2 Corinthians 9

2 Corinthians 9:1

Continuing on with the subject of giving, Paul tactfully says to the Corinthians, “Even though you’re not carrying out your commitment, I know your heart is right.” Paul reminds the Corinthians that it was their desire to give that inspired the believers in Macedonia to begin giving.

2 Corinthians 9:3

Heb_10:24 says we are to provoke one another to love and good works. Thus, Paul says, “I provoked the believers in Macedonia by telling them how generous you are. Now follow throughdon’t let us down.”

2 Corinthians 9:5

The word “covetousness” is better translated “pressure,” so Paul is saying, “I’m sending Titus and company ahead of me so that I won’t have to pressure you to gather that which you promised to give previously.”

2 Corinthians 9:6

Here is the key to the entire discussions. If you miss this point, 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 will not make sense to you the way they could or should. Paul is telling us that just as there are natural laws in the universelaws of gravity, inertia, and thermodynamicsthere are spiritual laws as well. If you give sparingly, you will reap sparingly; if you give bountifully, you will reap bountifully. That’s an absolute law of God as certain as is gravity or any other physical law. I don’t know how electricity workswhether the electrical current travels through the wire or spins around the wire. I don’t know how light workswhether it’s a wave, a particle, something in between, or something altogether different. I don’t know how gravity worksbut I utilize them all. And even if I ignore them, my ignorance or denial of them does not alter their effect in the least. In other words, if I jump off a tower, my denying the existence of the law of gravity will not slow my descent one iota. So, too, whether I am aware of it or not, the law of sowing and reaping is as certain as the law of gravity. And so insistent is the Lord upon this principle that it is the only one about which God says, “Test Me.” 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.Mal_3:10 Satan tried to get Jesus to prove God by jumping off the pinnacle of the temple. “It is written, you’re not to test the Lord your God,” He answered (see Mat_4:7). Yet with regard to tithing, God makes an exception when He says, “Start tithing and watch and see how I’ll bless you in ways that will blow your mind, warm your heart, build your faith, and set you free.” Giving Gladly: Why Should I? A Topical Study of 2Co_9:7 It is true that we make a living by what we get, but it is equally true that we make a life by what we give. Perhaps it was Paul’s knowledge of this principle that enabled him to say with certainty, “God loves a cheerful giver.” The Greek word translated “cheerful” is hilaros, from which we get the word “hilarious.” Thus, according to Paul, giving should not be a pain. It should be a party. It should not be heavy, but happy. Why would giving produce hilarity, happiness, and joy when everything in our flesh says it should produce just the opposite? Paul gives five reasons why giving does indeed produce hilarity… God’s Promise to Us But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.2Co_9:6 After Jesus used Peter’s boat to preach from the Sea of Galilee, He said, “Take your boat out, Peter, and throw your nets into the water.” Peter did soand took in a massive haul of fish (see Luk_5:3-6). In other words, because Peter gave Jesus his boat, Jesus returned it full of fish. That’s just the way God is. He is a debtor to no man. 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.Mal_3:8-9 What is the tithe? The word simply means a tenth. That is, the first 10 percent of anything we earnbe it a dollar a week or a million dollars a dayis God’s. And according to Malachi 3, failure to release this tithe to Him constitutes robbery. Because of this failure, Malachi told the Jews they were cursednot cursed in the sense that God is in heaven stirring a cauldron with a broomstick, pronouncing a curse upon thembut cursed because they limited what God could do for them. Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.Hag_1:4-6 “Your wages disappear,” says Haggai. Why? Because you have ignored the work of the Lord. 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.Mal_3:10 Over and over throughout Scripture, we are warned about the folly and presumption of testing God. We’re not to test Himwe’re to trust Him. Yet here in Malachi we see the single exception when God says, “Test Me. Bring the tithe to My storehouse. Watch and see what I will do.” And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.Mal_3:11 The Lord says, “I will protect you from this one who causes your appliances to break down, your car to stall, your finances to crumble.” Am I suggesting that the devil is behind every car problem? No. But I am saying that the Enemy has all kinds of plans to keep us in debt, to keep us perpetually in the hole. That is why the Lord says, “Let Me defend you. Let Me see you through miraculously. Test Me. Trust Me to rebuke the devourer, the one who eats at you personally and financially. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.Mal_3:12 Does this mean if we tithe we’ll be rich? No, but we will be blessed. When people look at us, they will sense an absence of tension, a freedom, and a contentment within us due to God’s protection of that which He has given us. Why should we give hilariously? Because of God’s promise that He will reward, that He will rebuke, that He will revive. God’s Purpose for Us For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.Mat_6:21 Secondly, we should be hilarious in giving because of God’s purpose for us. What is God’s purpose for us? To live in heaven eternally. Therefore, because we so easily get stuck in the world’s system, God says, “I have a way to get your heart in heaven: Put your treasure there.” Inevitably, people who invest in heaven become increasingly interested in the coming of Christ and the coming of the kingdom. This should not be surprising. If your treasure is in a retirement fund, your heart will be as well. If your treasure is in some material objecta sports car or vacation homethat’s where your heart will be. But if your treasure is regularly invested in heaven, you’ll find yourself increasingly kingdom-oriented. As illustrated by Jesus in the parable of the ten talents (Luke 19), when He returns, we will give an account as to whether we invested what He gave us wisely or buried it foolishly. If we have invested wisely, we will be given significant responsibility. Why does money impact our role in eternity? Because we work forty to fifty hours a week, what we do with our money is a direct reflection upon what we do with our lives. That is why those who say, “Lord, You’re not getting a tenth. You’re not getting a twentieth. You’re getting nothing,” are actually saying, “You’re not getting me.” And the Lord has no choice but to say, “I can’t allow you to rule, to enjoy what you otherwise would have in the kingdom.” Oh, how we need to hear this. Jesus is coming, and it will not matter that we got a new car or a bigger house. At that moment, nothing will matter except that we’ll see Him face-to-face. This One who loves us so much will say, “What did you do with My tenth? You bought a new CD player, a new mountain bike? That’s what you think of Me? I love you, but I can’t allow you to have the responsibility you would have had.” God’s Premise About Us Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.Luk_6:36-38 Thirdly, we should give hilariously because of God’s premise about us. You see, over and over throughout Scripture, God looks at His people and calls them stiff-necked and hard of heart. He doesn’t say this hatefully or condemningly, but rather knowingly. “I know what you are,” He says. “You’re stiff-necked and hard of heart, greedy, and lazy. I want you to be different. I want you to be bigger. I want you to be forgiving, merciful, and compassionate. I want you to relate to people, to care about people, to love people like I do. So give money.” “Wait a minute,” you say. “There is no direct correlation between caring about people and giving money.” Really? We might think we’re fairly compassionate, sufficiently forgiving, quite merciful. But how do we measure these characteristics? According to Luk_6:35-38, Jesus said we are to measure them by how generous we are financially. Thus, there is, indeed, a direct correlation between what we do with material resources and how we relate to people. In other words, we will know how we’re doing with people by how we handle our money. If we are truly forgiving, merciful, and compassionate, it will show in our checkbook registers. If we claim to love people but are not giving financially, we’re fooling ourselves, for Jesus inextricably tied the two together. Giving is not God’s way of raising cash. It’s His way of raising kids. Knowing we’re stingy and greedy, God wants to free us from these tendencies. Consequently, every time the offering basket comes along, I have the opportunity to give away part of my smallness and greediness. If I pass up this opportunity, I’m in effect saying, “Keep me a small person, Lord.” God’s Process in Us Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.1Ti_6:17 God is a giver. And He wants us to be like Him. Why? Because He is hilariously happy. You see, God isn’t in heaven, saying, “It’s hard being God.” No, there is hilarity in heaven day and night. Praise is resounding. Joy is unspeakable. There is a holy happiness unparalleled to anything this world has ever seen. Knowing giving is hard for us, God demands itnot because He’s mean, but to help us be like Him. What will this do? The same thing it did for Abraham… Following the successful rescue of his nephew Lot, Abraham was met by Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who, with bread and wine in hand, blessed him. Inherently sensing God was in His midst in the person of Melchizedek, Abraham did what any man of God must doHe gave tithes of all he had. Abraham was also met by the king of Sodom, who said, “Abraham, give me the people you rescued and keep these goods for yourself.” “I will not take even a thread or shoelace from you,” Abraham answered, “lest you say you made me rich” (see Genesis 14). The king of Sodom comes to us constantly through the newspaper, TV, and radio, saying, “You need this. Buy this. Grab this.” In essence, the king of Sodom tells us to buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like. What’s the solution? Abraham was able to resist the king of Sodom because he had given to the King of Salem. Had he not given to the King of Salem, I suggest he would have perhaps succumbed to the temptation to take from the king of Sodom. God’s Presence with Us For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.2Co_8:9 The final reason we can give with hilarity is because God gave us Jesus. If this were the only reason to give, it would be more than enough. When the wise men came to Bethlehem, they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, not because Jesus would do a miracle for them, give insight to them, or pronounce blessing upon them. As a two-year-old, He could do none of those things. They gave not to receive, but simply because He is the King. “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift,” Paul declared (2Co_9:15). After spending two chapters discussing the importance and benefits of giving, for Paul, it all came down to Jesus. God’s promise to us, His purpose for us, His premise about us, His process in us, and His presence with us are each reason enough for us to give with joy. Together, they leave us no other option. May God give us the grace to be people who give hilariously.

2 Corinthians 9:8

If you invest in the kingdom, God is not going to say, “I wish I could return the favor, but I just can’t keep up with your generosity.” No, He is able to give back infinitely more than we could ever begin to even think about giving.

2 Corinthians 9:9

Foolish would be the farmer who, given some seed, said, “This seed is too valuable to bury in the soil where I can’t see it.” Therefore, Paul says, “It’s the Lord who gives the seed, who tends the seed, who causes it to spring forth both for nourishment and for a new supply of seed.” This is true of every resource entrusted to Him.

2 Corinthians 9:12

“Your giving will not only help the Jerusalem believers practically, but it will help them spiritually. It will cause them to abound in thanksgiving,” Paul told the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 9:13

Not only would the Jerusalem believers praise the Lord because of the generosity of the Corinthian believersbut they would pray for the Corinthian believers as well. After all, don’t you find yourself automatically praying blessing for those who bless you? Want to get prayed for? Give!

2 Corinthians 9:15

Due to the immensity of Greek vocabulary and the precision of its tenses, voices, and moods, there has never been a language as exact as Greek. And of all the writers, philosophers, historians, and poets who wrote in koini Greek, none had a command of the language to rival the apostle Paul’s. Yet, as he gave the Corinthians the foundational reason why they should be people who give, when this master of language tried to describe God’s gift to us, Paul was speechlessfor truly Jesus is too wonderful for words.