Basic HTML Version
TheManWho
Couldn't
Afford to Tithe
I
T WAS
late in 1933 - the very
depth of the great depression.
Ed Smith was a well-driller by
profession, but nobody seemed able
to afford to have wells drilled.
Ed and bis wife, Emma, attended
services 1 was then holding in a one–
room country schoolhouse twelve
miles west of Eugene, Oregon. Ed
made no profession of Christianity
until later. But he attended services
and went up and down the country–
side discussing Bible doctrines with
bis professing Christian neighbors.
"You've got to pay tithes and
obey God," he insisted. ' 'The Bible
says so. lt's PLAIN!"
One of his neighbors became irri–
tated.
"Look here, Ed," the neighbor ex–
ploded, "why do you come around
here trying to talk me into these
things, when you don't obey the
Bible or pay titbes yourself?"
"Because," carne Ed's quick and
ready answer, "1 don' t profess to be
a Christian, and you do. Besides,"
he added,
"I
can't afford to tithe,
anyway."
Thousands Like Him
Tbere are thousands who, like Ed
Smith, reason in their own minds
that they can't afford to tithe, even
though, like Ed Smith, they realize
the Bible comroands it.
1heard about the above conversa–
tion and preached a sermon on the
PLAIN TRUTH April 1973
by
Herbert W. Armstrong
q uestion of whether the uncon–
verted should obey the Ten Com–
mandments and pay titbes, or
whether, as Ed had reasoned, these
things were only for Christians. 1
pointed out that God's Law was put
in motion for man's
good.
lt
is
the
WA
Y
of life that brings peace, happi–
ness, prosperity; the full, abundant,
interesting life; success, joy here and
now, as well as eterna! life through
Christ for the saved.
1 showed that it
PAYS
and is the
only sensible way of life, entirely
apart from the matter of salvation -
and that he who sins little shall be
punished with
Jew
stripes, but he
who sins much, with
many
stripes
(Luke 12:47-48). l pointed out
God's promises to prosper the tithe–
payer, and that this is a definite law
God has set in motion, which oper–
ates inexorably and automatically,
on the just and the unjust alike.
Ed began to obey the Bible. At
the very next service (we were hold–
ing services at this Little schoolhouse
three times a week, and three other
nights a week in a hall in downtown
Eugene at the time), Mrs. Smith
smilingly handed me a one dollar
bill.
"That's Ed's first tithe," she said
triumphantly. "We are now down to
$ 10, and Ed decided to start tithing
with what we have on hand."
The very next service she carne to
me with another happy smi le.
"Here's a five-dollar bill," she
said. "The very next day after Ed
gave God's Work a tenth of all he
had, a custorner who had owed him
$50 for a year carne and paid up. So
here's the tithe of that $50. After
paying the total $6 tithe, we now
have $54 on hand instead ofthe $10
we had the other day."
lt
was beginning to
pay
-
but
only
beginning.
By the next service,
as 1 rernember it, Ed had received
bis first order in one or two years to
drill
a new weU, for which he re–
ceived cash payment. Before he
fin–
ished that job, another one was
contracted. Soon he had three or
four jobs coming in at once and was
forced to begin employing rnen to
work for him.
Ed Srnith was only one of
many
1
have known who learned
by
experi–
ence
that one cannot afford
not
to
pay God the tithe that belongs to
Him! 1 remember Ed Smith did en–
counter sorne troubles of a different
nature later when his wife and son
were sent to the state tuberculosis
hospital, and he finally broke down
in real repentance, accepting Jesus
Christ as Saviour. He carne to me,
according to the command of James
5: 14, and both his wife and son were
cornpl etely healed and returned
borne.
This is a true story, and the name
is not fictitious. Ed Srnith died sev–
era! years ago, but I'm happy to re-
45