Chuck Bentley is CEO of Crown, a nonprofit business, personal finance policy and educational organization, and author of “The Worst Financial Mistakes in the Bible and How You Can Avoid Them.”

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Even Jesus had a Tax Man

by Chuck Bentley 04-11-2014
Taxes are due April 15. Courtesy Shutterstock

Taxes are due April 15. Courtesy Shutterstock

Feeling anxious about your tax liability as April 15 nears? The Bible has many references to taxes that will sound strangely relevant at this time of year — beginning with the story of David and Goliath.

Many remember a teenage boy offended by insults thrown by a giant foe against his nation and God himself, who volunteers to go into battle with a slingshot. But did you know that a tax incentive was part of his prize?

Visiting the battlefield, David learns: “The king will give great wealth to the man who kills (Goliath) and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel,” (1 Samuel 17:25).

Throughout Scripture, tax discussions mark many passages, as ancient men and women worried about how they would pay.