A Proverb to Guide Our Giving
2 CORINTHIANS 9:6,7
A PROVERB TO GUIDE OUR GIVING
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Every language has its proverbs. English is an expressive and marvellously powerful language in part because it is so dynamic, adapting to the changing world including the adoption of sayings, proverbs and adages found in other languages. The proverb Paul quotes is obviously ancient; and though we cannot speak with authority of the origin of the proverb it was certainly current among those conversant with the lingua franca of the New Testament world, what we now speak of as koine Greek. I suspect that the proverb quoted is as ancient, in one form or another, as agrarian society. So long as man has tilled the soil, I would suppose that this proverb has been quoted.
I make no claim to being a horticulturist; my thumb is not green and plants simply die by reason of my proximity. Therefore, I have no advice concerning your efforts to plant or grow plants in your yards. However, Paul is not speaking of plants in this proverb. He is applying the universal truth underlying the proverb to instruct his readers in a biblical principle concerning giving. The greater your gift, the greater the return you may anticipate. Though there may be caveats applied to the proverb, the truth remains that generosity begets blessing. Join me in a study of this ancient proverb to discover how the truth may be applied in contemporary life.
The Biblical Basis for Generosity in Giving — There lived during the early years of the century only recently passed, a wonderfully gifted man who was richly blessed by God in his business. The name of this gifted man was R. G. LeTourneau. LeTourneau was a designer and builder of the great earth moving equipment which was instrumental in permitting North American governments to design and construct the vast network of roads and urban infrastructure which has built the modern nations. In the process, LeTourneau earned a vast fortune.
Being a Christian, R. G. LeTourneau was determined that he would honour God through his generosity. At the first, he committed to giving a tenth of his income, which he soon increased to twenty percent. As he kept on earning money he continued increasing the amount he gave to God and His work until he was donating ninety percent of his earnings to the work of the Lord. Near the end of his life, he confessed that he had enjoyed life immensely, and especially had he enjoyed contributing to the work of the Lord. His testimony was that as he was shovelling money out the back of his life with a spoon God was shovelling money into his life with a scoop shovel. His testimony was that no one could out give God.
God will be debtor to no one. No mere mortal can so live, can so give, that God becomes indebted to that individual. Job, pondering the deep questions of the divine mind, asks rhetorically of God:
If He snatches away, who can stop Him?
Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?
[Job 9:12]
The Living God is generous beyond all human comprehension. Throughout the Word of God are statements of His compassion and generosity which are given to stimulate His people to emulation of His noble character. We are familiar with the statement which underscores our Faith and which is recorded in John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. I have often noted that this example of infinite generosity finds its foundation in the promise of Isaiah 9:6:
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given.
God is defined by His generosity, by His compassion for fallen mankind and His willingness to give that man might live. How wonderfully does Paul sum up this divine munificence in Galatians 2:20: The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Never forget that God is generous, that God is benevolent to us as a race and as a people.
God, through Malachi, the last writing prophet of the Old Testament era, issued a command, attaching a wonderful promise revealing His generous nature toward His people. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, ‘‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty [Malachi 3:10-12].
I am often struck by the admonitions to generosity discovered in the wisdom literature. Listen to two such exhortations from The Psalms and The Proverbs.
The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously
[Psalm 37:21].
Those who are generous are blessed,
for they share their bread with the poor
[Proverbs 22:9].
According to the Psalmist, generosity characterises the righteous. According to the Wise Man, the generous may anticipate blessing because they are considerate of the needy.
Akin to these Old Testament instructions and sage counsel are instructions from the lips of Jesus and from the pen of Paul. Consider two such words of counsel. The first was provided by our Lord, and though often wrenched out of context that they may be applied to sate raw greed, the counsel is worthy of thoughtful consideration. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you [Luke 6:38]. Surely this is a promise of blessing for the generous. Writing his young theologue, Timothy, Paul urged him to remember that and teach that [Christians] are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share [1 Timothy 6:18]. The mark of a Christian is generosity.
Let me summarise this vital point. The character of God is generosity and the child reflects the parent in expressing this same spirit of generosity. Generosity, if you will, is synonymous with love for it is an expression of the Spirit of God and God is love. I do not need to tell you these truths; you already know them. I do, however, find it necessary to remind us as believers from time-to-time that the spirit of generosity is the true expression of our God.
The Promise of Blessing Flowing from Generosity — Remember this: … whoever sows generously will also reap generously. We have already discovered that God is pledged to bless the generous heart. The verse before us, however, is quite pointed in the promise that God will remember generosity. In that respect, the verse is akin to several Old Testament promises. I want you to listen to these promises as they are displayed in the Wisdom Literature. The first I quote is from The Proverbs and the second is quoted from The Psalms.
One man gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
A generous man will prosper;
he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
People curse the man who hoards grain,
but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.
[Proverbs 11:24-26]
It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice
[Psalm 112:5].
These proverbs to which I have just now referred are statements of general principle, which though inspired by the Spirit of God, were based upon the observations of the respective writers. In other words, revealed theology confirms the conclusion drawn from natural theology. Nevertheless, we may take it as divine promise that God takes note of the generous and that He is pledged in turn to show Himself generous toward generous people.
The Corinthians were not noted for their generosity. In an earlier letter, the Apostle had found it necessary to take them to task for their lack of compassion. You will perhaps recall the passage: When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk [1 Corinthians 11:20, 21]. These people were inconsiderate of one another at the best and without compassion at the worst. Even at the Lord’s Table they came together, but were yet in a state of disharmony—there was no unity, no harmony, no sense of oneness in Christ. Those able to care for themselves provided enough for their own comfort even while ignoring the hunger and the thirst of their fellow saints. Before the Lord Christ some went without food and drink in the Agape Feasts which preceded the Lord’s Supper! This was not a compassionate church. Small wonder, then, that the Apostle found it necessary to remind them of the need for generosity.
Focused on themselves, they were incapable of consideration of others. In only a few more sentences the Apostle would remind them of the blessings which flowed from generosity. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us [2 Corinthians 9:11]. We are prone to congratulate ourselves that we are not like the Corinthians, and I trust that we are not so self-centred that we forget to be generous; however, these instructions were included in Holy Writ for a reason. It is because we are a fallen race that God has seen fit to include this admonition in the Word. Let us guard our hearts and our minds that we do not fall into the trap of focusing on our own desires to the exclusion of compassion and generosity toward our fellow saints in need.
My dear people, I urge you to always remember compassion and to always endeavour to be a generous people; for you may be assured that God is pledged to show Himself gracious, generous, open-handed, toward those who are themselves generous. If we are a generous person we already know this to be true. If we have yet to discover this truth through generosity, we need to hear it for ourselves so that we may arrange our lives to honour God and so that we may discover the veracity of His gracious promise.
The Expressions of Generosity in Grace Giving — Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. The expression of generosity is seen in forethought (Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give), in willingness (Each man should give … not reluctantly or under compulsion), and in joy (God loves a cheerful giver). Join me in exploring those expressions of generosity to see if we measure up.
The first expression of generosity is revealed in the principle of forethought. When we come to the time of the offering, we should not be caught unprepared; we should have prepared ourselves for the act of giving. One great reason I do not teach that we are to tithe is this principle outlined in Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians. Those participating in the worship of God through giving of their substance are to think: Each … should give what he has decided … to give. Any reasonable application of this principle imposes on the worshipper responsibility for distributing his gifts and not merely to consider that he has given and that is the end of the matter.
May I suggest the following guidelines to assist in your giving. As you weigh what you should give in worship during the time of offering, ask yourself the two questions which follow: how has God blessed me in the past?; and what do I anticipate that He will do in the future?.
As you determine the amount you will give as an expression of worship, consider how God has blessed you in the past. I suggest that the individual in love with Christ, the individual aware of blessing, of necessity will be a generous individual. It is only as we focus on the moment that we lose sight of God’s goodness. Focused intently on this transient life we convince ourselves that it is our might, our strength, our abilities, which have obtained our position and those goods we are called to administer.
There is an awful tendency among those redeemed by the Lord to forget His goodness. Moses, speaking in the final days to the people he had led out of Egyptian bondage and on the very verge of the Promised Land, reminded those who had seen God’s goodness of this distressing and awful tendency. Listen to these warnings.
When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery [Deuteronomy 6:10-12].
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery [Deuteronomy 8:10-14].
Those most richly blessed are most prone to forget the blessings. At the last, Moses would sing a song in which he confronted Israel—and consequently all the redeemed of God—with the tendency of the fallen heart to depart from the God who has so richly blessed. Moses spoke of Jeshurun, a term of endearment for Israel which God used, warning of the tendency to abandon God in the glow of His rich blessings.
Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;
filled with food, he became heavy and sleek.
He abandoned the God who made him
and rejected the Rock his Saviour.
[Deuteronomy 32:15]
Just as we should remember how God has blessed us, so we should anticipate how He shall yet bless us. If we look back, remembering His goodness in the past, how can we doubt His goodness in the future? As we come to the time of worship through our giving, then, I encourage each worshipper to anticipate God’s continuing blessings in the future. During the week, as you prepare yourself for worship, give thought to God’s blessings in the past and anticipate that He shall yet bless you in the days to come.
A second expression of generosity is seen in willingness to participate in the act of giving. Paul states that worshippers are to give … not reluctantly or under compulsion. We give neither out of compulsion nor by reason of coercion. Either we want to demonstrate compassion, or we do not wish to be compassionate. There really is no middle ground. May I remind you that the attitude precedes the act, and if the heart is right the action becomes acceptable before God. You will recall Paul’s words in an earlier chapter from this same letter: if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have [2 Corinthians 8:12]. Willingness is the precedence which insures that our giving is pleasing before the Lord.
The heart which honours God is a heart which rejoices at the opportunity to give; this is the third expression. The biblical expression is that God loves a cheerful giver. It is perhaps a cliché, but a literal translation is that God loves a hilarious giver. There should be an infectious joy at the opportunity to give. When we worship through giving there should be a smile in our hearts which breaks through to shine on our face. Smile when you give; God loves your smiles.
The Word of God urges Christians to be a generous people. In Christian generosity, God is honoured. We give—not to receive from God—but we realise that when our actions are pleasing to God He has promised to bless us. As opportunity is presented, let each of us determine that we will be generous in every way. In giving our time, in donating our strength, in presenting our wealth—let us show ourselves generous in every way. In doing this, we may be assured that we will be pleasing to God.
Permit me to conclude the message by relating a rather humorous account of a lazy man.
A travelling salesman observed a farmer in the southern United States sitting on his front porch during the midday heat. In an effort to strike up a conversation the drummer spoke to the farmer, asking about the crops. “How’s the corn this year?” the salesman asked.
“Didn’t plant corn. Worried there would be too much rain last spring,” replied the farmer.
Nonplussed, the drummer inquired again, “How are your ‘taters doing?”
Again the farmer replied, “Didn’t plant ‘taters. Worried ‘bout the ‘tater bugs.”
The salesman was somewhat taken aback, but tried once more. “How about green beans? Did you plant beans?”
“Nope,” responded the patient farmer, “didn’t plant beans ‘cause I was worried about blight.”
“Black-eyed peas?” ventured the salesman.
Once more the farmer replied, “Nope! No black-eyed peas. Worried about drought last summer.”
Curious, now, the drummer asked, “What did you plant this year?”
“Didn’t plant nothing,” replied the farmer patiently. “Didn’t want to take any chances.”
The farmer in the story is like many Christians. We don’t invest anything in the work of the Kingdom because we don’t want to take chances. Consequently, having invested nothing, we gain nothing, and the work of God is hindered and hampered through such individuals. Let us, as a community of faith, determine that we will invest richly into the ongoing work of God. Amen.