COVENANT OF SALT (1)

“...the Lord God of Israel gave the DOMINION over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a COVENANT of SALT?” – 2 Chronicles 13:5b

Following the Davidic Order, Believers in Christ can manifest Dominion and Impact by a COVENANT of SALT: “Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the DOMINION over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a COVENANT of SALT?” (2 Chr.13:5). Covenant was a central concept in Judaism. In particular, this covenant of salt was a promise from God to give David and his descendants the kingship of Israel forever. It was so called because salt was used in the sacrifices and agreements to make them legally binding. Salt is a preservative, so it symbolizes the permanence of a covenant. In ancient times, ingesting salt was a way to make an agreement legally binding; hence, people would eat salt together in the presence of witnesses to make legally binding agreements.

The phrase "covenant of salt" most likely infers that the covenant is "a perpetual covenant, because of the use of salt as a preservative." Salt has been used in many cultures as a valuable commodity. In fact, the word salary comes from an ancient word meaning “salt-money,” referring to a Roman soldier’s allowance for the purchase of salt. Someone who earns his pay is still said to be “worth his salt.” Salt has also been used to express promises and friendship between people. In contemporary Arab cultures, if two men partake of salt together, they are sworn to protect one another – even if they had previously been enemies.

King Abijah’s speech in our meditation verse refers to God’s strong, legally binding promise to give Israel to David and his sons forever. The Mosaic Law required salt to be used in grain offerings and other sacrifices, and that the “salt of the covenant” must be in all (Lev.2:13). Since the Levitical priests did not have land of their own, God promised to provide for them through the people’s sacrifices, and He called this promise of provision a “salt covenant” (Num.18:19). Salt always served preservative purposes, and God possibly instructed its use so that the meat would last longer, taste better, with added value to the priests who depended upon it for their daily food.

To the people of Jesus’ day, the notion of a salt covenant carried a great deal of meaning because of the value of salt as a precious commodity. So, when He called His disciples “the salt of the earth,” He meant that believers have value in this world to manifest God-glorifying impact (Mt.5:13). The salt covenant is not explicitly defined in the Bible, but it can be inferred from the understanding of salt’s value and the contexts in which a salt covenant is mentioned that it relates much to the keeping of promises and God’s good will toward man. In Christ, the Covenant of Salt signifies the permanence of our Prevailing Dominion and God-glorifying Impact!