Basic HTML Version
by
Ronald D. Kelly
The government requires you to pay taxes. But what about your obligation to God?
F
EW SUBJECTS
anímate
our conversation more
than taxes.
We've learned to live with
them, but not without a great
deal of grumbling, complain ing
and opinion about how high
taxes are and how the govern–
ment is spending them.
In the United States the annual
taxation ritual takes place in April–
about the time many of our readers
are receiving this issue of
The Plain
Truth.
American taxpayers assem–
ble all their records to calculate
whether they have paid enough to, or
overpaid, Uncle Sam.
Books and magazine articles
appear
by
the
dozens
to assist tax–
payers in the preparation of their
forms-a process that may take
hours, even days.
In nations of the democratic
world, taxes are the most important
means of financing government and
providing services for the people.
Taxes are assessed on a percentage of
income-generally on an increasing
scale. The higher the family income,
the greater percentage the govern–
ment takes in taxes.
Most people feel the government
taxes too much. But many govern–
ments are economically falling fur–
ther and further behind and often
resort to increased taxation in order
to meet national obligations.
The vicious cycle continues.
The Origins of Taxation
Have you ever stopped to wonder
May 1984
where all this got started? How
nations started to tax the popula–
tion in the first place?
Interestingly enough, the ear–
Iiest record of the ruler of a gov–
ernment taking a percent of
income goes back to ancient bib–
Iical times.
And the primary use of this
percent of income was not civil ,
but religious. The collection was
not known as a tax but rather a
tithe, because the ·amount col–
lected was one tenth of the
income or increase of the individ–
ual or family. The English word
tithe
simply means a tenth.
The earliest biblical record of a
ruler receiving tithes goes back. to
Abraham-about 1,900 B.C. The
story
is
told
in Genesis 14. Abra–
ham, or as he was then called,
Abram, had engaged hostile forces
who had captured his nephew Lot.
Abram and his servants were victo–
rious in the battle and successfully
freed Lot, taking valuable spoils of
war in the process.
On their return, Abram with his
tired and thirsty troops stopped
near a city called Salero (later
named Jerusalem). The king of
Salem, Melchizedek, brougbt
bread, wine and refreshments to
Abram and his servants.
But this Melchizedek was not
only king of the city-state of Salem,
he was priest of the true God. In
his office of priest, he blessed
Abram, who was one of the few
men on earth who had been willing
to be obedient to the Eterna! God.
We read in Genesis 14:20 that
Abram "gave him [Melchizedek] a
T ENTH
of everything" (New Inter–
national Version throughout, unless
otherwise noted).
Jt
was obviously Abraham's nor–
mal custom to tithe any increase he
received. Abraham is described in
the Bible as a man who obeyed
God 's voice, kept his charge, his
commandments, his statutes and
his law (Gen. 26:5).
Tithing is only one of the laws
God gave man to live by-but
Abraham was diligent in obedience
to all of God's precepts.
Archaeologists have discovered
that majar nations or city-states in
the Near East- before and after
Abram's time-collected taxes or
tithes of the people. No doubt this
practice derives from God 's earliest
instruction.
But rulers of these other nations
at that time did not serve or obey
the laws of the true God. In fact,
many of them sat in the office of
king, and were even regarded as
gods. They took to themselves the
right to exact 1
O
percent or more
from the people to finance their
religions, their military and their
governments.
God Calls His Nation
In the course of time: God directed
the nation of lsraeFto the land he
had promised Abraham. This took
place shortly after 1450 B.C.
Under Mases, the children of Israel
were led out of servitude in Egypt.
Then under Joshua they inherited
the land of Canaan.
God gave important financia!
7