1 Corinthians 9:7-14 Who goes a warfare any time at his own charges? who plants a vineyard, and eats not of the fruit thereof? or who feeds a flock… I. THE JUST RIGHTS WHICH THE APOSTLE ASSERTED — that like other teachers he had a claim upon his scholars for recompense and support. 1. He supports this by striking illustrations (ver. 7) and by Scriptural proof (vers. 8, 9). 2. He urges the superiority of the advantages bestowed by the teacher over those which he is justified in expecting by way of acknowledgment if not of return (ver. 11). 3. This right he claims for all ministers, himself included. II. THE NOBILITY OF SPIRIT WITH WHICH THE APOSTLE WAS WONT DELIBERATELY TO FOREGO THESE RIGHTS. Observe — 1. The fact. Paul had acted on this principle from the beginning, and remembered that it involved hard manual labour. Like every Jew he had been taught a trade; he wove the Cilician goat's hair into the fabric used for tents and sails. It was a tax upon his energies whilst he was thinking, writing, and preaching, to spend part of the day in hard rough toil. 2. The exception. From the Macedonian Churches, for a special reason, he consented to receive a gift (Philippians 4.). 3. The motive. (1) Not pride: whilst preaching was a necessity in his case, so that he could take no credit and make no boast for his ministry, he gave up the right of maintenance that he might have the pleasure of a voluntary sacrifice, a ground of lowly glorying. (2) That there might be no hindrance to the progress of the gospel. It might have been thought that he preached for gain, and such a supposition would render his hearers suspicious and unreceptive. (Prof. J. R. Thompson.) Parallel Verses KJV: Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? |
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