2 Corinthians 8:8-17 (HCSB)
I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich. Now I am giving an opinion on this because it is profitable for you, who a year ago began not only to do something but also to desire it. But now finish the task as well, that just as there was eagerness to desire it, so there may also be a completion from what you have. For if the eagerness is there, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. It is not that there may be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality—at the present time your surplus is available for their need, so their abundance may also become available for our need, so there may be equality. As it has been written:
The person who gathered much
did not have too much,
and the person who gathered little
did not have too little.
For the last year, Paul has been using the generous pledge made by the Corinthians as motivation for the Churches in other communities to give generously to the needy Christians in Jerusalem. And now the time had arrived for the Corinthians to make good on what they have promised.
Paul is not commanding the Corinthians to give. He is merely encouraging them to be faithful in what they had promised. Other poorer Churches had already given very generously, and the Corinthians, who were on the wealthier end of the spectrum, should be able to give at least as generously as they.
Paul’s model for sacrificial giving is Jesus Himself, who was God, but who impoverished Himself in order to give life to all who would believe in Him. If the Lord Himself is that generous, how can his people hold back when they have a brother or sister in Christ who is in need?
Paul’s desire is not to impoverish the Corinthians so that the Christians in Jerusalem can grow rich. He is simply encouraging them to give what they had promised, so that out of their current plenty, those who had too little could be supplied, leveling the field a bit. The idea is that later, if the Corinthians fall on hard times, others who are experiencing times of plenty can come to their aid as well.
The Scripture Paul cites is Exodus 16:18 and has to do with the manna. Each person was instructed to gather one omer each morning (about half a gallon) for each person in their household. But God did a miracle as the people gathered. When it was all measured out, those who gathered more than was required ended up with exactly one omer per family member. And those who gathered less than was needed had exactly one omer per family member. God evened it all out so that no one lacked, and no one had more than they could use that day.
Paul’s point is that at the moment, there were those who had more than they needed, while others had less than they needed. But by generous giving, the Corinthians could even the field and still have what they themselves need.
Father, we have grown very self-sufficient these days, with our credit cards and our savings accounts and investments. We save so that we can rely on ourselves when rainy days come instead of needing to rely on You. That sounds fine in theory, but when it makes us close our hearts to the legitimate needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ because we might need those resources ourselves at some point, it then becomes problematic. Lord, help me to hold all You have given me loosely, especially when you have given me more than I need for the moment. Help me to live simply myself so that I can live generously with others, to Your glory. Amen.