Pay Thy Debt and Live

There’s an interesting story in 2 Kings 4 about a woman who was left with the debts of her late husband.  President Benson recounted the story and its meaning this way, “In the book of Kings we read about a woman who came weeping to Elisha, the prophet. Her husband had died, and she owed a debt that she could not pay. The creditor was on his way to take her two sons and sell them as slaves.  By a miracle Elisha enabled her to acquire a goodly supply of oil. Then he said to her: ‘Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.’ (See 2 Kgs. 4:1–7.) ‘Pay thy debt, and live.’  How fruitful these words have ever been! What wise counsel they are for us today!” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, ch. 21)  The story shows both the power of God to deliver us from our trials, but it also illustrates how the Lord views debt: a type of bondage that prevents us from really living.  The world would teach us to go into debt in order to live a good life with all its conveniences; the Lord on the other hand wants us to be free from debt so we can live without being “servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). 

It would appear from the scriptures and teachings of the prophets that the problem of debt is one that is more prevalent in our day and dispensation than in times past.  While the ancient scriptures do speak of debt to some extent as in this story of Elisha and the woman, it is the Doctrine and Covenants that really focuses on principles related to debt.  To Martin Harris who had gone into debt in order to help with the printing of the Book of Mormon, the Lord said, “Pay the debt thou hast contracted with the printer. Release thyself from bondage” (D&C 19:35).  The Lord told Joseph, “And again, verily I say unto you, concerning your debts—behold it is my will that you shall pay all your debts” (D&C 104:78).  As they were in Missouri the Lord commanded the Saints to build a house in Far West, but they were given this counsel as well: “Verily I say unto you, let not my servant Joseph, neither my servant Sidney, neither my servant Hyrum, get in debt any more for the building of a house unto my name” (D&C 115:13).  From these modern day verses we learn that to the Lord debt is a bondage, and we must feel obligated to pay our debts and avoid it as much as possible in the first place.   

When Joseph went into hiding in Nauvoo in 1842 because of the enemies who were pursuing him, he wrote epistles to the Saints.  In one of these he said this, “I would say to all those with whom I have business, that I have left my affairs with agents and clerks who will transact all business in a prompt and proper manner, and will see that all my debts are canceled in due time, by turning out property, or otherwise, as the case may require, or as the circumstances may admit of” (D&C 127:1).  Joseph, who of necessity had much debt all throughout his life because of his efforts to build the church, was concerned enough about his debts that he wrote about them while facing great danger from his enemies.  On another earlier occasion as they were trying to build the Kirtland Temple despite the Saints’ terrible poverty he wrote this, “My heart is full of desire today, to be blessed of the God of Abraham with prosperity, until I shall be able to pay all my debts, for it is the delight of my soul to be honest” (History of the Church, 2:281. See here).  To Joseph paying our debts was about being honest before God and men, and to be truly free we must rid ourselves of debt completely.  The ease with which debt can be contracted in our day should make us ever more vigilant to avoid as much as possible this temporal kind of bondage and truly “live” as Elisha counseled.