Spoke 3 - Gimel - The Riches of their Liberality
Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the
riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they
were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and
take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
2 Corinthians 8:1ff (Spoke 3, Cycle 3)
The Book of 2 Corinthians contains two whole chapters devoted to the virtue of giving.
It begins in Chapter 8 with the verses quoted above and continues through Chapter 9 where we find
the classic (and biblically unique) statement that God loves a cheerful giver – the very heart
and soul of Gimel, the Letter of Giving. Here is how Halley's Bible Handbook
summarized these two chapters:
These two chapters contain instructions about the Offering for the Poor Saints in Jerusalem. ...
In these two chapters we have the most complete instructions about Church Giving which the New Testament contains.
Though it is an offering for Charity, we presume the Principles here stated should be the Guide for Churches
in the taking of all their Offerings, both those for Self-Support and those for Missionary and Benevolent enterprises.
With regards to the integration of the theme of "offering" or "giving to the Lord"
in the books on the first and third Cycles of Spoke 3, see
Leviticus: The Offerings of the Lord. To see just how strongly Gimel
governs the themes of the third Book on Spoke 3, consider these forty-nine characteristic words and
phrases found in 2 Corinthians, (multiple occurrences indicated in parentheses):
Abound (3), abounded, aboundeth, abundance (5), abundant (4), abundantly (4), benefit,
bestowed (2), bountifully (2), bountifulness, bounty (2), cheerful giver, dispersed abroad,
distributed, he hath given to the poor, liberal distribution, no lack, rich (3), receive the gift,
sufficiency (2), sufficient (4), supplied, supplieth, supply (2), the gift bestowed upon us,
the riches of their liberality, treasure, unspeakable gift
The graph shows the distribution of all words based on the ideas of abundance and bounty, such as abound,
abounded, bounty, bountifully, and so forth, on Cycle 3. The KJV contains a total of 58 such words on Cycle 3,
with 25 of them (43%) appearing in 2 Corinthians on Spoke 3. This theme therefore is objective and measurable.
The connection with Gimel is plain for all to see. And to top it all off, Paul completed his two chapter exposition
on the virtue of giving by relating it all back to the central theme, saying
"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift" (2 Cor 9:15).
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Riches of their Liberality
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