And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago. (11) Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. (12) For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. (13) For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: (14) But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: (15) As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.
I pass over everything in these verses of a personal nature, either as referring to the Corinthians, to whom Paul was writing, or of himself, or of any other, to attend to a sweet view, which is given, us in one of these verses, respecting the Church of God in the Wilderness; and indeed the Church of God in the present hour, both as it concerns God's providences, and God's grace.
The Apostle, in recommending an equality of contribution to the poor saints, according to their respective ability, refers to a well known fact in the Church's history, which was little short of a daily miracle, in the Israelite's food. The Lord rained down upon them manna from Heaven: and which they were commanded to gather, new and pure every morning, the Lord's day excepted: But such was the wonderful ordination of a wonder-working God, that when each man came to measure, what he had gathered, and to mete it with an omer, he that gathered much, had nothing over, and, he that gathered little, had no lack, Exodus 16:18. Now this was in the very nature of things, a matter impossible; had not the hand of the Lord been in it. But hence arose several weighty instructions.
First: it preached Christ in his providence. It is blessed to behold our Lord as the glorious Head of all things, in a way of dominion; while we more especially contemplate him in a more dear, and intimate manner, as the head of union to his body the Church. He is indeed the head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all, Ephesians 1:22-23. Now, it is the Lord Jesus which orders, regulates, appoints, and provides, for all his creation. To speak in the language of his own most holy word: he openeth his hand and filleth all things living with plenteousness, Psalms 145:16. And hence in the camp of Israel, all Israel as a nation, as well as the Israel of God yea; all the mixed multitude which went up with Israel from Egypt, were supplied in this common providence, with the bread that perished, Exodus 12:37-38. So now in like manner, there is a common providence in the dispensation of the bread of life, where all gather in common, in the mixed multitude which attend the word. Our Lord's parable of the Sower is in proof. See Matthew 13:23 and Commentary.
Secondly. It preached Christ's wisdom, in the equality of his providence. Nothing could be more in proof of the divine wisdom, that there should be no waste, in this apparently promiscuous, distribution of the manna, in the camp of Israel, than that, when all had gathered, and came to measure, he that gathered much, had nothing over; and he that gathered little had no lack. So that in fact there was neither want, nor superfluity. A thing impossible, speaking after the manner of men, but for a divine superintendence. And hereby the Lord taught also a sweet lesson, even to the carnal part of Israel, as well as to his spiritual Israel, both then, and now; namely, what a folly is it for a man to gather more than his wants require, which when those wants are answered, leave him literally nothing that he can either want, or use. He is like the rich fool in the Gospel, having more goods than he can consume, or that he knows what to do with; and yet not rich towards God. See Luke 12:21 and Commentary.
Thirdly. By the portion of the manna which some of the Israelites left until the morning, and which bred worms, and stank; beside thereby the Lord's honoring his Sabbath, which the manna laid up for that day, in remaining sweet and pure, became a proof of it; the Lord taught the awfulness of that conduct, which by leaving of their substance to their heirs and descendants, breed sorrow, disappointment, vexation, and trouble. Oh! who shall calculate the root of bitterness, which accumulated treasure, descending from father to son, hath planted, and brought forth its deadly fruit, in many generations. Solomon hath drawn a striking, but melancholy portrait or such characters as these: Ecclesiastes 5:13-17
But, fourthly, and above all by the Apostle's beautiful comment its this place of Israel's history of the Manna, gathered by them in the Wilderness; we are taught, a sweet spiritual lesson, of Christ it his grace. That Christ, the bread of life, was represented by the Manna, is too plain to need observation. But the gathering of it every morning, is not so discernible, as referring to Christ, but by his people. As Israel was never at a loss, morning by morning, for his manna: so neither are God's Israel now of Christ. And as he that made the largest gathering in the camp of Israel, found no more than he needed, when meted out to him by the omer: so the soul that gathers most largely of Christ, hath nothing to spare when his wants of Jesus are measured out to him; but he finds a grace to help in every time of need. And, in like manner, the least gatherer hath enough for his want; for the smallest portion of Christ exceeds all the desires of nature. Oh! how precious, to have a Christ to live upon, in time, and to all eternity!