the Salt Of The Earth series
Seasoning
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by haRold Smith -->
a citizen of the Commonwealth (Ephesians 2:19) -->
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"...season every grain offering of yours with salt - do not omit from your grain offering
the salt of the covenant
with your Elohim, but offer salt with
ALL
your offerings." Leviticus 2:13
"For everyone will be salted with fire and
every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another." Mark 9:49-50
"Have you not perceived that the ones working out of the sacred place (Temple) are to eat from the sacred place and those
who serve at the altar of the sacred place,
get a portion of what is offered there? In the same way, Yeshua directed those proclaiming the Gospel should live out of the Gospel." 1Corinthians 9:13-14
The article Without to Within (click on highlighted words to view content))
focused on how the Temple has now been elevated by Spirit to be within those who embrace the Nature of Spirit by keeping the Words of YaHoVeH in the Life exampled by Yeshua. Today's
hirelings
that are employed at their local place of worship believe the verse from 1Corinthians above justifies their wages from "the flock" as a select few - elevating themselves to benefit themselves. But, read this verse again from the
Interlinear Version
(it is the straight translation without all the additions, assumptions and corruption to the words accumulated over time). Those serving from out of the sacred place (the Temple) that is now within should also be living out of the
offerings
placed before YaHoVeH as Yeshua directed.
Are YOU involved in the work of the ministry
proclaiming the scriptural Gospel of the Kingdom
through the embrace, the living of the Life of Yeshua so that everyone can see (not the traditional Christian
gospel of salvation
not found anywhere in scripture)? If you are, then you are also allowed to live out of the sacred place as a priest set apart to YaHoVeH and to partake of the offerings brought there by other members of Yeshua's Body. Yeshua never told anyone to
NOT
present offerings or tithes - just to do them according to the Nature of Spirit. In His elevated temple, since all those in His Kingdom come from a
Nation of Priests,
those receiving the offerings are also the presenters of the offering.
Romans 12:1
tells us that, just as
the temple itself has been elevated by Spirit, even so the
life we live
is now our elevated offering of worship. However, since
"the church"
has disassociated itself from the Hebraic underpinnings of the words of Yeshua and the epistles, dismissing them as not relevant any more, most of those claiming to follow the Messiah do not have a clue as to what the grain offering of
Leviticus 2:13
that Yeshua was referencing in Mark 9:49-50
above is all about. So, let's look at these words from the perspective of the Hebrew authors who wrote them out of a Hebraic mindset influenced by a Hebrew culture and see what they really wanted to convey.
The Hebrew word for "grain offering" is
minchah.
In secular use, it is often connected to the tribute a servant gives to a master or the gift from a vassal to a king. It's not always about grain
(Abel's offering is a minchah),
but it is always primarily about a gift offered in tribute to the one being served - the
"first fruits"
of life, the best that I have to offer to YaHoVeH. This is an offering that is performed daily, always following the daily burnt offering; but unlike the peace offering and the burnt offering it did not involve animal sacrifice. Furthermore, only a handful of the grain offering was actually burned. Most was given to the priests for food (thus Paul's comment of 1Corinthians 9:13-14 above). The most common spice used in biblical Israel was salt
(Hebrew melach),
there being hardly any food which was not seasoned with it. Salt served the additional function of symbolizing the making of a covenant
(2Chronicles 13:5).
Salt was very important in the ancient world, not only to flavor food, but was also of utmost importance in the ancient world as a preservative. In fact, it was so important that wars were fought over the control of salt production. Without refrigeration, there was simply no way to keep meat unless it was preserved with salt. So, salt became the great symbol of the prevention of decay. Salt retards corruption, both physically and spiritually which is why the
covenant with the Levites,
the priests set apart to YaHoVeH, was so important to retard any plague from consuming those coming near the
Presence of YaHoVeH
since Light and darkness cannot
occupy the same space
at the same time.
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...sunset on the Salt Sea
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It was from this Hebrew perspective of retarding corruption that Yeshua calls all of
His followers
"salt". Are you following Yeshua? Is your life retarding corruption? Are you living in such a way that your very existence prevents the decay of YaHoVeH's Words in the world? Yes, YaHoVeH's Words because
Yeshua's Words were not His,
but those of His Father's and YaHoVeH's Words are the
Source of LIFE.
That is the test of your saltiness. We all have the property essential to retard decay available to us through the indwelling of
YaHoVeH's Spirit,
but not all of us are using that property. His Spirit is given to bring to our
remembrance
His Words. Some of us are so polluted with elements of this world that our saltiness is lost in the confusion. Too many are still attempting to coexist with Babylon
(Hebrew Babel,
which means confusion), mixing the traditions of the world with their salt in the belief that salt cannot be compromised. People who heard Yeshua knew this phenomenon quite well, however. Living near the Salt Sea (what is inaccurately called the "Dead Sea"), they were in close proximity to one of the saltiest places on earth. But the salt from this Sea was useless in retarding corruption and decay. It was so polluted by other elements that it was unfit for use as a preservative - in spite of the fact that it was salty.
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"Blessed are the
pure
in heart for they shall see YaHoVeH." Matthew 5:8
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The religious hirelings tell us we can barter holiness for convenience, faithfulness for success, wisdom for sermons, sound doctrine for personal gain and our lives will still be acceptable
worship to YaHoVeH.
But, Yeshua says that if you are going to be the salt of the world, you will have to remain pure to
YaHoVeH's purposes.
That means doing as He instructs - not bringing our favorite agenda to the table. The real translation of the word used for "pure" in this verse is "clean." It comes from the Greek word
katharos,
meaning to "purge or cleanse.” The Hebrew word for "pure" is
barar
which carries this same meaning (as used in
Psalm 18:26
and its derivative, bar,
used in Psalm 19:8
to declare YaHoVeH's commandments, His Words, to be pure). Of course, what is cleansed is pure; thus, katharos is the same word Kiefer (the apostle Peter) uses in
1Peter 1:22
telling us HOW our lives are cleansed and made pure - by obedience to the Truth. That Truth is contained in
YaHoVeH's Words,
Who IS Truth (remember, Yeshua said He only spoke what
He was taught;
of His Father; Yeshua is
the Way
to the Truth Who Is the Source of Life). It is in the practice of the Words of Spirit that
makes us clean,
"bringing forth" the purity of Spirit through our lives into this earthly realm (what it means, scripturally to be
Born Again).
Interestingly, the only place where salt loses its saltiness is in the
crucible of fire.
Yeshua came to baptize with
ruach
ha
kodesh
(reading right to left is Hebrew for the holiness of spirit) AND WITH FIRE. It is the fire of life's tribulation that causes the impure to
separate
from the pure - not the other way around. Mixing motives for selfish gain, concerns for self-protection, preoccupation with selfish desires and moral "holidays" with the real salt only turns us into Salt Sea salt - salty, but useless in
YaHoVeH's Kingdom.
So, what does this have to do with us today? We are not living in the 15th century BCE - but notice this: the Septuagint (Greek OT) translates the Hebrew minchah with the Greek word
thysia
meaning "sacrifice". However,
minchah
is used only 5 times as "sacrifice" in the Original Writings while being used 164 times as "offering". Thysia is the same word that we are told Paul uses in
Romans 12:1
and Yeshua uses in
Mark 9:49-50.
But, as Hebrews, they would be using the Hebrew word minchah - offering, not sacrifice. Regardless of the language used, they both knew perfectly well the grain offering was a daily tribute to the sovereignty of YaHoVeH. Isn't that exactly what is suggested by the exhortation to present ourselves as a living sacrifice in Romans 12:1 - a living offering? It isn't once; it's every day. It isn't just some of my life; it is ALL I have. It isn't just plain vanilla; it's my best - salted with the covenant of YaHoVeH's Words. This is what it means TO BE a holy consecration. This is the sacred offering that we both present and receive out of His Temple, His Sacred Place now abiding within those whose lives conform to the example of Yeshua's life whose
standard
are the Words of His Father.
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...the sacred offering of firstfruit
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The grain offering was presented every morning and every evening in Israel at the beginning of the day's production and at the end. We might not physically take a handful of wheat to the temple altar today, but if we don't understand the meaning of the grain offering, we will neglect to perform its elevated representation every day in our interaction with those of His Kingdom - thereby denying YaHoVeH's sovereignty over our lives and ignoring Yeshua's specific commandment of
John 13:34-35.
When Yeshua spoke these words, it was not to a crowd or even to the multitude of believers following Him. These words were spoken to the twelve who had dedicated their lives to following His example of Life. How we care for the other Members of Yeshua's Body just as dedicated (not those of the world) is how the Body (His Temple) is
built
and is what it means to be an "acceptable and perfect" offering. This is how the world will perceive who His disciples are and then desire to join in His Body. Ah-h-h, and here you thought it was about
"morals"
and living "correctly according to the precepts of the church" (both of which are, essentially, the
constructs of men.
If you thought the offerings were abolished when Yeshua died at the cross - you missed the point. The offerings were expanded
by elevation
into the hearts of men -
not abolished.
That's the direction of the
restored covenant.
So, the next time you sit down with your toasted oatmeal, think about the grain offering. Present yourself into His Storehouse as grain dedicated to YaHoVeH, sharing with His priests - a tribute to His Lordship over you this one day. And then do it again tomorrow.
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Seasoning - a discussion
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"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:
JUST AS
I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
BY THIS
all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35
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the Salt of the Earth series
Part One - Salt of the Earth
Part Two - Seasoning
Part Three - the Tithe
Part Four - Faith or Fear?
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???Questions???
Please feel free to email me at harold@hethathasanear.com.
While not claiming to have all
the answers, it would be an honor to partake with you of what Spirit is uncovering.
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