II Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.
It is important that we never take verses out of context to try to defend a humanistic cause. God is the Author of Scripture. The saints in Corinth had been a carnal group of believers. They were too involved in infighting and corruption to be growing and serving the Lord.
The apostle Paul was sent to confront them in their sin and show them the way forward. Thankfully the saints had listened and they did repent and they were starting to grow. While they were busy in their carnality, the saints in Jerusalem were in need of support due to difficulties in their area. The saints in Jerusalem were not lazy. We know the Pharisees dominated that area. We know the Roman government did not care if the Pharisees were corrupt.
There was a financial need among the saints in Jerusalem. The apostle Paul was directed by God to raise this matter with the saints in other areas. A collection was to be taken among the true churches and sent to Jerusalem. In verse 6 Paul warned against being stingy. It is possible to be tight fisted. It is also possible to lack discernment when it comes to financial matters. There are far too many people who give to the fraudsters who preach a prosperity gospel. Those people promise “blessings” if you just give them a little bit more. The only ones that benefit from those “gifts” are the fraudsters. Kenneth Copeland has several private jets to take him on his money grabbing jaunts. His disciples copy his schemes and they too are able to milk the undiscerning for their money.
The apostle Paul did not have any special means of transportation. He travelled on foot at times. He traveled on ships that carried grain and slaves and soldiers. He did not have a quiet corner of the ship to hide from the people. He gave counsel to the captain and others. They did not receive it and that hurt them, not Paul.
Paul was a true servant of God as were the saints in Jerusalem that had the present need. God was directing the apostle Paul to make the saints aware of the need, and the Corinthian saints needed to listen to the indwelling Holy Spirit and give toward the need.
In verse 7 we read that there was no coercion involved here. There was no gimmick either. It was a matter of true saints acting upon the new heart they had been given at salvation. God did not want them to be grumbling and complaining as they were giving. If their heart was not right with God, that needed to be fixed first. The apostle Paul reminded them that “God loveth a cheerful giver.”
In verse 8 we read that God was able to look after their needs even as they would give to the needs of others. God wants His children to prove their walk of faith by being His hands, His feet, His ministers of material needs. It is a blessing to be involved in the lives of other saints. It is a blessing to see a true work of God growing in the Lord. It is a blessing to hear of others who are coming to know the goodness of God and others who are getting saved.
As we have noted before, God does not set out to bankrupt one saint to make another saint rich. There is an equality. Not that all have the same amount of material gain. Rather that each person has their needs supplied by the God Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills.
In verse 9 Paul referred back to Psalm 112:
Psalms 112:9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
Ultimately God is more concerned in the spiritual well-being of people than the material wealth of people. He blesses people with material wealth at times. It is far better to enjoy the spiritual wealth that only God can give.
God gives to the poor that which is of greater value than money. The poor can know God’s peace. The rich can know that as well, but the rich often trust in their riches rather than in God. They can be quite stingy with their wealth, spending it on things that do not last rather than on things that have eternal value.
As we see in verse 9, His righteousness remaineth for ever. Wicked schemes have come and gone. Wickedness increases and sometimes decreases. The world is growing more and more wicked all the time. Most religious groups promote wickedness. A few people come to know the fear of the LORD. The world is actively working to get rid of those few people. The politicians are “experts” in spin and they know how to turn common people into tools to work to get rid of those few who love the Lord.
The good news is that because God’s righteousness is eternal, there will never be a time when He will not have an impact on the world. The wise person does not take his lead from politicians. He chooses truth over spin. He trusts in the true God and allows Him to bless him in ways the world never can.
Pastor Bartel