The men who were commanded to come to Missouri and learn where the place set aside for Zion and the temple were, have done all they were supposed to do and are now commanded to return to Ohio. Some will remain in Missouri to continue the work, and those returning are not supposed to be in such a hurry that they fail to teach the gospel along the way. The Lord indicates he's not happy with some because they will not "open their mouths, but hide the talent which I have given them." I know from my long years of teaching that the best way to learn something is to teach it and that's certainly true of the gospel, just like the saying we've all heard that the way to strengthen your testimony is bear your testimony. When we teach and bear testimony, we not only have to know what we're are talking about and think about what we're are saying, but it is when we do those things that the Spirit bears witness so we not only know intellectually but also spiritually.
As the men preach along the way, they are commanded to shake off the dust from their feet when they are rejected by wicked people. Shaking the dust off of one's feet did three things, it lifted the responsibility to teach those particular people, it indicated that they have been diligent in trying to teach them, and it placed a cursing, usually the loss of the Spirit, on the people. On rare occasions, the apostles in the scriptures have cursed a place with a physical cursing such as destruction. But most often, the people are left to "simmer in their own stew" and lose the opportunity to learn.
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