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Counsels on Stewardship
God’s Reserves of Time and Means
The very same language is used concerning the Sabbath as in the
law of the tithe: “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy
God.” Man has no right nor power to substitute the first day for the
seventh. He may pretend to do this; “nevertheless the foundation
of God standeth sure.” The customs and teachings of men will not
lessen the claims of the divine law. God has sanctified the seventh
day. That specified portion of time, set apart by God Himself for
religious worship, continues as sacred today as when first hallowed by
our Creator.
In like manner a tithe of our income is “holy unto the Lord.” The
New Testament does not reenact the law of the tithe, as it does not
that of the Sabbath; for the validity of both is assumed, and their
deep spiritual import explained.... While we as a people are seeking
faithfully to give to God the time which He has reserved as His own,
shall we not also render to Him that portion of our means which He
claims?—
The Review and Herald, May 16, 1882
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Possessions as Well as Income to Be Tithed
As did Abraham, they are to pay tithe of all they possess and all
they receive. A faithful tithe is the Lord’s portion. To withhold it is
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to rob God. Every man should freely and willingly and gladly bring
tithes and offerings into the storehouse of the Lord, because in so
doing there is a blessing. There is no safety in withholding from God
His own portion.—
Manuscript 159, 1899
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For Every Dispensation
Such [referring to the experience of Abraham and Jacob in paying
tithe] was the practice of patriarchs and prophets before the establish-
ment of the Jews as a nation. But when Israel became a distinct people,
the Lord gave them definite instruction upon this point: “All the tithe
of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree,
is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.” This law was not to pass away
with the ordinances and sacrificial offerings that typified Christ. As
long as God has a people upon the earth, His claims upon them will
be the same.