Ellen White wrote many times of the curse that comes to those who withhold tithe. On this page you will read many of those statements.
"I ask you to remember that you are not doing the will of your heavenly Father in withholding from Him the tithe. We should all pay tithe. Why? Because it is required of us by the Lord Himself, and in the plainest terms. It is the plan of heaven to teach us that we are subjects of Christ’s kingdom." {Lt 38, 1902, par. 19} After reading this chapter, will you venture to disregard God’s plain requirement? Those who, after their attention has been called to this subject, refuse to comply with the Lord’s claims, venturing to disregard them as non-essential, will be dealt with in the manner described in this chapter. {Lt 38, 1902, par. 21} If you lead the church to disregard this requirement of the Lord, will you not be leading them in crooked paths, and will not the Lord hold you accountable for their neglect of duty? ... We may well be afraid of a man in any position, high or low, minister or layman, who, in the face of such statements, ventures to set aside God’s requirement as something that does not concern him. {Lt 38, 1902, par. 23} We are in no case to allow one statement of Scripture to obscure another statement of Scripture. God’s Word in regard to paying tithe is plain and decided. Sad indeed will be the consequences to those who disobey. Blessings are given for obedience and curses for disobedience. To those who disobey, God says, “Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me.” —Ellen G. White, Letter 38, 1902, par. 24
"If children see their parents practicing the least dishonesty in robbing God of tithes and offerings, if they are not taught to bring their gifts to the One who has given them all things, if in their childhood they do not realize their obligations to God, they will, when grown to years of maturity, steel their hearts against the clearest discourses that they hear from the minister in the church. They will say, 'Father and mother have not done thus, and they are good Christians.' By allowing children to grow up careless and indifferent in regard to presenting to God the tithes and offerings which He requires, parents rob Him to the third and fourth generation; for their children and their children’s children will have no inclination to fear and obey God. The third chapter of Malachi condemns every unfaithfulness in withholding tithes and offerings. Let us all bring to God an honest tithe."—Ellen G. White, Manuscript 100, 1901, par. 29
"Cannot you see that it is not best under any circumstances to withhold your tithes and offerings because you are not in harmony with everything that your brethren do? The tithes and offerings are not the property of any man, but are to be used in doing a certain work for God; unworthy ministers may receive some of the means thus raised; but dare any one, because of this, withhold from the treasury and brave the curse of God? I dare not. I pay my tithe gladly and freely, saying, as did David, “Of thine own have we given thee.” [1 Chronicles 29:14.] {Ms 3, 1890, par. 15} A selfish withholding from God will tend to poverty in our own souls. Act your part, my brethren and sisters. God loves you, and He stands at the helm. If the conference business is not managed according to the order of the Lord, that is the sin of the erring one; the Lord will not hold you responsible for it, if you do what you can to correct the evil. But do not commit sin yourselves by withholding from the Lord His own property. “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully,” or negligently. [Jeremiah 48:10.]"—Ellen G. White, Manuscript 3, 1890, par. 16
"The tithe is the Lord’s, and those who meddle with it will be punished with the loss of their heavenly treasure, unless they repent. Let the work no longer be hedged up because the tithe has been diverted into various channels other than the one to which the Lord has said it should go. Provision is to be made for these other lines of work. They are to be sustained; but not from the tithe. God has not changed; the tithe is to be used for the support of the ministry. The opening of new fields requires more ministerial efficiency than we now have, and there must be means in the treasury. {Ms 82, 1904, par. 13}
“How can the beneficent Father continue to make us His stewards, if we grasp all that is placed in our care, selfishly claiming it as our own? All that we have comes from God. He gives to us, that we may be His helping hand to bless others. He requires that we return to Him the tithe. He says it is holy unto the Lord. {PUR October 10, 1901, par. 2} … God will bear long. He will test and prove all; but “How can the beneficent Father continue to make us His stewards, if we grasp all that is placed in our care, selfishly claiming it as our own? All that we have comes from God. He gives to us, that we may be His helping hand to bless others. He requires that we return to Him the tithe. He says it is holy unto the Lord. {PUR October 10, 1901, par. 2} … God will bear long. He will test and prove all; but the curse will surely follow the selfish transgressor. God knows the heart. Every thought and every purpose is open to His eye. He says, “Them that honor Me I will honor.” He knows whom to bless, and who deserves the curse. He makes no mistakes. Angels are keeping a record of all our works. When we rob God of the tithe, we also rob ourselves: for we lose the heavenly treasure. We deprive ourselves of the blessing of God, which is promised to those who deal honestly with Him. “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” God’s ministers should not fail to warn the people, showing from the Bible the result of withholding the tithe.” {PUR October 10, 1901, par. 3} … But few feel remorse of soul because they are daily robbing God. There must be deeper convictions on this subject. The conscience must be aroused, and the matter receive earnest attention; for an account must be rendered to God in the last day, and His claims must be settled. {PUR October 10, 1901, par. 5}. The tithe should be consecrated to God. His requirements come first. We are not doing His will if we consecrate to Him what is left after all our wants have been supplied. Before any part of our income is consumed, we should take out and present to Him that portion which He claims as His. When this is done, the remainder will be sanctified and blessed to our own use. But when we withhold that which He says is His, the curse rests upon the whole, and we are recorded in the books of heaven as guilty of robbery. God gives man nine-tenths, but the one-tenth He claims for sacred purposes,—as He has given man six days for his own work, and has reserved the seventh day to Himself. {PUR October 10, 1901, par. 6} God knows the heart. Every thought and every purpose is open to His eye. He says, “Them that honor Me I will honor.” He knows whom to bless, and who deserves the curse. He makes no mistakes. Angels are keeping a record of all our works. When we rob God of the tithe, we also rob ourselves: for we lose the heavenly treasure. We deprive ourselves of the blessing of God, which is promised to those who deal honestly with Him. “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” God’s ministers should not fail to warn the people, showing from the Bible the result of withholding the tithe.” {PUR October 10, 1901, par. 3} … But few feel remorse of soul because they are daily robbing God. There must be deeper convictions on this subject. The conscience must be aroused, and the matter receive earnest attention; for an account must be rendered to God in the last day, and His claims must be settled. {PUR October 10, 1901, par. 5}. The tithe should be consecrated to God. His requirements come first. We are not doing His will if we consecrate to Him what is left after all our wants have been supplied. Before any part of our income is consumed, we should take out and present to Him that portion which He claims as His. When this is done, the remainder will be sanctified and blessed to our own use. But when we withhold that which He says is His, the curse rests upon the whole, and we are recorded in the books of heaven as guilty of robbery. God gives man nine-tenths, but the one-tenth He claims for sacred purposes,—as He has given man six days for his own work, and has reserved the seventh day to Himself."—Ellen G. White, Pacific Union Recorder, October 10, 1901, par. 6}
"But when God’s bounties, so richly and abundantly given, are withheld from him, and selfishly bestowed upon ourselves, God’s curse, in the place of his blessing, will surely be experienced; for this the Lord has declared. God’s claim is to take the precedence of any other claim, and must be discharged first. Then the poor and the needy are to be cared for. These must not be neglected, at whatever cost or sacrifice to ourselves."—Ellen G. White, Youth Instructor, August 26, 1897, par. 3}
"Many have made a mistake in withholding from the Lord that which he has plainly specified as his own. The tithe of all that God has blessed you with, belongs to him; and you have robbed God when you have used it for your own enterprises. The Lord has not left the disposal of the tithe to you, to be given or withheld as your inclination may dictate. He has placed the matter beyond all question, and there has been great neglect on the part of many of God’s professed people to fulfill the requirements of his word in regard to tithing."—Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, December 17, 1889, par. 1}
"Robbing God involves the most serious consequences. The soul is placed in peril when this is done; for the blessing of God is withdrawn."
"Withholding from God always brings a curse. Spiritual prosperity is closely bound up with Christian liberality. Hunger only for the exaltation of imitating the divine beneficence of the Redeemer. You have the precious assurance that your treasure is going before you to the heavenly courts. Would you make your property secure? Place it in the hand that bears the nail-prints of the crucifixion. Retain all in your possession, and it will be to your eternal loss."—Ellen G. White, Manuscript 57-1901.29
"Men have felt that they could do as they pleased; they say they cannot see the requirement of God on this subject, and in so doing they evince that they are not branches of the True Vine. If they have not yet withered away, they will surely do so; for they are robbing God. Unless they repent and do their first works, their light will go out in darkness. – {RH December 23, 1890 Par. 14} If you have been withholding your tithes and offerings, it is because you have left your first love; you have set up idols in your heart. There is not the slightest hope for a branch that remains thus separated from the Vine. None need flatter themselves that they will be restored to vital union with Christ in the future world. Now, in this world, the union must be effected, if it is ever formed. The time to repent is not when Christ shall come, but now, in this life. How many there are who die practicing dishonesty toward God, robbing him in tithes and offerings!"—Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, December 23, 1890 Par. 15
"As the sin of robbing God was presented, the people received clearer views of their duty and privilege in this matter. One brother said that for two years he had not paid his tithes, and he was in despair; but as he confessed his sin, he began to gather hope. “What shall I do?” he asked. {CS 95.3} I said, “Give your note to the treasurer of the church; that will be businesslike.” {CS 95.4} He thought that was a rather strange request; but he sat down, and began to write, “For value received, I promise to pay—” He looked up, as if to say, Is that the proper form in which to write out a note to the Lord? {CS 95.5} “Yes,” he continued, “for value received. Have I not been receiving the blessings of God day after day? Have not the angels guarded me? Has not the Lord blessed me with all spiritual and temporal blessings? For value received, I promise to pay the sum of $571.50 to the church treasurer.” After doing all he could do on his part, he was a happy man. In a few days he took up his note, and paid his tithe into the treasury. He had also made a Christmas donation of $125. {CS 95.6} Another brother gave a note for $1,000, expecting to meet it in a few weeks; and another gave a note for $300."—Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, February 19, 1889.
"Let those who have withheld their tithes, send them in before the year 1904 shall close, that they may be right with God, and never, never again run any risk of being cursed by God."—Ellen G. White, Banner, February 1, 1905 Par. 8
"Michigan has a standing account against her in the books of heaven, and the other states are equally delinquent. One and another are becoming dissatisfied, and saying, I will not longer pay my tithe, for I have no confidence in the way things are managed at the heart of the work. But will you rob God because you think the management of the work is not right? Make your complaint, plainly and openly, in the right spirit, to the proper ones. Send in your petition for things to be adjusted and set in order; but do not withdraw from the work of God and prove unfaithful because others are not doing right."—Ellen G. White, Manuscript 7-1891.
"Robbing God involves the most serious consequences. The soul is placed in peril when this is done; for the blessing of God is withdrawn."—Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, February 19, 1889 par. 3
"The Lord made a special covenant with men, that if they would regularly set apart the portion designated for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom, the Lord would bless them abundantly, so that there would not be room to receive his gifts. But if men withhold that which belongs to God, the Lord plainly declares, 'Ye are cursed with a curse.'”—Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, December 17, 1889 Par. 4
"Let us come to God with our grateful offerings. These we should continually present to Him. It is an endless offering. The proportion given to God sanctifies the balance that is used for our benefit. When the portion which God claims is withheld, His curse is upon our possessions. At whatever cost or sacrifice to ourselves, we must respond to the claims of God."—Ellen G. White, Manuscript 47-1900.7
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” There has been a fearful withholding from God, and, as a result, the withdrawal of his special blessing. We should not look upon the tithe as the limit of our liberality. The Jews were required to bring to God numerous offerings besides the tithe; and shall not we, who enjoy the blessings of the gospel, do as much to sustain the cause of God as was done in the former, less-favored dispensation? As the work for this time is extending in the earth, the calls for help are constantly increasing. And in view of this the Lord commands us, “Bring ye all the tithes into the store-house, that there may be meat in mine house,” that is, a surplus of means in the treasury, that the work of God in its various branches may be amply sustained."—Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, January 21, 1886, par. 12
"The message in the third chapter of Malachi comes to us, holding up before us the need of honesty in our relations to the Lord and his work. My brethren, the money that you use to buy and sell and get gain will be a curse to you if you withhold from the Lord that which is his. The means entrusted to you by the Lord for the advancement of his work should be used in sending the gospel to all parts of our world. {RH April 20, 1905, par. 18}. The curse of God will surely come upon those who rob him in tithes and offerings. “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”—Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, April 20, 1905, par. 19
"Many confessed that they had not paid tithes for years; and we know that God cannot bless those who are robbing him, and that the church must suffer in consequence of the sins of its individual members."—Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, February 19, 1889, par. 2
"Selfishness is a deadly evil. Self love, careless indifference to the specific terms of agreement between God and man, the refusal to act as His faithful stewards, has brought upon many His curse, just as He declared, would be the case. These souls have separated themselves from God; by precept and example they have led others to disregard God’s plain commandments, and He could not bestow His blessing upon them. {PrT May 13, 1897, par. 13} The Lord has specified: The tenth of all your possessions is Mine; your gifts and offerings are to be brought into the treasury, to be used to advance My cause, to send the living preacher to open the Scriptures to those who sit in darkness. {PrT May 13, 1897, par. 14}. Then will anyone run the risk of withholding from God His own, doing as did the unfaithful servant who hid his Lord’s money in the earth? Shall we, as did this man, seek to justify our unfaithfulness by complaining of God, saying, “Lord, I knew Thee that Thou art an hard man, reaping where Thou hast not sown, and gathering where Thou hast not strawed; and I was afraid, and went and hid Thy talent in the earth: lo, here Thou hast that is Thine”? Shall we not rather present our gratitude offerings to God?"—Ellen G. White, Present Truth, May 13, 1897, par. 15
"An all-wise God knew what was best when He gave to His people the plan of systematic offerings. They found that when they tried to increase their possessions, by withholding from God their tithes and offerings, the effort was sure to be a failure.—Ellen G. White, Pacific Union Recorder, October 24, 1901, par. 5