SALT

SALT

Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

Salt was used for preserving food and flavoring it. Without salt meat would quickly go bad in the heat. Also, the table salt we use does not easily lose its flavor but the salt of Jesus time came from sources that weren’t always as pure as they needed to be for good flavor. Therefore, purity plays a part in this passage. If there is a lack of purity in us we may lose the ability to be of use in preserving others for eternity.

Think about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah from Genesis 18. The sin of these two cities and the surrounding area had become so great God decided to destroy them. Before carrying out His plan He told Abraham what He was about to do. Abraham carries on a conversation with God asking Him to show mercy for the sake of those who are righteous. He starts off asking God to spare the cities if He finds 50 righteous people, then 45, 40, 30, 20 and finally 10. Each time God agrees to spare the cities if He can find that many righteous people.

The Lord sends His angels to Sodom to check on the situation and while there they tell Lot to leave with his family. (I’m shortening this quite a bit. Please read Genesis 18:16-19:29 for the whole story.) Lot goes to talk to his daughters and their husbands. The wording of verse 14 leaves some question to how many daughters Lot had. Some translations suggest he spoke to the fianc’es of the two daughters he took with him. Others seem to suggest that he had other daughters who were already married. If the latter were true then in the city of Sodom was Lot, his wife, two daughters at home, at least two daughters married with their spouses. That is only 8, but the sons-in-law were not righteous either. The young men thought him a fool. So four people fled the city. Later in scripture Lot is described as a man who vexed his righteous soul. Nothing is said of the spiritual status of his daughters and wife.

Genesis 19:24 Then the LORD rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah.

For a lack of 9 righteous people that area was destroyed completely. When you think your sinful actions don’t hurt anyone remember this story. Remember that your purity does make a difference because it preserves.

Father in heaven, remind us of the importance of being salt in this earth, good salt, flavorful, preserving, pure salt. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!