Salt and Light

~~~ Kings 17: 7-16 ~~~ Psalm 4 ~~~ Matt. 5: 13-16 ~~~

Salt and Light...two things very important and familiar to the early Christians.

Salt as we know is important even for us today. In Biblical times salt was used to create a covenant with another individual.

Salt is a preservative; so without the luxury of refrigeration meat was encased in salt to keep it from spoiling. Salt is necessary for our body to function properly. Without salt your body suffers grave consequences.

Salt is as important as water for the human body.

Back to the covenant of salt used in the Bible. A Biblical salt covenant was unbreakable with the penalty being death.

In Pauls letter to the Colossians he say, "Let you speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you should respond to each other."

The words we speak to one another when seasoned with salt will be words of kindness

...words used to preserve the relationship between you and the other person.

Honoring a salt covenant implies being honest and trustworthy.

You would not blindlessly or carelessly enter into a salt covenant.

If for some reason a salt covenant is to be dissolved then it would no longer be

useful for either participant. A broken trust would break the covenant. Later of course through reconcilliation another convenant could be agreed upon.

Immediately following this example of the salt covenant Jesus speaks of light.

Back in thise days it got really dark once the sun set. They did not have the modern conveniences we have today...electricity. Fire provided their source of light either on a torch or in the form of an oil lamp.

On occasion when our power has been out I have experimented with lifting the candle or the flashlight up higher as opposed to waist level. What I discovered is that when to light is lifted higher it casts light on a wider area.

So it makes sense that the oil lamp would be placed on a lampstand.

The lampstand would also serve as place of safety for the fire.

Naturally it is difficult to hide an open flame especially under a basket.

Perhaps Jesus is saying you cannot hide what I have given you. Plus you should not want to hide your gifts. Instead let your light shine for all to see just as your words are seasoned with salt. You light must illuminate the path as you journey with your sisters and brothers.

Whatever gifts God has given you must be taken out and used not kept hidden under a basket. For even under a basket tiny bits of light will still escape. Light is powerful.

Even the smallest source of light pierces the darkness.

No matter what you may think about your gifts when we join our gifts together for one cause the combined light created will shine like a beacon into the darkness.

Jesus is the Light of the World he came to dispel all darkness.

We needed him to bring us his light otherwise we would still be stumbling in the darkness. Even today, we have those who do not want to see the light and keep themselves closed off in the darkness.

Just as the widows flour and jar of oil was replenished;

our light souce will never run out of fuel. We only have to return to him often

and our light will be made bright once again.

Keep the flame burning!