D&C 40

Section 40 is a follow up to section 39 which was the Lord’s message to James Covill to be baptized and go to Ohio with the Saints. Section 40 reveals that James Covill did not accept the counsel of the Lord and rejected His commands. The Lord tells JS and SR “Behold, verily I say unto you, that the heart of my servant James Covill was right before me, for he covenanted with me that he would obey my word.” We know from this that the Lord’s command to James wasn’t premature, he was ready and it wasn’t something that he wasn’t prepared to accept, he just didn’t. I often wonder why the Lord waits for certain things before acting, and it’s because the people are not prepared, they aren’t ready, and it’s not just for the Lord to present someone a choice that they aren’t able to fully comprehend and make an informed decision about. The Lord continued, “And he received the word with gladness, but straightway Satan tempted him; and the fear of persecution and the cares of the world caused him to reject the world. Wherefore he broke my covenants, and it remaineth with me to do with him as seemeth me good.” This is an interesting statement, and DJR comments that it implies “the Lord will handle it from here,” which I thought was insightful. About this section, the IM quotes President Joseph Fielding Smith as teaching that James Covill “was convinced of the truth, for it is clear that the Lord revealed to him things which he and the Lord alone knew to be the truth. However, when he withdrew from the influence of the Spirit of the Lord and had time to consider the fact that he would lose the fellowship of the world, and his place and position among his associates, he failed and rejected the promises and blessings which the Lord offered him.” The IM also comments, “The Lord, in His explanation of James Covill’s rejection, used language from the parable of the soils.” DJR gives some really interesting insights into lessons that we can learn from James Covill’s experience, because we are all James Covill at some point in our lives, I know that I am pretty consistently in his position, and I don’t always make the right choice, in fact, I often make the wrong choice. I hope and pray that I make the correct choices, because I would hate to one day have the Lord tell me that I’ve made poor choices and suffered immensely because I didn’t listen to him. DJR comments, “Among the lessons we might learn from this very brief revelation is that agency plays a pivotal role in our lives. The Lord teaches us what our potential is, and then we use our agency to accept or reject it. Some people might be inclined to ask why the Lord would pronounce such a marvelous revelation upon this man, when He knew that he would reject it. The answer comes in the form of an important principle, namely, that the Lord does not withhold present blessings from us because of our future misbehavior.” We saw this with L&L, though we know how the story ends, when they were repentant, the Lord stayed the storm, prospered them, and blessed their families. He gave them every opportunity to maintain righteousness, he gave them the same blessings as everyone else, everything that they deserved, even though he knew that it would not last. I hope for my own sake that this is true because I know that I will make more mistakes in my life and I’m grateful for the Lord’s mercy and patience in helping me and blessing me along the way, regardless of my wretched state. DJR continues, “ Yet another lesson for us, here, might be that we should not try to second guess such people to any great degree, rather, we should hope and pray for the best for them, and turn the matter over to the Lord.” We don’t know what’s going on in people’s lives, and they don’t know what’s going on in ours. Many times people are afflicted with mental illness, physical illness, traumatic and scarring experiences that taint their decisions, we don’t want people to sneer or judge us, we want their compassion and kindness and support, and we have to give that to others. Finally, he concludes, “As you know, it is possible for a person’s heart to be right before the Lord, which opens the door to view available blessing. The door can be closed again through a change of heart. This principle is taught clearly in the parable of the sower.” DJR makes the connection between the parable of the sower and the section just like the IM did. The back and forth change of heart is a concept that we all deal with, waxing and waning in faithfulness trying our hardest, and sometimes falling short. I guess the lesson is to always keep on trying.