Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. Deuteronomy 14:22 KJV

Tithing on your “increase” is different than tithing on your “gross” or “net” as an employee. This affects people who are self-employed and/or invest in their business. An illustration I use when giving a Bible study on tithing is that, if you get paid $50.00 for mowing your neighbor’s lawn and you paid $5.00 for the gas, then you actually made $45.00. $45.00 is your increase or profit. You would tithe on the $45.00 since that is what you actually made. By the way, the $45.00 is what you would also pay taxes on, so both God and “Caesar” realize you made $45.00, and not $50.00.

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Of course there could be other expenses too, like the cost of the lawn mower, but I think you get the gist of the illustration. Of course the cost of the lemonade you bought from the stand across the street would not count as a business expense because even though it quenched your thirst, it was not a direct business expense.

I’ll give several other examples, as I see them, and I encourage our readers to contribute their examples.

Now “Caesar” realizes if you work in an office or campus, that driving to work and back is not a direct investment to your business. You do not write off travel expenses to work and back. However, you do write off driving expenses while working. For example if I’m a courier doing deliveries, I would deduct travel expenses from what I am paid to find my actual profit, and then tithe and pay taxes on the actual profit. By the way, your gross income would be considered your actual profit. Let’s say I pick up a kayak in Sydney and drive 170 kilometers to deliver the kayak in Newcastle, for $525. To find my profit I would subtract 66 cents a km, which would be $112, leaving me with a profit of $413. I would tithe on the $413, which would be $42 (rounded up). Of course I can round that up to $45.00 or even $50.00!

Now, if I drove 10 kilometers to make the pickup in Sydney I would not count that against my profit because that was just getting to work. It was not an expense of the actual work itself. The way I see it, only things that you invested directly to making your profit would be deducted from your profit. Now if I traveled from my home to a courier training workshop in Melbourne, that would be a travel expense relating directly to my business and profit. Everyone needs to decide between themselves and God if something is a direct business expense.

Again, your profit is counted as your gross income which you would be taxed on and would tithe on. Sometimes when I am giving this study, people will ask me if they can deduct their home electric bill from their gross income and then tithe after that. The answer is “no.” Your home electric bill is not a part of your business or an investment in your profit. “Caesar” does not let you write off your home electric bill as it has nothing to do with your profit if you are not working at home.

You need to follow your own conscience and Bible principles on determining what your increase is, but as a general rule, if “Caesar’ sees an item as a business expense then it is reasonable to count it as a business expense regarding your increase (profit) and tithe. Remember we do not pay tithe. We return tithe. We are returning to God what is already His with thanksgiving for all the many ways He cares for us. We also want to give a generous offering in addition to our tithe, with a cheerful heart knowing we can never outgive or out love God. 

I hope this conversation has been helpful, and we can discuss it further in the comment section.

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Read Malachi 3:10. What can we learn from this verse about where our tithe should go?

Though specific directions are not given in the text, it is nevertheless evident that God’s people knew what He meant by the word “storehouse.” God does include in His directions, “that there may be food in My house” (NKJV). His people understood that God’s house initially was the sanctuary — the elaborate tent that was built by specific directions given to Moses at Mount Sinai. Later when Israel lived in the Promised Land, the central location was first in Shiloh and then more permanently at the temple in Jerusalem.

Read Deuteronomy 12:5-14. These verses do not indicate that God’s children could use their own discretion as to where their tithe was deposited. What principles can we take from these verses for ourselves today?

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As members of God’s family, we want to understand and practice His will regarding what to do with our tithe. In the biblical narrative, we learn that three times in each year — Passover, Pentecost, and Feast of Tabernacles (Exodus 23:14-17) — God’s people were to travel to Jerusalem to bring their tithes and offerings personally and to praise and to worship God. Then the Levites distributed the tithe to their brethren all over the land of Israel (see 2 Chronicles 31:11-21, Nehemiah 12:44-47, Nehemiah 13:8-14). In harmony with this biblical central storehouse principle, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has designated the local conferences, missions, and unions of churches as storehouses on behalf of the world church, and from which the ministry is paid.

For the convenience of church members, the tithe is brought to the local church, where, as part of their worship experience, members bring their tithes and offerings, though some use online giving. The local treasurers then forward the tithe to the conference storehouse. This system of tithe management, outlined and ordained by God, has enabled the Seventh-day Adventist Church to have a worldwide and growing impact in the world.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Dictionaries define tithe as “a tenth part of something” or “10 percent.” This definition is likely taken from the Bible narrative. Tithe is simply returning 10 percent of our income, or increase, to God. We understand that all we have belongs to Him in the first place. The tithing legislation given to Israel at Mount Sinai points out that the tithe is holy and belongs to God (see Leviticus 27:30, Leviticus 27:32). God asks for only His 10 percent. Our offerings of gratitude are separate from and in addition to the tithe. The tithe is the minimum testimony of our Christian commitment. Nowhere in the Bible do we find any indication that God’s portion is less than a tenth.

Read Genesis 14:18-20 and Hebrews 7:1-9. What was Abram’s response to meeting Melchizedek? What does this teach us about how far back in history the practice goes?

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The first mention of tithe in the Bible is in Genesis 14:1-24, which tells the story of Melchizedek’s meeting with Abram. The last mention of tithe in the Bible recalls the same encounter, but the words “tenth” and “tithe” are used interchangeably (see Hebrews 7:1-9). Note in the Hebrews story that neither Melchizedek nor Christ were of the tribe of Levi, so tithing precedes and follows the specialness of the Levites. Tithing is not exclusively a Jewish custom and did not originate with the Hebrews at Sinai.

Read Genesis 28:13-14, , Genesis 28:20-22. What did God promise to do for Jacob, and what was Jacob’s response to God?

When Jacob left home, running from his angry brother, Esau, one night he had a dream of a staircase that ascended from earth to heaven. Angels were going up and down on it. And God stood at the top and promised to be with Jacob and someday bring him back home. This single young man had a real conversion experience and said, “The LORD shall be my God. … And of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You” (Genesis 28:21-22, , NKJV).

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 14:18-20; Malachi 3:10; Deuteronomy 12:5-14; Leviticus 27:30; 1 Kings 17:9-16; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2.

Memory Text: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10, NKJV).

In Genesis 14:1-24, Abram had returned from a successful hostage rescue mission in which he had saved his nephew Lot, Lot’s family, and the other people taken from Sodom. The king of Sodom was so grateful for the rescue that he offered Abram all the spoils of the battle. Abram not only refused the offer but gave a tithe of all that he possessed to Melchizedek.

Immediately after Abram’s tithing experience, the Lord said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” (Genesis 15:1, NKJV). In effect, the Lord was telling Abram, “Don’t worry. I will be your protector and provider.” Then, much later, Moses told Israel as they were about to enter Canaan, “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year … that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always” (Deuteronomy 14:22-23, , NKJV).

Ellen G. White wrote: “Men were required to offer to God gifts for religious purposes before the definite system was given to Moses, even as far back as the days of Adam.” — Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 393.

What does all this mean for us today?

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 21.

Sunday–>

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Making a Deal With God

By Andrew McChesney

Dmitry Bagal, a student from Russia, ran out of money several months after enrolling in the master’s in theology program at Friedensau Adventist University in Germany. His options seemed limited. He could work on-campus or in a nearby retirement home, but the income would only partially cover his tuition. As a foreigner, he could not take out a state loan like the German students. But he could apply for a scholarship, which was smaller than the loan but did not require repayment.

As Dmitry prayed over the dilemma, he felt impressed to make a deal with God. “Lord,” he prayed, “if you bless me with this scholarship, I promise to set aside a second tithe to support mission work.”

Dmitry applied for the scholarship and, to his joy, it was approved. He began setting aside a second 10 percent of his gross income for mission work. As the semesters rolled by, he was approved for the scholarship again and again, and he kept giving a second tithe to mission work. Despite the second tithe, he still somehow always had enough money to cover tuition and other expenses. He even was able to set money aside for an emergency.

Then Dmitry’s five-year-old laptop began to act up as he worked on his master’s thesis. Twice he had to buy spare parts to self-repair it. One day, he found that he could no longer close the laptop’s screen. The hinges refused to budge. A new laptop was needed if he hoped to finish his thesis, and he was glad to have the small emergency fund.

But as he prayed about the situation, he remembered a friend, also from the former Soviet Union, who was serving with his family of five as missionaries in the South American jungle. High humidity had ruined his friend’s tablet, and a robust device was desperately needed to continue his work. Dmitry couldn’t understand why he was thinking about his friend in South America when he was the one in need of a laptop to graduate. But he bought a waterproof, dustproof laptop and mailed it to his friend.

Shortly after sending the package, an online advertisement popped up on Dmitry’s laptop screen that offered the very hinges that he needed for the laptop. He ordered the hinges and, after installing them, the screen opened and closed like new. Amazingly, the laptop still works today, eight years later.

Dmitry has no doubt that God blesses those who put mission first. “The Lord has prolonged the life of the laptop,” Dmitry says. “Truly it is written in the Bible, ‘Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done’ [Proverbs 19:17, NIV].”

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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