Generosity
Notes
Transcript
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
NASB: A generous person will be prosperous, And one who gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty of water
KJV: The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
This is a person who gives and gives freely. While the proverb does not specify who this generous soul is being generous to, it seems clear that this should be to those who are around us. And when we do this,
I want to spend a moment on the second line and the idea of watering. To water something well means you come back to it on a regular basis. It takes intentionality. Generosity is something that takes work and is cultivated.
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Plain and simple, our generosity begins with the Lord. Each time we give back to God, we recognizing that He gave us those earnings in the first place. We should keep in mind that verse 10 tells us of a blessing that takes place when we do this. Are there full barns or vats without the blessing of God? Certainly not!
Is it an absolute truth that God will bless us materially when we are generous with Him?
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
Good here can mean anything from money to food to just an encouraging word. Whatever the case is, it shouldn’t be withheld from a person who it is due to. Due is not necessarily when you owe something to a person but could mean that there is a need there in their life. If we have what is needed now then there is no reason to give it now.
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.
The more the person scatters, the more that they have that they are able to give. This snowballs.
Holding back grain is going to be the idea of driving up prices.
Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.
The man who acts as if he has given is all for show and seems to be a blessing like that to the farmer but is worth nothing.
Two significant reasons why we should pursue generosity are because it is God-like and because it has its own reward.
