L2-5: The meaning of tasteless salt being good for nothing but to be trampled on by men

“You are to season every grain offering of yours with salt — do not omit from your grain offering the salt of the covenant with your God, but offer salt with all your offerings.”-Leviticus 2:13

In later sections of the Bible including the New Testament, we will often encounter salt being used as an illustration in either one of the following two ways:

To symbolize a permanent or sacred covenant.

or

As USED UP SALT which is no longer good for anything.

Biblically speaking, how exactly does salt get used up?

Well, massive amounts of salt were used at the Brazen Altar where large chunks of meat from the sacrificial animal were placed. 

Here’s the thing.

One of the practical uses of salt was that it was very effective as an absorbent.

In other words, salt was used like a super sponge at the Brazen Altar.

It was layered onto the chunks of sacrificial meat BEFORE they were placed on the altar to absorb any remaining blood.

Then the salt was shaken off onto the ground.

This procedure was also common when preparing meat for food.

The blood had to be completely drained from the animal into a container and then it was splashed onto the sides of the altar.

It was NEVER to be burned up along with the meat.

This actually goes back to one of the 7 Noachide Laws that prohibit eating blood.

Again, depending on the type of sacrifice that was offered up, the sacrificial meat could be eaten by either the priests, the worshippers or both.

In this era, there wasn’t a convenience store where one could go to pick up paper towels.

Instead salt was used to soak up the remaining blood from the meat. 

And, of course, given the tremendous number of sacrifices that were made daily, heaping amounts of salt were needed to soak up all the blood from the countless number of animal sacrifices.

After the blood was soaked up, the now “USED UP SALT” had to be disposed of.

What I’m about to share next sheds much light on one of Yeshua’s more famous sayings when He said that tasteless salt was “good for nothing but to be trampled on by the feet of men”.

See, after Israel entered the Promised Land of Canaan, they began living in cities and villages interconnected by many pathways and roadways.

What happened was that the blood-soaked salt, the salt no longer fit for use, was disposed onto these many intersecting paths and roadways.

This served two useful purposes.

First, it fulfilled the command that whatever blood was not splashed on the Brazen Altar for atonement was to be poured out like water on the ground.

Second, the blood-soaked salt poisoned the ground which effectively stopped any vegetation from growing on the many roads in Canaan, thus keeping the many pathways and roadways clear and fit for travel.

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

“You are salt for the Land.
But if salt becomes tasteless,
how can it be made salty again?
It is no longer good for anything
except being thrown out
for people to trample on.“
-Matthew 5:13