Judge Not — D&C 37-40 — Life Experienced with Terri Anne Flint

Doctrine and Covenants 39 and 40 is a story about James Covel. A Methodist preacher, he attended his first conference of Latter-day Saints in early January 1831. In just a few days, he covenanted with the Lord to obey any command that the Lord would give to him (see Section 39 introduction). But when he learned that he was being called to move to Ohio, he changed his mind after 48 hours and chose to return to his ministry in New York.

James was 62 years old at the time. He had been a minister for 40 years and was recognized in Methodist circles as a steady and reliable man (Revelations in Context). His family was in New York, and he would have to leave his home and community support behind. As he returned to his Methodist ministry, he preached and gained many converts in the New York area until his death in 1850. While his legacy was not one of being a Latter-day Saint, it was one of being a good man who brought others to Christ.

It would be easy to use James Covel as an example of a person who turned his back on the Lord because “of the cares of the world” and to smugly assure ourselves that we would never do that. But the real lesson of these chapters is to not judge at all.

“Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Jesus, Matthew 7:1)
“While one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard. . . . He holds the reins of judgment in His hands; He is a wise Lawgiver, and will judge all men, not according to the narrow, contracted notions of men . . . , “not according to what they have not, but according to what they have,” those who have lived without law, will be judged without law, and those who have a law, will be judged by that law” (Joseph Smith).

Do you suspend judgment of others, recognizing you don’t know their whole story?

Judge Not — D&C 37-40