2290.—The Matter of Tithe.
When I owe debts and I do not make enough to pay them, how much tithe would I be in duty bound to pay? Should I pay a tithe on what I make or a tenth of what I clear?
A SUBSCRIBER. It is a tenth of the income, of what the individual makes; that is, if only the man himself is concerned. It is a tenth of what he receives. If he has others connected with him in the work, of course he pays them first. They are supposed to tithe what they receive. For instance, here is a man who owes a debt of $3,000. He conducts a farm from which he receives $2,000. He hires help to the extent of $500, and pays interest, $150. His own work is the $2,000 minus the $650. He deducts that $150 of interest as representing a part of the farm which he does not own, which the man who receives the interest should pay tithe upon. He deducts what he pays for labor, which the man who labors should pay tithe upon, and he pays tithe upon the rest. If he owes twice that amount, that does not affect the matter at all. The tithe is not his; it belongs to God; and one who will truly relate himself to God, who will truly become a steward for God, will find, as thousands have found, that the nine-tenths will go farther with God's blessing than the ten-tenths will without. The Lord will help a man who will truly be a steward for Him so to plan his debts and obligations and so to economize in time and means, that he will be better able to meet his obligations in paying tithes than in retaining them. The law of tithing is found in Leviticus, chapter 27. See also Mal. 3:10.