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The Storehouse

God has a storehouse for wind (Jer. 10:13), water (Ps. 33:7), and snow and hail (Job 38:22), over all of which He has total control. But God’s most precious storehouse is the one involving tithe. “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting” (Num. 18:21, NIV). This verse is the first mention of where the tithe is kept and is known today as “the storehouse principle.” God further instructed the Israelites to bring the tithe to a place of His choosing (Deut. 12:5, 6). During the time of Solomon, tithe was returned to the Jerusalem temple. The Israelites easily understood what and where the “storehouse” was when the prophet Malachi said to them: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse” (Mal. 3:10, NIV). The storehouse represented the location from where religious services took place and where the Levites were supported.

What other names are used in Scripture to identify the storehouse? 1 Chron. 26:20, 2 Chron. 31:11-13, Neh. 10:38.

Bringing the sacred tithe to the storehouse is the model presented in Scripture. In every dispensation, God has had a central storehouse to manage the tithe. Seventh-day Adventists make up a worldwide religion/church in which the storehouse principle is accepted and practiced. Members are encouraged to return their tithe to the conference/mission through the local church where they hold membership. That conference/mission treasury is where pastors receive their salary.

“As God’s work extends, calls for help will come more and more frequently. That these calls may be answered, Christians should heed the command, ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house.’ Malachi 3:10. If professing Christians would faithfully bring to God their tithes and offerings, His treasury would be full. There would then be no occasion to resort to fairs, lotteries, or parties of pleasure to secure funds for the support of the gospel.” - Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 338.

Think what would happen if people were to send their tithe to wherever they wanted. If everyone did that, what would happen to God’s work? Hence, why is it important that we send our tithe to where it belongs?