2 Corinthians 9:10 Commentary and Bible Study

Now the prayer of the apostle: ‘Now he that ministereth seed to the sower’ – he gave you everything you have – ‘both minister bread for your food,’ – may he look after you; he will of course – ‘and multiply your seed sown,’ – your ability to give – ‘and increase the fruits [the result] of your righteousness’, which means here your kindness. The farmer sows the seed, as much as he can if he is interested in expanding his farm. He does stint on the sowing. All his prosperity is bound up with the selling: so too with giving to the Lord. It is an act of faith. We are dependent upon the Lord. We do not proceed with too great an eye to security in this life.‘Being enriched in everything to all bountifulness,’ – so that you become more and more able to be generous – ‘which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.’ The object of your generosity and your effort and your expending time, energy, and money, will ultimately be the praise of God. That is the great objective; that is what we want. We want the relief of the poor saints in Jerusalem, but more than that we want the ultimate objective that they will praise and thank the Lord for his faithfulness. Paul repeats it, it is so important. It is thankfulness to God that we are aiming at. Quite rightly, those who receive these gifts give thanks first and foremost to God, for it is he that stirs up the hearts of his people to generosity, and he can be relied upon to provide for our needs with or without the involvement of our fellow believers.