God has made a law for His people that a tenth of all the increase shall be His. I have given you, says God, nine tenths; I ask one tenth of all the increase. That one tenth the rich man had withheld from God. If he had not done this, if he had loved God supremely instead of loving and serving himself, he would not have accumulated so great treasures that there would be lack of room to bestow them. Had he bestowed his goods upon his needy brethren to supply their necessities, there would have been no need of tearing down and building greater barns. But he had disregarded the principles of the law of God. He had not loved the Lord with all his heart and his neighbor as himself. Had he used his wealth as a bounty lent him of God with which to do good he would have laid up treasure in heaven and been rich in good works. {3T 546.1}

(546) Gud har lavet en lov for sit folk, at en tiendedel af al forøgelse skal være hans. Jeg har givet jer, siger Gud, ni tiendedele; jeg beder om en tiendedel af jeres indtægt. Den ene tiendedel har den rige mand tilbageholdt fra Gud. Hvis han ikke har givet denne, hvis han ikke har elsket Gud højest i stedet for at elske og tjene sig selv, ville han ikke have opsparet sig så store rigdomme at der bliver mangel på plads til dem. Havde han anbragt sit gods hos hans trængende brødre for at dække deres fornødenheder, ville der ikke have været brug for at rive laderne ned for at bygge større. Men han har set bort fra principperne i Guds lov. Han har ikke elsket Herren af hele sit hjerte og sin næste som sig selv. Havde han brugt sin rigdom, som en gave der var lånt af Gud, som han kunne gøre godt med, kunne han samle sig rigdomme i himlen og blevet rig på gode gerninger.