Salt

Salt served ancient purposes of both preserving food and sealing agreements, which is why 'a covenant of salt' became shorthand for an enduring, unbreakable bond between God and his people. Jesus calls his disciples 'the salt of the earth,' calling them to a preserving, purifying influence in a decaying world - and warning that salt which loses its saltiness is good for nothing but to be trampled underfoot. Elisha also used salt to heal a poisoned spring at Jericho, a small but vivid sign that God's power can purify even a source of death. Together these images make salt a symbol of enduring covenant faithfulness and a transforming presence in the world.