2 Corinthians 9:6

‘But this I say (or ‘is always so'), He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.'

For the general thought see Proverbs 22:8, ‘he who sows iniquity will reap calamity -- he who has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.' Meditating on this may well have spurred Paul on into inventing his own proverbs in this vein, which he applied to this particular situation. Compare Galatians 6:7 where a similar thought is in mind, ‘what a man sows that will he also reap, for he who sows to his own flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap eternal life'. And the thought is close to the words of Jesus in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you -- with the measure you measure out, it will be measured to you." (See also Job 4:8; Proverbs 11:24; Hosea 10:12).

The thought is basic. If the farmer is meagre in his sowing he will receive a meagre harvest. If he sows generously, he will receive a generous harvest. It was a truth well known to farmers, and applies to much of what we do. So the Corinthians need to consider the level of their response, for they will reap accordingly. This is often true even of this life, and all would be aware of the parables of the harvest referring to the final judgment which emphasise that it is true in eternity (Matthew 13).