lesson 17: "the law of tithing and the law of the fast"

7/30/2019 Lesson 17: "The Law of Tithing and the Law of the Fast"

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To download past handouts, go to: highlandvalleysundayschoolnotes2012.blogspot.com

#1 President Joseph F. Smith:...the law of consecration... was

not properly kept, and inasmuchas people are under greater con-

demnation when they keep not thelaws that are given them, the Lord in Hismercy withdrew from the Latter day Saints

the law of consecration, because the peoplewere not prepared to live it, and as long as it

was in force and they kept it not they wereunder condemnation. The law of tithing was

given in its place.(CR, October 1899)

#2Though it is little known, the commandthat the Saints pay one-tenth of their in-

crease annually required a greater sacrificeof property than that required by the law of

consecration and stewardship, as practicedin the early days of this dispensation.

In the law of consecration, after the

Saints put their substance and properties be-fore the bishop, they received a stewardship

to provide for their needs. Later, if from theirsteward ship they had more than was neces-

sary for their support, or in other words, aresidue or a surplus, then they would con-tribute surplus to the Church. The great dif-

ference in the law of tithing is that it re-quires the Saints to pay a tenth of their in-

come before any expenses are met, notfrom their surplus after their needs havebeen satisfied Consecration is a higher law

only when it extends beyond that which istemporal and involves dedicating all of one's

time, talent, and energies that may beneeded to building up the Lord's kingdom.The consecration of property was the Lord's

means to teach the Saints that all things are

his. In reality very little revenue was generated from the surplus that could be used fo

the building up of the kingdom of God.(Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler, Revelations the Restoration, 935-36)

#3 On 1 December 1837, seven monthsprior to the reception of section 119, Edwa

Partridge, John Corrill, and Isaac Morleywere appointed as a committee to adopt a

plan whereby revenue could be raised to dfray Church expenses. Their report, give

the following day, proposed a volun-tary tithing program to assist the poocompensate Church leaders for ser-vices while attending to Church busi-ness, and pay for other related Churchexpenses. The donation, which was tobe based on assets, not income, con-sidered widows not having assets ove$75 exempt, and it provided for a

yearly inventory with the Churchbishop.

The voluntary contribution initia-tive apparently was never imple-mented, but it undoubtedly served asprelude to section 119.(Lyndon Cook, TheRevelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 237-38)

#4 Elder James E. Talmage: Doyou know that the soil can be

sanctified by the tithing of itsproducts? The land can be sanct

fied. There is a relationship be-tween the elements and forces of nature athe actions of men.(CR, October 1929)


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#5 President Heber J. Grant: "Ihave never made a dollar on

which I did not pay tithing. Apresident of the stake begged and

pleaded with me to quit payingtithing. He said I did not owe any tithing un-

til I got out of debt. Would not that havebeen a fine record for a man who nowstands as president of the Church, not to

have paid tithing for thirty-two years? I havehad friends beg and plead with me to take

bankruptcy, saying that I would never livelong enough to pay my debts. "If there isany man living who is entitled to say, 'Keep

out of debt,' his name is Heber J. Grant.

Thank the Lord that I was able to pay it all,and pay it all without asking a dollar dis-count from anyone. I do not believe I everwould have paid it if I had not been abso-

lutely honest with the Lord. When I madeany money, the first debt I paid was to the

Lord." (Gospel Standards, 59)

#6 President J. Reuben Clark:...the Church has a Council on the

Distribution of Tithes, made up ofthe First Presidency, the Council of

the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric. ThisCouncil considers the proposed budget ofthe Church, which is itemized under general

headings, and then approves and authorizessuch expenditures as it deems proper.

A subcommittee of the Council on theDistribution of Tithes then makes the de-

tailed appropriations from the sums ap-proved and authorized by the Council. Thissubcommittee is known as the Committee on

Expenditures, and is made up of the FirstPresidency, three members of the Council of

the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric. AChurch Building Committee acts under thedirection of the Committee on Expenditures.

The Financial Secretary to the First Presi-dency acts as the secretary of the Commit-

tee of Expenditures.(CR, April 1948)

#7 Elder Robert D. Hales: It is rmarkable to witness this council

heed the Lords voice. Each member is aware of and participates in

all the councils decisions. No decsion is made until the council is unanimousAll tithing funds are spent for the purposes

of the Church I bear my testimony of theCouncil on the Disposition of the Tithes

Without exception, the tithing funds of thisChurch have been used for His purposes.(CR, Oct. 2002)

#8 First Presidency Statement in 1911: Tentire receipts and disbursements are ac

counted for in the most complete detail. Anauditing committee composed of men well

known in the community for their independence of character and business integrity, noof the leading Authorities of the Church

thoroughly inspect and report annually upo

them. The funds thus received are not theproperty of the president of the Church orhis associates, nor of the Presiding Bishopr

nor of the local bishops. They belong to thChurch and are used for Church purposes,including the building and maintenance of

temples, meetinghouses, schools, collegesuniversities and other structures, the aid of

the poor and afflicted, the extension of mis

sions abroad and the help of new colonies home, and sundry other objects and but a

small amount is used for the support of pesons devoting their whole time to the servi

of the Churchy, and that not out of the tithing, but from the proceeds of investmentsmade with profit. This includes the presi-

dency and other Church leaders.(Joseph F.Smith, Anthon H. Lund, John Henry Smith, CR, April 1911)


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#9 President Brigham Young:You know that the first Thursday

in each month we hold fast day.How many here know the origin of

this day? Before tithingwas paid,the poor were supported by donations. They

came to [the Prophet] Joseph and wantedhelp, in Kirtland, and he said there should bea fast day, which was decided upon. It was

to be held once a month, as it is now, andall that would have been eaten that day, of

flour, or meat, or butter, or fruit, or anythingelse, was to be carried to the fast meetingand put in the hands of a person selected

for the purpose of taking care of the poor. If

we were to do this now faithfully, [said Presi-dent Young] do you think the poor wouldlack for flour, or butter, or cheese, or meat,or sugar, or anything they needed to eat?

No! there would be more than could be usedby all the poor among us.(JD 12:115)

#10 The Prophet Joseph Smithtaught: Let this be an [example]

to all saints, and there will neverbe any lack for bread: When the

poor are starving, let those who have, fastone day and give what they otherwise wouldhave eaten to the bishops for the poor, and

every one will abound for a long time. And so long as the saints will all live to this

principle with glad hearts and cheerful coun-tenances they will always have an abun-

dance.(HC 7:413)

#11 Bishop John H. VandenbergThe repairer of the breach, The

restorer of paths to dwell in.( Isaiah58:912.) To me this is a prom-

ise to those working with themembers of the Church who are in needphysically and spiritually, they that shall be

of thee, or that you may be able to helpthemto do what? Build the old waste

places, and as you help them to build thoushalt raise up the foundations of (their)

many generations (to follow); and then thoshalt be called, The repairer of the breach.

In other words, you have helped them ovecome their weaknesses, to restore theirsouls, to bridge the gap through reactivat-

ing, rehabilitation, and restoring the pathfor them to walk in.

(CR, April 1963)

#12 Isaiah counseled, Hide not thyselffrom thine own flesh [your own family].

That is, love them, pray for them, and fastfor them. We expect the Lord to stand by

our children despite their waywardness.Would He not, therefore, expect the same us? Our willingness to sanctify ourselves

through fasting and prayer in behalf of ourchildren, and our continuing to love and

reach out to them, serves to repair relationships. Through fasting and prayer we sanc

tify ourselves to become, according toIsaiah, the repairer of the breach. That is,fasting and prayer empowers us to repair

anything that has torn the relationship apaConcerning our becoming repa

ers of the breach, Elder Bruce C.Hafen taught that we, through fasing and prayer and applying the

Atonement of Jesus Christ, gainpower to repair even generational family

problems and to stop the intergenerationaflow of affliction, which plagues one genertion of our family after another. These gen

erational problems are often the reasons ochildren are presently suffering. Some dam

aging family traits reduce agency and con-tinue to afflict several generations of a family. But by means of the sanctifying princip
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of faith, fasting, prayer, and diligence, thesenegative traits can be halted and severed.

Repairers of the breach can seek heav-enly power to ensure that those harmful

traits will never again distress subsequentgenerations. Elder Hafen said we can fill the

void left by a former generation and raise anew foundation for the next, thus repairingthe breach in the intergenerational linkage:

They that shall be of thee shall build the oldwaste places: thou shalt raise up the foun-

dations of many generations; and thou shaltbe called, The repairer of the breach; the re-

#13 Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:

Fasting in the proper spirit and inthe Lords way will energize us spitually, strengthen our self-disciplin

fill our homes with peace, lightenour hearts with joy, fortify us against temptation, prepare us for times of adversity, an

open the windows of heaven.(CR, April 2011)

storer of paths to dwell in.(Isa. 58:12)(Bruce C. Hafen and Marie K. Hafen, The BelongingHeart: The Atonement and Relationships with God andFamily Heart, 119.) also: http://ldsmag.com/article/5880/1

Other thoughts too great not to include:Elder Melvin J. Ballard: Do we not hope and expect to have an inheritance in the celestial kingdom,even upon this earth in its redeemed and sanctified state? What are the terms under which we may obta

that inheritance? The law of tithing is the law of inheritance. It leads to it. No man may hope or expect thave an inheritance on this celestial globe who has failed to pay his tithing. By the payment of his honestithing he is establishing a right and a title to this inheritance, and he cannot secure it upon any other

terms but by complying with this and other just requirements; and this is one of the very essentialthings. (CR Oct, 1929, p. 51)

Elder LeGrand Richards: It is not uncommon for a man in this life to pay money for ten to twenty-fivyears to purchase a small plot of ground for his use while he lives upon the earth. Should he be less inteested in acquiring an eternal inheritance? (A Marvelous Work And A Wonder, p. 368-9)

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:My brothers and sisters, the measure of our offering to bless the poor is ameasure of our gratitude to our Heavenly Fathera measure of our willingness to consecrate ourselves t

relieve the suffering of others.There is an easy formula for figuring out our own financial stewardships here on this earth. We need

to use our money to raise our families, to educate ourselves, to prepare for the future, and to build up th

kingdom, but oftentimes, we give our kids (or ourselves) more material blessings than what is necessaryeven good. Whenever there is a choice to be made, we can say to ourselves, Is giving money to the poo

more important than (fill in the blank)? And if the answer is yes, pull out that donation slip and stick themoney in the envelope.

As we do so, not only will the poor be blessed, but we will be blessed as well. Elder Marion G. Romn

said, Dont give just for the benefit of the poor, but give for your own welfare. Give enough so that youcan give yourself into the kingdom of God through consecrating of your means and your time. (CR, Apr2001)

Elder J. Reuben Clark:I am a firm believer that you cannot give to the Church and to the building upthe kingdom of God and be any poorer financially. I remember a long time ago, over 50 years, when

Brother [Melvin J.] Ballard laid his hands on my head and set me apart to go on a mission. He said in thaprayer of blessing that a person could not give a crust to the Lord without receiving a loaf in return. Thatbeen my experience. If the members of the Church would double their fast-offering contributions, the sp

tuality in the Church would double. (Welfare Agricultural Meeting, 3 April 1971)
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D&C LESSON 17 OUTLINE

In the past few weeks weve covered, albeit loosely, the Law of Consecration and thLaw of the Sabbath. Today were supposed to cover the laws of tithing and of thefast. Since time is always a problem, Id like to skim over tithing since its talkedabout a lot more. And then well hopefully be able to get into more depth on fasting

~What year was the Church organized? (1830)~Was tithing instituted at that point? What law were the Saints commanded to

obey? (consecrationwithin 8 months of being organized, see section 42~Were the Saints successful in living this higher law as a people? (no)~So what law was, mercifully, given in its place? (tithing)

Quotation #1~Which law required a greater sacrifice of property by the Saints: consecration

or tithing? (its counter-intuitive, but tithing)

Quotation #4Under the law of consecration, the Church really struggled financially, mainly becausmost members felt they didnt have any surplus. Remember, in the 1830s the wholenation suffered a financial depression. Times were hard!

On Decmeber 1, 1837, Edward Partridge, John Corril and Isaac Morely were ap-pointed as a committee to figure out how to raise revenue to defray Church ex-penses.

Quotation #3 bold

That committee was formed in late 1837. Joseph moved from Kirtland to Far West,Missouri early in 1838. Soon it was a bustling city, with Saints gathering from all oveThe Lord even approved the construction of a temple! (see section 115) But all of this re-quired money. In his journal Joseph prayed:

O! Lord, show unto thy servants how much thou requires of the properties ofthy people for a tithing?

Joseph then wrote Answer, followed by the text of D&C 119. (The Papers of Joseph Smiht, eDean C. Jessee, 2:257)

D&C 119:6Quotation #4~When we are in dire straits financially, wouldnt t be wise to postpone living

the law of tithing?Quotation #5

~Does anyone have anything theyd like to ask, or add to our discussion on titing?

One last concept on tithing:


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~Under the law of consecration, who was responsible for receiving and dis-persing the properties offered to the Lord? (the bishop)

~Did this hold true for tithes as well?D&C 120

Quotation #s 6 & 7~Is that itare just the First Presidency, the Twelve and the Presiding Bishopr

involved in making sure the tithes are used only for the Lords purposes?(There is also an Auditing Committee, from which a representative dresses the Church at each General Conference)

Quotation #8

Okay! Shall we move on to the Law of the Fast? First a brief history:~Was fast day always held on the first Sunday of the month? (no)

Quotation #9

~Does anyone know why and when it was changed to Sunday?President Joseph F. Smith had a son named Hyrum who served a mission in Britain i1896. Hyrum wrote his father about how the British saints had to get excused fromtheir employment with a loss of pay in order to attend fast meeting. Some worked inthe coal mines, and would have to go home to bathe and change clothes. This loss time and compensation was a great hardship for most. So Hyrum asked his fatherwhy fast meeting couldnt be held on Sunday. Here is an excerpt from the minutes oa meeting of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve held November 5, 1896

President Joseph F. Smith introduced the subject of fast meetings, suggestingthat a change of the time from the first Thursday to the first Sunday in each monthwould probably be beneficial. This was endorsed by President George Q. Cannon, anafter other brethren had spoken on the subject, it was decided that the Tabernacleservices would be dispensed with on the first Sunday of each month, and that thesaints in this city as well as in the country wards, should have the privilege of meet-ng in their meeting houses at 2 oclockP.M. to observe fast day.(Improvement Era, Dec.

1956)

On to the purposes of this law. Its human nature to look for complicated answers toour problems, to look beyond the mark for new and exciting solutions , rather thanaccept what has already been revealed.Remember the lesson of the Israelites and the fiery, flying serpents?

~What was the antivenin Heavenly Father provided to save the lives of those whwere bit? (to look at Moses brass snake, which was suspended on a pole. The scriptures tell us: because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there wermany who perished.(see 1 Ne. 17:45)


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That said, lets revisit the easy and simple principles of fasting an prayer. Just likeooking at the brass serpent, fasting properly is a principle of power.On the board: (red)

POWER TO: A PROPER FAST INCLUDES:Quotation #10

~So what do fast offerings give us power to do?-have abundanceIsaiah gives a masterful discourse on fasting found in chapter 58. Lets turn to it, re-membering that most of Isaiahs writings are poetryvery difficult to translate, andfull of powerful images. Lets start with verse:

Isaiah 58:6~What does a true fast give us power to do?

-overcome our sins

What a great image? As sinners, do we not feel tied up, heavily burdened, and yokeike a beast of burden? Proper fasting can free us from the burdens of sin. (show pictures of donkeys and oxen)Before we get to far into the blessings, we need to understand some of the compo-nents of a true fast. A true fast isnt just going without food and water for 24 hours,s it?

Isaiah 58:7-fast offering-being charitable-dont give up on family

Isaiah 58:9, 2nd halfIn a talk by Bishop Vandenberg in 1963, he helped clarify this verse:

~What is the yoke? (wickedness) -repent~What might be the putting forth of the finger? (accusing others)

-forgive others~speaking vanity? (being prideful rather than humble & teachable)

-be humble

Isaiah 58:10, 1st half~What does it mean to draw out [our] soul to the hungry? Can we be hungr

emotionally? Spiritually? (to be other-centered)-other-centered

~to satisfy the afflicted soul? (to really be there for others, to do whatever ittakes, like the good Samaritan)

Now back to the blessingsIsaiah 58:8


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~What does Thy light shall break forth as the morning mean?-filled with the Spirit

~Is health only physical?-physical, spiritual & emotional health

~What does thy righteousness shall go before thee mean? (our righteousneswill ensure good things in the future. Hope.

-righteous paths~the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward? (spiritual protection on every

side)-spiritual protection

Isaiah 58:9~What is the promise?

-prayers answeredIsaiah 58:10

-darkness turned to lightIsaiah 58:11

-constant guidance of the Holy Ghost-soul like the Garden of Edenwhere you have experienced spiritual and emotional drought and starvation, theLord will make you like the Garden of Eden. As you drink from the Living Waters, yowill become the same: a spring capable of giving never-ending nourishment to thosyou love.(Larry Barkdull, http://ldsmag.com/article/5880/1)

Now verse 12 is a really exciting one:Isaiah 58:12

~Any idea what this is talking about? What is a breach? (a break, or gap)~In this Second Estate, is there a breach between us and our Father in Heave

(spiritual deathin our sinful state we cannot cross the breach exceptthrough the Atonement)

Quotation #11-we can be a repairer of the breach

So we can be a repairer of the breach by serving those around us, through missionary work, and also within our own families. Elder Bruce C. Hafen gave some comforng insights:

Quotation #12

Let me conclude with this quote by Elder Wirthlin:Quotation #13

And who wouldnt want that? In the name of.
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Charolais oxen in a head yoke at the Sandwich Fair in Sandwich, New Hampshire, pull astoneboat loaded with cement blocks in the 6' elimination pull

lesson 17: "the law of tithing and the law of the fast"

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