirit. This is the test of the reality of the offering, and it indicates whether one is faithfully committed to the covenant. In a word, it tests whether we really appreciate the Christ that we offer, and whether we prefer Him to ourselves. In many things we may come infinitely short of what we appreciate in Christ, but the “salt” is that we are set in purpose of heart to pursue moral conformity to Him.

(‘Outline of Leviticus’, p.28)