In casting salt into the bitter spring, Elisha taught the same spiritual lesson imparted centuries later by the Saviour to His disciples when He declared, "Ye are the salt of the earth." Matthew 5:13. The salt mingling with the polluted spring purified its waters and brought life and blessing where before had been blighting and death. When God compares His children to salt, He would teach them that His purpose in making them the subjects of His grace is that they may become agents in saving others. The object of God in choosing a people before all the world was not 232 only that He might adopt them as His sons and daughters, but that through them the world might receive the grace that bringeth salvation. When the Lord chose Abraham, it was not simply to be the special friend of God, but to be a medium of the peculiar privileges the Lord desired to bestow upon the nations.

Da Elisa kastede saltet i den bitre kilde, gav han den samme åndelige undervisning, som Frelseren nogle århundreder senere meddelte sine disciple, idet han sagde til dem: "I er jordens salt." Matt. 5,13. Da saltet kom i berøring med den forurenede kilde, rensede det vandet og bragte liv og velsignelse, hvor der før var forbandelse og død. Gud sammenligner sine børn med salt for at lære dem, at hans hensigt med at gøre dem til sin nådes undersåtter er, at de skal hjælpe til med at frelse andre. Gud udvalgte ikke et ejendomsfolk blot for at tage dem til sig som sine sønner og døtre, men for at verden skulle modtage den frelsende nåde ved deres hjælp. Herren udvalgte heller ikke Abraham, blot for at han skulle være Guds særlige ven. Hensigten var, at han skulle formidle de særlige velsignelser, som Herren ønskede at skænke jordens befolkning.