This pericope highlights the importance of maintaining the ministry of the gospel. In too many churches, the ministry is a part-time profession, and too many ministers of God’s Word are forced to ply their trade to provide for their personal needs. This invariably limits the time they can dedicate to their task, which in turn has negative consequences on the congregation. Sermons will often lack depth; prayerful intercession and pastoral visitation will come short; the instruction of the youth will suffer; Christian counselling and guidance will not be given as required to those who err or go astray. The early apostles understood that they had to devote themselves entirely to prayer and to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). Therefore they commanded the congregation to supply the needs of those elders who were called to preach and teach the Word (1 Timothy 5:17–18). Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:14, “In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.”
7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’