Several years ago I wrote some gospel doctrine lessons for Meridian Magazine a LDS online publication. Below is the lesson on the Sabbath Day, Tithing, and Fasting.
Gospel Doctrine Lesson 17
The Law of Tithing and the Law of the Fast
by Robert J.
Norman
The Lord has given three laws that are designed to bring
both spiritual and temporal blessings into the lives of his people. If the Saints will live all three laws
specifically as they are outlined in the scriptures, they will receive the
promised blessings that are connected with these laws. They will always be blessed and taken care of
by the Lord, even in times of famine.
The three laws are, 1. the law of keeping the Sabbath Day holy,
2. the law of tithing and 3. the law
of the fast. These laws and the
blessings that attend them are outlined in the following scriptures: Sabbath
Day - D&C 59; tithing - Malachi 3:8-12 & D&C 119; fasting - Isaiah
58.
SABBATH DAY
The Lord has allowed us to bring into our lives some of the
blessings of the millennium long before the millennial era is ushered in. The Sabbath day can be treated as a
mini-millennium in our individual lives.
As the Lord has reserved one thousand years out of seven thousand years
as the final Sabbath of the earth so that all of the spiritual preparations can
be made to turn the earth into the Celestial Kingdom, so we can use the Sabbath
day to make our spiritual preparations to become Celestial beings.
MILLENNIUM
The Millennium symbolizes a sabbatical
in human history (cf. D&C 77:12; Moses 7:64), analogous to the role of the
weekly Sabbath (cf. Ex. 20:8‑11). The millennial period is patterned after the
Lord's period of rest following the six creative periods (cf. Gen. 2:1‑3).[i]
When white-winged peace would spread
her wings abroad, and grim-visaged war would sit at her feet and learn wisdom
for a thousand years. We think that time is drawing nigh; that the Almighty has
set His hand to accomplish just such a work; that we are living in the Saturday
night of the world's history, near the end of that week of Time each day of
which is a thousand years, and that the seventh day, or Sabbath, will be the
day of rest, the Millennium , the reign of peace and righteousness which the
Prophets and the poets have predicted.
Orson F. Whitney, May 6, 1982[ii]
A
beautiful description of a true Sabbath, keeping it holy, and its relationship
to the Millennium is given by the early Christian writer Barnabas:
Further,
also, it is written concerning the Sabbath in the Decalogue which [the Lord]
spoke, face to face, to Moses on Mount Sinai, "And sanctify ye the Sabbath
of the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart." And He says in another
place, "If my sons keep the Sabbath, then will I cause my mercy to rest
upon them." The Sabbath is mentioned at the beginning of the creation
[thus]: "And God made in six days the works of His hands, and made an end
on the seventh day, and rested on it, and sanctified it." Attend, my
children, to the meaning of this expression, "He finished in six days."
This implieth that the Lord will finish all things in six thousand years, for a
day is with Him a thousand years. And He Himself testifieth, saying,
"Behold, to-day will be as a thousand years." Therefore, my children,
in six days, that is, in six thousand years, all things will be finished.
"And He rested on the seventh day." This meaneth: when His Son,
coming [again], shall destroy the time of the wicked man, and judge the
ungodly, and change the-sun, and the moon, and the stars, then shall He truly
rest on the seventh day. Moreover, He says, "Thou shalt sanctify it with
pure hands and a pure heart." If, therefore, any one can now sanctify the
day which God hath sanctified, except he is pure in heart in all things, we are
deceived. Behold, therefore: certainly then one properly resting sanctifies it,
when we ourselves, having received the promise, wickedness no longer existing,
and all things having been made new by the Lord, shall be able to work
righteousness. Then we shall be able to sanctify it, having been first sanctified
ourselves. Further, He says to them, "Your new moons and your Sabbath I
cannot endure." Ye perceive how He speaks: Your present Sabbaths are not
acceptable to Me, but that is which I have made, [namely this,] when, giving
rest to all things, I shall make a beginning of the eighth day, that is, a
beginning of another world. Wherefore, also, we keep the eighth day with
joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead. And when He
had manifested Himself, He ascended into the heavens.[iii]
D&C
59:16-19, lists all of the blessings God is willing to give to those who keep
the Sabbath as he outlined it in D&C 59:9-15. These are powerful and important blessings
and express an Eden-like atmosphere for those who receive the blessings. The promise says that the fullness of the
earth will be given to the faithful.
These blessings not only have temporal value as food, raiment, housing,
etc., but also have great spiritual and aesthetic values to gladden the heart,
please the eye, and enliven the soul. The
beauty of the Lord’s work is that he is able to blend so many wonders and
blessings into his acts of creation, temporal and spiritual along with beauty.
TITHING
President
Joseph F. Smith expressed the importance of tithing as showing loyalty to the
Kingdom of God:
ESSENTIAL
NATURE OF THE LAW OF TITHING
By
this principle (tithing) the loyalty of the people of this Church shall be put
to the test. By this principle it shall be known who is for the kingdom of God
and who is against it. By this principle it shall be seen whose hearts are set
on doing the will of God and keeping his commandments, thereby sanctifying the
land of Zion unto God, and who are opposed to this principle and have cut
themselves off from the blessings of Zion. There is a great deal of importance
connected with this principle, for by it it shall be known whether we are
faithful or unfaithful. In this respect it is as essential as faith in God, as
repentance of sin, as baptism for the remission of sin, or as the laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. For if a man keep all the law save one
point, and he offend in that, he is a transgressor of the law, and he is not
entitled to the fulness of the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But
when a man keeps all the law that is revealed, according to his strength, his
substance, and his ability, though what he does may be little, it is just as
acceptable in the sight of God as if he were able to do a thousand times more.—Apr.
C. R., 1900, pp. 47, 48.
THE
LAW OF TITHING A TEST
The
law of tithing is a test by which the people as individuals shall be proved.
Any man who fails to observe this principle shall be known as a man who is
indifferent to the welfare of Zion, who neglects his duty as a member of the
Church and who does nothing toward the accomplishment of the temporal
advancement of the kingdom of God. He contributes nothing, either, toward
spreading the gospel to the nations of the earth, and he neglects to do that
which would entitle him to receive the blessings and ordinances of the gospel.—Apr.
C. R., 1900, p. 47.[iv]
A
close examination of Malachi 3 & 4 will show that it is a message
specifically to priesthood holders and covenant Israel. When the Savior quoted these passages to the
Nephites, he proclaimed that they had application to “future generations” (3
Nephi 26:2), obviously meaning our dispensation. A close view will show that these two
chapters list the requirements for priesthood holders and Israel to be worthy
of the Savior’s second coming. The question
is specifically asked, “. . . who shall abide the day of his coming . . . ?”
(Malachi 3:2; 3 Nephi 24:2). Malachi
then proceeds to give a list of requirements for minimum performance of
covenant Israel to be prepared for the day that will “burn as an oven” (Malachi
4:1; 3 Nephi 25:1). One of the critical
items on the list is the payment of both tithes and offerings. The accusation made against those not paying
tithing is robbery or the defrauding of God.
Considering
that the saints are to build the New Jerusalem by the law of consecration
(D&C 42:32-36) which some day will become the Celestial City, it is easy to
understand that one must be living the basics of tithing first. During the millennium the saints must build
the earth to a point that they and all that they have done, must be accepted as
Celestial, and consecration will be an essential element of their works
(D&C 105:5). Therefore, Malachi
teaches that covenant Israel must be paying their tithing to be accepted as
part of the Lord’s kingdom at his coming.
When
the Lord gave his instructions in D&C 64:23, the saints were living the law
of consecration at the time. “Behold, now it is
called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of
sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall
not be burned at his coming.” The
word “tithing” in this verse actually refers to the law of consecration which
the saint were then living. However, the
importance the Lord places on his economic system can readily be seen. The Lord will preserve those who show good
faith by sacrificing to build up his Kingdom here on the earth. From these scriptures we can see that tithing
has a high priority in the sight of the Lord in testing the faithfulness of his
saints. The tithing of today is our
doorway back to the greater law of consecration upon which Zion must be built.
FASTING
There
are many ramifications to fasting. Elder
Bruce R. McConkie lists some of the reasons for fasting:
Many
specific reasons for fasting are found in the scriptures. It is a general
obligation imposed by revelation upon church members in good standing. (D.
& C. 59:13‑14; 88:76; Luke 5:33‑35; 2 Cor. 6:5; 11: 27.) It is itself a
form of the true worship of God. (Luke 2:37; Acts 9:9; Alma 45:1; 4 Ne. 12.) It
is proper to fast for the sick (2 Sam. 12:16); for special blessings (Mosiah
27:22‑23); to gain a testimony (Alma 5:46); to gain revelation (Alma 17:3; 3
Ne. 27:1; Ex. 34:28; Deut. 9:9, 18); for the conversion of nonmembers to the
truth, (Alma 6:6; 17:9); for guidance in the choice of church officers (Acts
13: 3); as an accompaniment of righteous mourning and sorrow (Alma 28:2‑6;
30:2; Hela. 9:10); as a means of sanctifying one's soul (Hela. 3: 35); and for
guidance along the path leading to salvation. (Omni 26.) Temples are houses of
fasting. (D. & C. 88:119; 95:16; 109:8, 16.) To be acceptable fasting must
conform to the Lord's law and not be done for hypocritical reasons. (Matt. 6:16‑18;
3 Ne. 13:16‑18.)[v]
The
Lord instructs the saints to prepare their food on the Sabbath day with
singleness of heart that their fasting may be perfect (D&C 59:13). It may seem strange to us that fixing food
and fasting are mentioned together. God
is inferring that when we go a whole Sabbath day “not doing thine own ways”
(Isaiah 58:13), is a form of fasting in and of itself. It is going without something (our ways) in
order to build something better (God’s kingdom and learning his way). As mentioned above, the Sabbath is to do the
Lord’s work and to prepare his kingdom. Therefore, we are fasting from our own
ways. The work of building the kingdom
is to be a joy and to cause us to rejoice (D&C 59:14). To the Lord, each Sabbath is a form of
fasting in preparation for greater spiritual blessings by focusing on the
Lord’s ways. Both Isaiah 58 and D&C
59 associate fasting and the Sabbath day.
Both are designed to recreate millennial attitudes and feelings in our
souls. Therefore the blessings for
keeping them properly, bring millennial type rewards.
Some
Christian religions give up something that they relish as a form of fasting for
a forty day celebration preceding Easter called Lent. Most references to fasting include going
without food or drink for some specified time.
Anciently Israel fasted formally by donning sackcloth and ashes as a
form of humility to accompany their fast from food and drink. During Isaiah’s life this ritual had become
for many just that - a ritual without spiritual meaning or impact. Isaiah instructs Israel in the changes that
they needed to make so that their voices may be heard by God (Isaiah
58:4).
Some
of the problems with their fasting were as follows (all verses are in Isaiah
58):
1. They made no spiritual preparations for
fasting but continued with all of their
pleasures and labors. (Verse
3)
2. Their fasting made them irritable and filled
them with animosity toward others.
(Verse 4)
3. They were only going through the motions of
fasting by bowing their heads
and spreading sackcloth and
ashes under themselves as a sign of mourning
and humility. (Verse 5)
4. They were finding fault with others and
speaking vanity. (Verse 9)
Items
that Isaiah suggests that they add to their fasting:
1. Repent of sins during a fast and help others
with their yoke of burdens.
(Verse 6)
2. Give money to help feed the hungry and cloth
the naked including those who may be
in need within their own family. (Verse 7)
3. Help satisfy and comfort the afflicted soul.
(Verse 9)
The
attendant blessings for a true fast are empowering and uplifting:
1. Become the light to the world as commanded in
the sermon on the mount.
(Verses 8 & 10)
2. Health will increase. (Verse 8)
3. Gain a reputation of being righteous. (Verse
8)
4. The Lord will protect and be a guard for
their most vulnerable areas.
(Verse 8)
5. The Lord will answer prayers quickly. (Verse
9)
6. The Lord will guide their lives continually.
(Verse 11)
7. The Lord will bless their lives and feed them
as in the Garden of Eden even
in times of drought. (Verse
11)
8. Their posterity will have the reputation of building
and repairing the Kingdom
of God. (Verse 12)
President
Marion G. Romney promised the saints both temporal and spiritual blessings for
doubling their fast offerings:
If
we will double our fast offerings, we shall increase our own prosperity, both
spiritually and temporally. This the Lord has promised, and this has been the
record. ("Basics of Church Welfare," address to the Priesthood Board,
March 6, 1974, p. 10) MPSG1986:117)[vi]
President
Spencer W. Kimball also had specific instruction on the payment of fast
offerings:
Each
member should contribute a generous fast offering for the care of the poor and
the needy. This offering should at least be the value of the two meals not
eaten while fasting.
"Sometimes
we have been a bit penurious and figured that we had for breakfast one egg and
that cost so many cents and then we give that to the Lord. I think that when we
are affluent, as many of us are, that we ought to be very, very generous. . . .
"I
think we should . . . give, instead of the amount saved by our two meals of
fasting, perhaps much, much more-ten times more when we are in a position to do
it." ( See CR1974Apr:184.) CR1977Oct:126[vii]
Fasting
and the payment of fasting offerings is something that can be done even by the
poor. When Joseph (who was sold into
Egypt by his brothers) was a servant to Potiphar he would fast for three days
at a time and give his food and drink to the poor and ill on the streets. He taught his children, “. . . if you pursue
self-control and purity with patience and prayer with fasting in humility of
heart, the Lord will dwell among you, because he loves self-control. And where the Most High dwells, even if envy
befall someone, or slavery or false accusation, the Lord who dwells with him on
account of his self-control not only will rescue him from these evils, but will
exalt him and glorify him as he did for me.”[viii]
When
a Latter-day Saint fully lives the three laws of the Sabbath, tithing, and
fasting they will bring untold blessings into their lives both temporal and
spiritual.
_______________________________________________________________________
[i]. Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4
vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 907.
[ii].Brian H. Stuy, ed., Collected
Discourses, 5 vols. [Burbank, Calif., and Woodland Hills, Ut.: B.H.S.
Publishing, 1987-1992], 3:
[iii].Barnabas, Epistle of Barnabas,
Chapter 15, The False and the True Sabbath.
[iv].Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine:
Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Joseph F. Smith, compiled by
John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939], 225.
[v].Bruce R.
McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.276 FASTING
[vi]. Rulon T.Burton, We Believe [Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994]
[vii].Rulon T.Burton, We Believe [Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994]
[viii].Charlesworth,
James H., The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 1 [Doubleday &
Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1983], “Testaments of the Twelve
Partriarchs,” pp. 820-22.
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