Tithes Paid by the Ancients by William Covert

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 20, 1913

Tithes Paid by the Ancients

By William Covert

WILLIAM COVERT

ABOUT two thousand years before Christ was born, Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, an honored priest of the Lord. An account of this transaction is recorded in the fourteenth chapter of Genesis, and one who studies the narrative will conclude that tithe paying was a custom well understood and followed before this particular event occurred. The tithe which Abraham paid to Melchizedek was a tenth of the spoils that Abraham had recovered from some marauders who had invaded the country along the plains of Jordan, about Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot, the nephew of Abraham, dwelt.

This victory gained over the invaders of homes and disturbers of peace was of such importance to the cause of righteousness that ‘Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abraham of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand,’ Gen. 14: 18-20.

When Melchizedek, who had come to lead in the religious services of the occasion, had completed his work, Abraham gave him a tithe of all the goods that had been recovered from the enemy.

Then the king of Sodom, who was present, said that Abraham was by right entitled to all the goods he had returned; but Abraham, in answering the king, said, ‘I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abram rich.’ Gen. 14: 21-23.

Both Melchizedek and Abraham spoke of God as the owner of all that is in heaven and earth. Melchizedek spoke of it in his blessing upon Abraham, and Abraham reminded the king of Sodom of it when he paid the tithes to Melchizedek.

Abraham was handling the goods with conscience toward God. Since they had come into his possession, he wished to give them to the proper owners, so he paid the Lord his tithe. He knew this was the Lord’s share in all property. And as this property had fallen into Abraham’s hands untithed, he tithed it, and then returned the nine tenths to the original claimants.¹ And what they got back was in reality all that belonged to them, so Abraham had not taken a thread from them, for the tithe which he gave to Melchizedek was only the Lord’s part.

A Lesson for Us

The way that Abraham handled the recovered goods has a beautiful lesson for those who study it. The payment of the tithe to the Lord was a rebuke to the king of Sodom and his subjects for not having tithed their property themselves. This incident of ancient history shows that patriarchs and priests thought that people and kings should pay a tithe of their income to the Lord. And when they were made responsible for handling such estates, they tithed them. If their teachings and practises were right then, they are right now. Then should not all who get a support from the bounties of heaven pay a tithe to the Lord for the support of his cause?

The Antiquity of Tithing

The incidents recorded in this transaction lead to the conclusion that tithing was well understood and in common usage among God’s people even before the days of Abraham and Lot.

Here was Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God, who was king of Salem, and greater than Abraham, acting for the Lord, blessing the patriarch, and receiving the tithe of all the people at the hands of Abraham. Not a word is said at that time about the institution of the tithing system, but it is treated as a matter well understood and as a custom of long standing. Abraham was a man sent of the Lord to look after the interest of divine things in that country, and Melchizedek was God’s kingly priest, who came to assist and bless Abraham in his responsible work. And without doubt they handled the matter of tithing after the ancient custom of their people.

The genealogy of Melchizedek seems to have been purposely omitted from the Scripture that he might be as nearly as possible a type of Christ and Christ’s priesthood work, yet his character and work are well defined in the Sacred Writings. This great man, Melchizedek, was contemporary with Shem (some believe he was Shem), at least for a time, and Shem was contemporary with ten or more generations of his own offspring, including Abraham and Isaac; and with Noah, his father, four hundred fifty years; with Lamech, his grandfather, ninety-five years; and with his great-grandfather Methuselah ninety-eight years. See the genealogy in Gen. 5: 25-32 and 11: 10-32 and 12: 4, with Acts 7: 2-4.

These facts of contemporary association show of whom Abraham and Melchizedek had a chance to learn of God’s statutes and judgments. God said Abraham obeyed his voice and kept his commandments, his statutes, and his laws. Gen. 26: 5. This Melchizedek is like Christ in that he is both priest and king. His beginning and end, like Christ’s, are not known. Like Christ, Melchizedek is king of righteousness and also king of peace. According to Robert Young the meaning of the name is ‘My king is righteous.’

The conduct of Abraham and Melchizedek plainly shows that tithing was a custom practised by God’s people in very ancient times, probably from the days of Adam. Judging from the way the subject is treated by men of ancient times, it is reasonable to conclude that the teachings regarding it were handed down from Christ through Adam for mankind; and if so, then tithing has been in vogue ever since gospel work began, and is binding upon all men while gospel work is needed.

Deductions by Paul and Others

Referring to the fact that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, Paul shows that tithe paying belongs with the priesthood of Christ because Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. He says, ‘But he [Melchizedek] whose descent is not counted from them [Levitical brethren] received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he [Christ] liveth.’ Heb. 7: 6-8. The tithes were paid to Christ because the priest who received them stood as Christ’s representative, being in the same priestly order (Ps. 110: 4; Heb. 7: 21-28) as that to which Christ belongs.

Paul argues that Christians are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise which God made to Abraham (see Rom. 9: 8; Gal. 3: 26-29), and Christ says that the children of Abraham will do the works of Abraham. John 8: 39. Since the children of Abraham (Christians) will do the works of Abraham, they will be faithful in tithe paying as Abraham was faithful, and they will pay it where it belongs, as Abraham did. And when they do this faithfully, the cause of God will not be crippled for want of funds.