Galatians 6:7 Commentary and Bible Study

The context of this warning is the reluctance of some to provide for the physical welfare of their pastors and teachers, and Paul makes this a matter of self-deception. Why? Because those who hold back from proper support of their pastors are trying to cheat God. They want a spiritual benefit from the teaching, but they are not prepared to set a realistic value on it. They value more highly their own enrichment than the proper payment of men who give them a spiritual benefit. They set a higher value on their material wealth than on the spiritual benefit that God provides. Will God allow himself to be cheated in this way? No, he will withhold his blessing. Those who try to deceive God only deceive themselves, for God cannot be deceived, or taken advantage of. Such a man does not understand how blessing comes; he chooses to invent a blind God for himself. To treat the Lord in this way is to mock him, to sneer at his knowledge. Does blessing come in a mechanical way, simply by being present and hearing the word taught? No, God is able to withhold or grant blessing as he sees fit, for all our profit from the ministry comes through the operation of the Spirit in our hearts. By his Spirit he gives or denies the blessing. For this reason we always pray for understanding whenever we study the word privately or hear it taught publicly.But there is a law of sowing and reaping which Paul will expand on in the next verse. This is a very interesting way of looking at the matter, for the Christian who is reluctant to properly reward his pastor does not think like this. He does not consider that he is in fact sowing at all when he makes a choice not to share with his spiritual teachers. But no one makes a choice of this nature without first making an evaluation of where his real gain comes from, and every choice is like an investment for the future.