The Tithing System Is a Part of the Gospel Plan
By R. A. Underwood
FROM an article in the REVIEW of Sept. 10, 1889, on the subject of tithing, by Mrs. E. G. White, I quote these words:— “The tithing system did not originate with the Hebrews. From the earliest times the Lord claimed a tithe as his, and this claim was recognized and honored. Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedec, the priest of the most high God. Jacob, when at Bethel, an exile and wanderer, promised the Lord, ‘Of all that thou shalt give I will surely give the tenth unto thee.’ As the Israelites were about to be established as a nation, the law of tithing was reaffirmed as one of the divinely ordained statutes, upon obedience to which their prosperity depended.” Then follows the statement of the object of the tithing system in these words: “The system of tithes and offerings was intended to impress the minds of men with a great truth,—that God is the source of every blessing to his creatures, and that to him man’s gratitude is due for the good gifts of his providence. . . . “Thus the people were constantly reminded that God was the true Proprietor of their fields, their flocks, and their herds; that he sent them sunshine and rain for their seed-time and harvest, and that everything they possessed was of his creation, and he had made them stewards of his goods.” The gospel of Christ is that wonderfully far-reaching purpose of the Creator which is based upon principles as enduring as the plan for the creation and the continuance of the universe of God. In Heb. 5: 6 Christ is said to be “a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.” That order of priesthood existed from the fall of man till the introduction of the Levitical order of priesthood; and then, contemporaneously with the latter, and since the Levitical order ceased (at the cross), the Saviour has been a priest according to the Melchisedec order, ministering in behalf of mankind, and offering his own blood before the Father to make reconciliation for all who accept him as their substitute, regardless of the age when they lived on the earth. The tithing system was contemporaneous with the Melchisedec priesthood, prior to the Levitical priesthood (See Gen. 14: 16-20; 28: 11-22); it continued during the Levitical order of priesthood (Lev. 27: 28-33; Num. 18: 21); and will ever remain binding as long as the present order of Melchisedec priesthood exists. Heb. 5: 6; 7: 1-9; Matt. 23: 23; 1 Cor. 9: 11-14. Therefore, as the Melchisedec priesthood is contemporaneous with the gospel, and the tithing system is contemporaneous with the Melchisedec priesthood, the tithing system is contemporaneous with the gospel, founded upon moral principles, and is coexistent with the gospel, and inseparable from the gospel. Another consideration showing how ancient and general the custom of tithing was, is the fact that it was well known among the heathen. Cruden says: “The most barbarous nations, and the heathen Greeks and Romans, out of a principle of religion common to all men, have often dedicated their tithes to their gods. Some have made it a standing obligation: others have done it upon particular occasions, and by the impulse of a transient devotion. Laertius says that when Pisistratus, tyrant of Athens, wrote to Solon to persuade him to return to Athens, he tells him ‘that every one there pays the tithe of his goods for the offering of sacrifices to the gods.’—Laert., lib. 1. Pliny says that the Arabian merchants who traded in spices, durst not sell any till they had paid the tithe to their god Sabis. And Plutarch, in more places than one, mentions a custom of the Romans of offering to Hercules the tithe of what they took from their enemies.” It is evident that the heathen nations retained this much of the form of the gospel and the true worship of God, although their worship had been turned from the true God to false gods. Their devotion should be a standing rebuke to professed Christians who refuse to honor Christ in the payment of the tithe. We talk of the precious gift of Christ, the costly purchase he made for man, of our faith, of our hope of heaven, and yet, to the shame and confusion of many, the heathen will rise up in the judgment to condemn them. It is worthy of remark that new institutions, originating from Abraham’s time onward through the Bible history, have their origin plainly brought to view, the command requiring observance, and the circumstances and rites connected with them. For example, take circumcision. In Gen. 17: 10-14 the practise is commanded, and instruction is given as to who should receive the ordinance, the age when it was to be practised, its intent, and the consequences of not obeying God’s command. This was a new institution. So of the passover. In Exodus 12 we have all the particulars concerning it,—the command of God, how it should be celebrated, when and by whom, and its purpose. So of Pentecost (Lev. 23: 15-21), the ceremonial sabbaths (Lev. 23: 24, 39), etc. We find the same concerning the feast of unleavened bread (Ex. 12: 18), the feast of tabernacles (Lev. 23: 34), the feast of trumpets (Lev. 23: 24), the atonement. Leviticus 16. In the New Testament we find baptism commanded (Matt. 28: 19), the Lord’s supper (Matt. 26: 26-28), and the ordinance of humility. John 13: 4-17. Every one of these was plainly brought to view as a new institution, and commanded as such. But the origin of the tithing system reaches back to the beginning, when its necessity had been made by the fall of man, and the promise of hope was offered to a lost world.