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Proverbs 11:25 "The generous man will be prosperous,

And he who waters will himself be watered" NASB

Proverbs 11:25  “The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.” NKJV

Lit.” The soul that blesses” I.e. gives freely and fully” 

***We are living in a day in which the average individual knowingly or unknowing has had the fingers of their hearts wrap around material wealth and prosperity.  We have never been more wealthy in America and yet so poor.  Poor in the real sense of the term.  We have lost the concept of Prov.17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.” The storage unit has become the epitome of American culture.  He who dies with the most toys wins.  Never have we been so wealthy and able to give to the needs of others while at the same time we are choked by our own wealth. The more we have the more we need. 

**Allow me to define several words from the text and then draw some conclusions. 

Generous: liberal  “the idea of this word is one of good favor bestowed on another.”  The word generous is not without a rich heritage.  It is not generous as we think.  In American culture generosity is seldom sacrificial.  It is not what many could or would call “lavish“ or “extravagant.”  American giving may be giving but it is however restrained, calculated, reserved, inhibited, suppressed, restricted, bridled, checked, squelched, obstructed, cramped, crimped, curbed, held back, within limits, hemmed in, constricted, restricted etc. It is hardly generous as the Hebrew mind thinks of generous.   For the Hebrew this word spoke of showers of generosity. (Eze.34:26)   The word would most likely have brought the readers mind to the covenantal blessings of God described in Deut.28.  These blessings would come and overtake: them if they obeyed the voice of the LORD.  The word overtake was used as a hunting term illustrated in how Laban pursued Jacob for seven days and overtook him.  Pharaoh overtook the Israelites encamped by the sea.  You get the idea.  This is not a causal overtaking.  This is an overtaking that has the intent of being all consuming.  God told the Israelites that He would overtake them with blessing in the city, in the country, in the fruit of their body, in the increase of their herds, in their baskets and kneading bowls, when they come in and go out.  He would open to them His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to their land in its season, and to bless the work of their hand.  He would make them the head and not the tail, above and not beneath.  This is blessing that is lavish.   

***Take the meaning of this word and place it within the context of the text in Proverbs and we find that the we are brought to the reality of what the generous soul looks like.  It speaks of the person who literally showers others with blessings.  Overtaking them with blessing.  A person who, like the covenant keeping God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob overtakes others with the intent to overwhelm them in generosity. 

Soul: the word denotes life, breathe and at times the inner being with its thoughts and emotions.  This word is used some 55x’s in Proverbs  Often it carries this idea

>>Prov.1:19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owner.”  cp. Lk.12:15 Life does not consist in the abundance of things.

>>Prov.3:22 Sound wisdom and discretion “will be life to your soul”

>>Prov.22:22-23 “Do not rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; for the LORD will plead their cause, and plunder the soul of those who plunder them.”

>>Prov.23:7 speaks of the reality that what a man thinks in his heart (soul) so is he.

The list could go on. 

Rich: “to grow fat, used figuratively of anointing or to satisfy

Used 3x’s in Proverbs 13:4 the diligent shall be made fat,  28:25 “he who trusts in the LORD will be made fat”  We must be careful here unless we falsely misunderstand the writer as saying we must give to get.  The object of the verse is not the giver it is the giving.  Though without a doubt the giver will be blessed.  This is no cheap prosperity gospel here whereby we give in order to plant the “seed” of prosperity and become wealthy ourselves.  This sort of thinking would undo the wonder and abundance of the first portion of the text.  Moreover it would defy 2Tim.6:9-10.  I believe the text is referring to a richness a fatness of the soul more then a fatness of our pocket books and personal possessions.  Yes God may indeed bless materially. But He does not have to in order to remain true to His word. He will make the generous soul fat with joy, peace, contentment etc.  as opposed to putting a leanness in the soul as He did with the nation of Israel after they lusted in the wilderness (Ps.10:14-15) 

***Put another way:   

Waters: “to drench, to drink to ones fill.”  “to cause to be saturated, irrigated.” The word is used in Isa.55:10-11 “For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

***Do you get the idea?  What graphic term is used here.  It would especially come to full light if we were of the agricultural mindset as the Hebrew of the day.  Life revolved around rain.  Thus Solomon is doubly emphasizing generosity.  Our giving is to be like the showers of rain that come and totally saturate the earth.  We should give as if to completely permeate and saturate those to whom we give.  

Watered:  the word has similar thought as above. It speaks of saturation and drenching.  The word was a military term used mostly of archers shooting off the wall on to the approaching enemy.  2Chron.26:15; 2Sam.11:24;   The idea is that when the enemy came to the wall of the city in an effort to overtake it the archers were to saturate or drench them with arrows. 

Isn’t the Hebrew language descriptive.  Thus when the proverbs speaks of those individuals who saturate others through generosity, they themselves will be saturated also.  What rich words are found here for us to consider.

The N.T. equivalent to this text would be 2Cor.9:6

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” 

***Once again we are given an agricultural illustration. 

Allow me to quote others:   

“Give money, time, thought, counsel, whatever you have to give, unto those who need it, unto the young, the ignorant, the baffled and beaten, the unfortunate, the slain in life’s battle-field; and there shall come back to you that which will be far more valuable than anything or all that you have expended.  There shall come to you:

(1) the smile of that Divine Savior who gave Himself for us, who, though he was rich, for our sake became poor;

(2) the gratitude of those whom you serve, afterwards and yonder if not now and here;

(3) spiritual enlargement,-”the soul will be made fat,” the heart will expand, and Christian graces of many kinds and of much beauty will make their home there.” 

I believe it was said by Randy Alcorn in his book “The Treasure Principle”  God does not materially bless us to raise our standard of living but rather to raise our standard of giving.  

Question:  Have you showered someone with generosity lately?