Many people are familiar with the story of Elisha when he and his servant found themselves surrounded by the Syrian army. His servant feared that they would be killed, but Elisha seemed confident. The man of God offered a famous and profound statement: "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." (2 Kings 6:16)
Elisha then prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant. The servant then beheld the mountain filled with horses and chariots of fire protecting Elisha. Elisha prayed that blindness would be put upon the Syrians, and then led them into the land of Israel where they were forced to surrender.
The next part of the story is not as well known. Ben-hadad, the king of Syria gathered his armies and laid siege to Samaria. The Bible indicates that this caused a severe famine in the land. It got so bad that a donkey head was sold for 80 pieces of silver and a portion of dove droppings were sold for 5 pieces of silver... as food. (2 Kings 6:25) When the king of Samaria found that his subjects were resorting to cannibalism, he rent his clothes and swore that he would have the head of Elisha for causing this famine. (2 Kings 6:31)
The king's guards rushed to capture Elisha and, blaming God, one of them declared "...this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?" (2 Kings 6:33)
Elisha prophesied that the following day, food would be so plentiful that a measure of fine flour would be sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for the same. (2 Kings 7:1) This was such a radical change in value from circumstances that sold donkey heads and bird droppings that it was too much for some of them to accept.
One of the king's trusted advisers said "Behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might this thing be?" (2 Kings 7:2) Elisha reprimanded him because of his lack of faith as he told him that he would see it with his own eyes, but he would not eat.
That night, four lepers determined that their fate was not much different if they went to the Syrians as it was if they stayed in Samaria. When they left the city, they found that the Syrians had left in such a rush that they had abandoned all their supplies including their food. The lepers ate and gathered treasure, until finally they decided they should let the city know the siege was over.
Naturally the abundance of supplies immediately drove down the prices of food, just as Elisha the prophet had predicted. The king's advisor that had doubted Elisha saw the prices before the hoards of hungry trampled him to death and he could obtain it to eat.
The economic principles of supply and demand changing the value of commodities is not a difficult concept to understand for societies that embrace any principles of the free market. Determining the value of something even in modern society, or anticipating values, are not always as easy.
Not long ago, I read of a man that was referred to as an idiot for selling a safe he could not open on eBay for $123. The buyer was able to open the safe and found $26,000 inside. If only he had been able to correctly perceive the value of what he had before he unloaded it on eBay to make some quick money...
A person that can correctly interpret or predict the value of items has a great advantage in business. This is so much the case that trading stocks when in possession of insider information has been criminalized, which is why Martha Stewart served time in prison.
I submit that not all insider information is bad however.
What if there was someone who perfectly knew everything that had ever happened, all that would happen in the future, and everything that is currently happening? What if it was possible to know what that person valued? Likely, having this kind of information, what this person valued would be something that remained valuable in spite of supply or demand fluctuations, or the perceptions of others.
There is such a person. We call him our God. His most precious possessions are not stocks, safes, or commodities; he values the race of men. He values humanity.
For someone who could raise the dead, heal the blind, make the deaf hear, and make the lame walk almost instantaneously, he invested a substantial amount of time and effort just in making things ready for men. He divided his creative work into days where he made the light, dark, sky, sea, plants, animals, the sun, and the moon. After all other things were created, then he said "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Genesis 1:26-27) God loved them. God blessed them. Not idly did he command that we should love our neighbors as we do ourselves. (Matthew 22:39)
The atheist or the faithless might contradict this claim by saying that if God truly loved mankind, then why is it that people suffer so. Why is it that good people struggle to find work, or are forced to endure sickness and infirmity? Why is it that people who are abusive or hurtful seem to prosper in many cases? If God did care, has he not abandoned us?
To these claims I would respond that God has not abandoned men. He has sent you to care for them. He believes that you will love your neighbor as yourself. He believes that you will lift up the hands that hang down. He believes that you will strengthen the feeble knees.
Those that have been baptized may not make an oral promise, but a promise is made nonetheless. We learn from the pages of the Book of Mormon that this means a commitment not only to obey the commandments of God but to "... bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things..." (Mosiah 18:8-9)
Brethren who have received the priesthood in so doing swear to God that they will see that there is no lying, evil speaking, or back biting. They swear that they will invite people to pray vocally and in secret. The swear that they will watch over the church. As appropriate, they call down the powers of God himself to give strength, comfort, power, and even to heal the sick.
It is not always easy to be Christian. There are times when any of us become burdened with difficult circumstances, or when pride prevents us from loving our neighbors as God does. When such times come, let us try to remember God's investment.
Everything he does is to help mankind. He spends every waking minute listening to our prayers and sending people to help each other... every waking minute... and he never sleeps. He commands his church to help people among every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. He is calling priests in every unit of his kingdom. The worth of souls is great in the sight of God. (D&C 18:10)
Do not be as the idiot who sold his safe and missed the true value. Do not doubt God as the advisor to the King of Samaria who missed out on the reward because he refused to believe. Finally, do not forget the words of Elisha the prophet during times when it is difficult to help others... "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."
Christ, who is the ultimate investment that God has made in us, is coming again. And when he does, he will surely save us all.
