“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”
2 Corinthians 9:10 (NIV)
The prophecy of a wonderful harvest given in Amos 9:13 and of money coming from Gentiles into Jerusalem in Haggai 2:7,8, meet together in 2 Corinthians 9. As we read verse 10 we notice the promise of an enlarged harvest of righteousness connected to sowing, which is an echo of the promise in Amos 9 where the plowman overtakes the reaper. This would only happen when the harvest is so large that it is still being harvested as the plowman begins to plant the seed. That is a tremendous harvest, enlarged by God through His grace given to us through His on our Lord Jesus Christ.
Reading and understanding chapters 8 and 9 reveals for us that verse 10 is about Christians giving of their money to other Christians who are in need, and if we believe that this collection was for the churches in Jerusalem (Acts 11:28-30 & 1 Corinthians 16:3) then even more specifically about Gentile Christians giving of their money to Jewish Christians who are in need.
You cannot escape the link between us giving of our money to our brothers and sisters in need and true righteousness. We might want to believe that we can be righteous without deliberately giving our money away, but we would have to ignore a lot of Scripture to believe that. No friend - God requires us to be our brother’s keeper.
Paul tells us that as we give our money (seed) to those in need, then God will supply and increase our money (store of seed).
Be careful of the false prosperity gospel which switches a desire for righteousness with a desire for money. Which do I desire more? Money or righteousness?
Let us seek His kingdom and His righteousness.
Let us give generously to God's people in need.
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