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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
9:6-15 Generosity, Joy, and the Glory of God. The Corinthians' gift will maximize their joy, help fellow believers, and bring honor and praise to God.
9:6 sows bountifully. Paul expands a well-known proverb: "You reap what you sow" (e.g., Job 4:8; Ps. 126:5; Prov. 22:8; Jer. 12:13; Matt. 6:26; John 4:36-37; Gal. 6:7). God does not command Christians to give a certain amount, but he provides opportunities to give generously. Those who sow generously will also reap bountifully in terms of bearing fruit for God's kingdom and in other ways as well (2 Cor. 9:11).
9:7-8 God loves (in the sense of "approves of") a cheerful giver, an allusion to Prov. 22:8 in the Septuagint (cf. Deut. 15:10; Rom. 12:8). God loves such joy-motivated giving to others because it expresses contentment in God's gracious giving to the believer (see 2 Cor. 9:14) that makes every good work possible and results in thanksgiving and glory to God (see vv. 11-13).
9:9 distributed freely . . . given to the poor. The good work of God's people (v. 8; see 1 Cor. 15:58) corresponds to the description of the man in Ps. 112:9, whose righteousness is manifest in his providing for the poor. endures forever. Such righteousness remains beyond the day of judgment because it originates from and is sustained by the Lord's righteousness, expressed in giving to his people, which also "endures forever" (Ps. 111:3).
9:10 The promise that God will increase the harvest should not be understood in material terms but in terms of increasing your righteousness. Thus the quoted OT texts (Isa. 55:10; Hos. 10:12) refer specifically to the provision of God's word for the redemption of his people. God's promise is that he will use his people and their resources as instruments of his grace for the salvation of others.
9:11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way. God will provide for the Corinthians' needs so that they can continue generously meeting others' needs and giving resources to advance the gospel.
9:12-14 the ministry (Gk. diakonia) of this service (Gk. leitourgia). The collection is an integral part of the ministry of the gospel (cf. 3:7-9; 4:1; 5:18; 6:3) and an act of public worship (cf. also Luke 1:23; Rom. 15:27; Phil. 2:17, 30; Heb. 9:21), which causes others to offer thanksgivings to God as they see the work of God's grace in the lives of the Corinthians.
